On Aug 21, 9:27 pm, Dan Hyslop <dbhys...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> Ken: No need to apologize for going long--I'm learning a lot. At the
> moment I'm most interested in the software side.
>
> What programming language would you suggest for a beginner? I spent
> some time tonight looking at tutorials for C++, BASIC and Perl. It is
> my impression that C++ is a more useful language, but some of the
> others are less daunting--is that a fair *****sment? A reviewer for a
> book on Amazon likened learning programming with C++ to learning to
> ride a bike by first forging the bicycle frame out of steel. The
> tutorials I read didn't seem all that uncomfortable, but are
> admittedly only scratching the surface.
>
> For the foreseeable future I expect to be working (playing) on my PC.
> I see the utility of an SBC for a hovercraft project, but I definitely
> want to crawl before I walk.
>
> Dan
Dan,
Being 41 years old, I like C and C++. However, those languages are
only for real programmers! They both are very "raw" in terms of
protection from accidental harm. The compilers and the design of the
language assume that whatever you're doing, you meant to do. It's
extremely easy to have dangling pointers, memory leaks and jumping off
into the middle of nowhere. More im****tantly, the design of those
languages encourage "clever" programming, and that makes the code
harder to read.
I really don't think that the language choice makes that much
difference though. First, you need to find the equipment you intend
to use, and then find out what languages it sup****ts. It would be
really nice to have an object-oriented API in a modern language, but
the license fees for those boards tend to be high. That makes the
cost of initial experimentation high, when you don't even know if the
board will be adequate for your needs.
Most people don't know that Java was originally designed for exactly
the sort of application we're talking about. Sun has its own compiler
for it, you can download the micro edition which is much cleaner and
simpler than the sort being used by business. The problem is, that
the boards which use Java are brutally expensive for what you get. I
think Java is a good language to start with, because it's object
oriented and still protects you from some of the more blatant memory
issues.
It's probably a good idea to pick up more than one language. At
first, start on languages that have free compilers and a widespread
user base. A lot of that will depend on what kind of computer you
have. Are you using Windows, Mac or something else?
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