From: "John W. Kennedy" Date: 2006-02-24T06:53:32+09:00 Subject: Re: Ruby as First Language Asfand Yar Qazi wrote: > woodyee wrote: >> Hi! I'm interested in getting opinions on Ruby as a first language. For >> example, how it compares to python/perl/basic/etc as a first language. >> My goals are to learn the basics of a language, then delve into network >> programming, and then learn how to interact with the operating system >> programaticallly. Will Ruby help me achieve this goal? Will Ruby enable >> me to transition to other languages (ex., C/Assembly/etc)? Thanks in >> advance! >> WY >> > > I'd just like to add my two pennies - do NOT learn Ruby first. You will > be spoilt, and you will get very disappointed whenever you use any other > language, and yearn for Ruby all the time. > > I suggest you start learning x86 assembler first, for the same reason > you would bang your head against a brick wall - it's a wonderful feeling > when you stop. x86 assembler is rather a mess. In one respect, we were lucky in the old days. Both of the 1401 assembler languages were easy -- even the machine language was pretty straightforward. (It's been nearly 40 years since I last dealt with a real 1401, and nearly as long since I last dealt with an emulated one, but I could still write a self-booting program today.) It gave you a sense of the real machine that's hard to get nowadays. -- John W. Kennedy "But now is a new thing which is very old-- that the rich make themselves richer and not poorer, which is the true Gospel, for the poor's sake." -- Charles Williams. "Judgement at Chelmsford"