Elysian Shadows

Feel free to list the languages. After you list them, tell me how long it took you to learn them. It'll help me know what to expect over the time i'm learning my first few languages.

BattleZoneHD wrote:Feel free to list the languages. After you list them, tell me how long it took you to learn them. It'll help me know what to expect over the time i'm learning my first few languages.

That depends on what you mean by 'know'.

bbguimaraes wrote:

BattleZoneHD wrote:Feel free to list the languages. After you list them, tell me how long it took you to learn them. It'll help me know what to expect over the time i'm learning my first few languages.

That depends on what you mean by 'know'.

I changed it to learned. How many have you learned?

I was just lazy, I could have just said:

== This should be my original reply ==
I'll order them by "level of knowledge":

== Like area ==

• c/++: extensive, I've been working with it for... Must be 5 years now, and I consider myself quite proficient.
• shell: you may not consider it a language (you'd be either stupid or ignorant: the good meaning of ignorant, the bad meaning of stupid). I work almost exclusively in Linux, so I use it a lot. I've been using Linux for 3 years now, so I had much time to study and use it.
• Ruby and python: played with them, liked them, played with them more. I'm working for a company that uses python, so it's currently my main language. Both are very much alike, so quite proficient with both.
• Perl: a pretty nice language, I use it mainly for its (one-liner) regex capabilities (which is a lot). I guess I couldn't do much more than that.
• Prolog: did some experimenting with it when I read an AI book. Nice language.
• Lisp: same as Prolog, but, in order to maintain my mental health, I didn't study it much.
• Lua: read Programming in Lua and played with it a while ago, when I created my never-fulfilled plan to use it with c++.
• Assembly: oh boy. Learned it in college, never touched it again (except to see the assembly output of c/++ code).

== Hate area ==

• Java and C#: unfortunately, I had to use them in ages past: Java in classes and C# in a past job. Had to be proficient. But it was some time ago, I'd need some reviewing to work again with them (which I would fight not to).
• Pascal: pre-college years, basic computer course, Delphi, enough said.

Wow, 13. And I probably forgot some (I'll edit if I remember). I'm curious to see the replies to this topic.

Yeesh. Not many. To be honest, though, if you know one high level language really well then you pretty much know them all. Focus on programming paradigms and good design, not so much language. Language is a means to an end... a tool.


C/C++ - 15 years.
Java - 3 years.
Multiple assembly languages - 15 years


Thats it :]

Well im probably one of the noobies in here so here is my list:

C/++: 1 - 2 years by now im still learnng
BASIC: My first programming language I think 2 years by now, it cost me alot moving onto C++ because i was used to a lot of Goto shit!
Pascal: Learnit for 4-5 months i get bored, i didnt like it

Take in accont that i am only 15 now i didnt went to college yet

PHP - my first language as I started out in web development and is currently my job.
C++ - first language using a compiler/linker. Wowsers, there's a lot of stuff here and I'm still not worthy of being its master.
Java - only really used it for college. But it was the first time OOP really clicked for me.
BASIC - learned it in class for my first microcontroller programs. But didn't enjoy it much I'd rather use the following...
Processing - learned it also for microcontrollers and output display. It's very C-like so it's really more of my style.
C# - my current "main" language, it's like taking a nice breather from C++ plus it's what Java should have been IMO.

qpHalcy0n wrote:To be honest, though, if you know one high level language really well then you pretty much know them all. Focus on programming paradigms and good design, not so much language. Language is a means to an end... a tool.

This.

I've used more far more languages than I could comfortably say that I "know" on a resume, but I have most used:

C# - Learned freshman year of college, been using daily at work for the last 2 years. It is a language that grows on you over time (except the Forms Designer.. which I still fucking hate). ~3 years
AutoIt Script - My first language, and one I will always admire because of that fact. Haven't used it in ages. ~1-2 years
C/C++ - The first "real" programming language I learned, have been using it off and on every since, especially for school projects. ~6 years
PHP - Some personal experience, used it for a software engineering project last year for school. ~3 years

Briefly touched: x86 Asm, Lisp, Lua, ML to name a few

To further emphasize qp's point, a coworker asked me with help writing and XSLT template today, something I have never even seen before. I taught him 3 ways to do what he was looking to do in less than 5 minutes. Given XSLT is hardly a programming language, but if you understand the core concepts you can easily translate them to just about any language.

I just wanted to say that I agree that learning a lot of languages doesn't make you a better programmer. Please don't take my post as some kind of stupid show-off. It was just a fun mental exercise to remember all the languages I studied at some point, which I think is a really good learning experience. One thing I might say, though, is that staying on a single language, or better, a single paradigm, WILL make your mind stall. Experiment, play, study.

Having said that, I think I have a craving for studying programming languages, kind of like a human-language polyglot. I really like studying how a specific language handles an aspect of programming: object-orientation in Lua, first-class functions in python, basically everything about prolog, to name a few.

bbguimaraes wrote:I just wanted to say that I agree that learning a lot of languages doesn't make you a better programmer.

Oh, that's not at ALL what I was trying to say. Learning more languages most certainly makes you a better a programmer. Rather the important thing to remember to remember is that having dabbled in 10 languages doesn't necessarily make you a better programmer than someone who is an expert at one language but who understands the concepts thoroughly and completely. As with knowledge of any subject, there is no single measure that makes one person better than the next.

bbguimaraes wrote:One thing I might say, though, is that staying on a single language, or better, a single paradigm, WILL make your mind stall. Experiment, play, study.

Having said that, I think I have a craving for studying programming languages, kind of like a human-language polyglot. I really like studying how a specific language handles an aspect of programming: object-orientation in Lua, first-class functions in python, basically everything about prolog, to name a few.

This is what makes you a better programmer.

I don't think we were addressing you in particular bbg ;] At least I wasn't.

There are those of us in the field who get their rocks off on language. There are those who get off on algorithms. Those who get off on graphics. Some get off on analysis. Some get off on parallel computing. I mean, it goes on and on and on. I don't think anyone in their right mind would accuse you of being pompous for knowing many languages. I think knowing languages is a reflection of either simply wanting to know many languages (a very valid field of study) or having been exposed to many languages as a requirement for various areas of application. I fall into the second category. There just is not much that I do that really requires me to step outside of C or Java. I've had a ton of experience with multiple assembly languages but over the past 10 years, however I haven't encountered too many chips that don't ship with a decent C compiler these days. So I don't touch it (much) anymore. Granted I've had forays into C#, ASP, and such but not anywhere near enough to claim to be "familiar".

I think this is a good topic, really. It seems to me that the act of writing code itself has become somewhat "chic" among those coming into the field. I really encourage new people to really focus more on an end product. Identify the problems. Design good solutions and finally apply the language that fits the bill.

Let the results motivate you. In the end, anyways, it's what you have DONE that matters.

+1 on the three poeple above me.

From when I was 12 until now.

2 - 3 Years: 1 Month: 1 Week: 1 Day: 40 Minutes: 20 Minutes: 2 Minutes: Still Learning But Know Enough of To Write A Program In: Touched Apon:
Favorites: Dislike List:

THe Floating Brain wrote:+1 on the three poeple above me.

From when I was 12 until now.

2 - 3 Years:

Code: Select all

C
C++
Java (dident touch much apon it during that time)

Less than 1 Month...

So essentially you don't have experience with any language aside from C++? You could have just said that. :P

dandymcgee wrote:

THe Floating Brain wrote:+1 on the three poeple above me.

From when I was 12 until now.

2 - 3 Years:

Code: Select all

C
C++
Java (dident touch much apon it during that time)

Less than 1 Month...

So essentially you don't have experience with any language aside from C++? You could have just said that. :P

I do not understand what you mean. I said I agree knowing tons of programming languages alone doesent make you a good programmer.

It is true I know all these languages and I do not have a lot of experience with all of them.
However I am experienced in C, C++, GML, Python 3x, Java, Pascal, C#, HTML, CSS, Java Script, Ruby, Lua, and TI - Basic.

THe Floating Brain wrote:It is true I know all these languages and I do not have a lot of experience with all of them.

I guess our definition of "know" differs. If you have 40 minutes experience with a programming language, in my opinion you do not know the language, rather you know of the language.