Daniel’s Blog

I was thinking about the previous blog post I made about first year undergrad programming languages (found here)

I shall express my opinion, feeling and experience about programming languages:

• My first programming languages (before uni) were: QBASIC, VisualBASIC and C++. I found using Delphi very awkward when I came to uni, it was like walking into a straight jacket.
• If you know C++, Objective-C, C# or Java then it is easy to move to any of the others in the same group.
• I feel that one Object Oriented language (e.g. Java or C++… C++ is quite good because procedural programming can be covered with C too) and one functional language (e.g. Haskell) is the best set-up for the first year of undergraduate study. OO is a solid foundation for all modern software development, and Functional Programming is excellent for data structures and algorithmics.
• If you know either Ruby or Python, then its easy to go to the other (although Ruby programmers may find Pythons whitespace quite restrictive). I have to admit, BASIC and Perl are not too far away from Ruby or Python either!
• If your university doesn’t delve into logic programming or expert systems programming then have a go at some Prolog and some CLIPS in your own time. Both are very interesting languages which have benefits over the standard languages you currently hear on the job market (i.e. java and C#). Beware they are very different in philosophy, so you will have to adopt a different thinking methodology.
• If you have to develop in Delphi, then explore some other forms of Pascal such as: Chrome Object-Pascal, Oberon and Zonnon.
• Be aware of cross-platform ability. If you can make it cross-platform then do (have a look at the Mono Project.

Right, so I have told you about my experience. But seriously, if you are a prospective undergrad then do not base your choice of uni on the programming language(s) they teach, because it really is the theory that is important and not the exact syntax of a language.

(the aboves are just my current opinion, and you should try to form your own opinion on the subject… but it is useful to gather other peoples thoughts too)

Technorati Tags: programming, languages, myexperience

I have started to construct a list of programming languages found in first year undergraduate computing/computer science/software engineering degrees. Please see this website for a list:

https://www.vanirsystems.com/ProgLangsUnis.html

Please get in contact with me:

• If you are a current student at a university and don’t see the first year languages of your university (or I have made a mistake)
• Are a prospective student of a university not listed and would like me to find them out for you (or you have found them out)

If you are a prospective student then please do not judge an institution based on the programming language that they teach. A course is all about the theory that they teach, and its all about the ability to implement something and not in any particular programming language.

This list arose out of a discussion about whether or not a particular programming language should be required for courseworks which shouldn’t actually test whether you know a particular language but should test that you can implement it. (For example, an Agent Technology system should not really need the requirement of being in the Delphi programming language, as the student could develop an agent and its environment in any language he/she likes (e.g. java, ruby, C#, C++… anything really)).

Feel free to comment here if you would like to add to the list, alternatively feel free to skype or email me. My contact details are on my business page: https://www.vanirsystems.com/

Thanks,

Daniel

(this list has kind of evolved from thoughts within the Brookes Computing Society)

Technorati Tags: undergraduate, firstyear, programming, languages, computing</a