From: James Britt <james_b@...>
Date: 2005-12-03T09:49:28+09:00
Subject: Re: Programming Newbie: Ruby or Java?

Chris Irish wrote:
> """the reality is that the real world and universities don't always
> match up."""
> 
> I'm a current CS student at ASU (arizona, US) and this statement is SO 
> true. :/
> Besides learning Java, C, & C++... I've had to learn Lisp/Scheme and 
> Prolog.  I mean who uses Prolog??  It's basically dead.
> School teaches theory mostly.
> Experience teaches you the rest I guess.


Perhaps you should be pursuing vocational training instead of a college 
degree.   Lots cheaper, more practical.

I would *really* like to believe that having experience with Lisp and 
Prolog will make you a better programmer, even if you are not using a 
functional or logic language.


Spending some time with a variety of programming languages is important 
for the same reason one should learn a foreign (natural) language and 
read fictional literature:  It helps you understand and imagine how 
things might otherwise be, which is essential for understanding what is.


James Britt

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