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Mar 17
2008
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Learn as Many Languages as You Can (or just learn Scala)Posted by Christopher Diggins in Programming Languages   |
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Nick Plante recently reminded me in his blog of the advice in Pragmatic Programmer to learn one programming language a year.
I say why wait? If the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis has any bearing on computer programming (which I believe it does) then you can give your programming skills a big boost by cramming a bunch of languages in your head now.
However, you need to leave your safety zone and learn a properly disjoint set of languages so that you can effectively expand your thinking, and deepen your general understanding of programming.
Assuming like many of us you are of a predominantly C++/Java background then I recommend learning the following languages in roughly the following order, and as quickly as possible.
- Ruby - Ruby does a great job of showing how powerful a dynamic language can be, and leverages powerful ideas from Smalltalk, Perl, and Lisp.
- Scheme - Scheme is a dialect of Lisp with some pretty hardcore implementations. Make sure you can wrap your head around call/cc and be sure to learn what "lambda" does and what the different "let bindings" are for.
- PostScript - PostScript is a neat way to experience the power of stack-based programming. It looks like a toy but it isn't, millions of printers around the world run it all the time.
- Prolog - Prolog can make solving a large class of programming problems a snap to solve. It is also easy to implement in your language of choice.
- ML - ML is one of the favourite languages used by computer scientists. I suggest learning algebraic data types (sum types and product types) then to move on quickly to Haskell.
- Haskell - I find Haskell makes the most sense only after knowing Scheme and ML. Go crazy with pattern matching, but avoid using monads unless absolutely neccessary because they are cheating! You will be sorely tempted to resort to using them all over the place.
- Erlang - See how easy distributed programming can be.
Getting some experience in this set of languages as soon as possible, would really catapult you forward to a new level of programming. You will gain new insights into solving programming problems in whatever language you happen to be using. It will also make transitioning between languages a snap.
Of course, not everyone has the time to or energy to learn a whole set of new langauges. So if you have to choose only one new language for the time being then my recommendation is Scala. Scala is very accessible to programmers from different backgrounds. Scala provides access to type inference and advanced techniques used in languages like Haskell, but still supports common Java idioms and dynamic programming.
The Scala by Example [pdf] online book for example was heavily influenced by the the famous Scheme book: Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs. The fun thing about Scala, is that you can slowly introduce yourself to new concepts and still be an effective programming using a programming style that you are more accustomed to. The more time you spend with Scala, the more you realize that you can do with it, and it can take you quite far.
For the highly motivated, I have compiled a list of URLs at http://www.plre.org/languages.html of roughly a hundred programming languages if you want to survey the landscape of programming languages more thoroughly.
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written by joe public, March 19, 2008
written by Nick Plante, March 19, 2008
Both are fantastic for bringing a visual context to the art of development, and Processing in particular is a great framework for learning. ActionScript, an ECMAscript descendant, has come a long ways since v1.0 and if you want to take advantage of Flex or AIR for building web-enabled applications, well, it's something worth considering anyway.
written by Christopher Diggins, March 19, 2008
For those interested in getting close to the metal with FORTH I recommend learning to implement it via this literate programming tutorial.
written by Alex Ott, March 20, 2008
written by Dave Parker, March 20, 2008
> ... literate programming ...
Flaming Thunder is the only programming language I know of that's designed with literacy in mind.
English: sentences end with periods.
Flaming Thunder: sentences end with periods.
Java, C, C++, etc: sentences end with ;
Basic, Python, etc: sentences end with
Lisp: sentences end with )
written by Devon McCormick, March 25, 2008
Anyway, the languages on this list look like a lot of the same old suspects (well, ok, maybe not Prolog). For one that will really stretch your brain, try J (jsoftware.com). You'll either love it or hate it and most people seem to hate it. I, however, find its concentrated power exhilarating.
written by Chris Roeder, March 26, 2008
...I found my old HP-41 last year. Unfortunately the batteries were still in it. Covered in corrosion it wouldn't boot.
written by Chris Roeder, March 27, 2008
patience after a few hours.
http://www.msdsite.com/hpcalcs/hp41/tips/41tips.html
written by Devon McCormick, April 08, 2008
Chris Roeder's comment about "adapting" to the stack re-inforces my point: if it weren't bass-ackwards, you wouldn't have to adapt to it.
written by Chris Roeder, February 03, 2009
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Some of Flaming Thunder's features:
- Interval arithmetic.
- Number theoretic transforms for O(nlog(n)) multiplication of big numbers.
- Easy CGI scripting for website development.
- Supports 32- and 64-bit platforms.
- Cross-compiles for FreeBSD, Linux, Mac OS X (Intel-based) and Windows.
- Programmed entirely in assembly language.
- Takes less than 140K of disk space.
- Easy enough for elementary school students, the program to write "Hello world!" is: Write "Hello world!".
Flaming Thunder is the only language in the world that I know of that has built-in support for CGI scripting and that generates compiled CGIs. Plus, you can cross-compile the CGI scripts for your Linux server on a Windows or Mac, then ftp up the compiled CGIs.
Flaming Thunder is new enough that early adopters can not only learn a new language, but can actually influence the development of the language.