Pascal, LISP ... both fun to use, I enjoyed them. And, of course, FORTRAN IV. Used LISP at the time (1976) to write basic (instructional) AI programs (solving the 'missionary-and-cannibal' problem, for example). Writing programs is fun. Debugging them is the moment of truth for testing one's patience and persistence.
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An intellectual says a simple thing in a hard way. An artist says a hard thing in a simple way. Charles Bukowski -
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Better defuse THAT right now! ;-)
http://www.aiai.ed.ac.uk/~gwickler/missionaries.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission...nibals_problem
!!!
(I know YOU know, S-R, but for others here not-so-lucky to get to solve it with LISP recursive lists & so on ...)An intellectual says a simple thing in a hard way. An artist says a hard thing in a simple way. Charles BukowskiComment
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Uh-humm, I'm familiar with "missionary" but would someone please explain "cannibal" to me? Sounds interesting!Comment
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Did you try the two links? Or is this a trap for me ... am I walking right into it ... or did I misspell something? Just waking up here, so anything is possible!An intellectual says a simple thing in a hard way. An artist says a hard thing in a simple way. Charles BukowskiComment
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Oh jeez, how did I not catch that! ;-) Late to the party, but I would have an answer to it, 'cept it most certainly would be edited by the mods ...An intellectual says a simple thing in a hard way. An artist says a hard thing in a simple way. Charles BukowskiComment
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While we are all successfully hijacking Feathers thread, thank you Feathers!, can I ask which compiled language would be easier? I asked around here on campus and some said Lua and others told me Free Pascal. I recall the old high school BASIC with -ugh- line numbers. I remember that it is not compiled (requires the BASIC program) and will not run as fast. I did some research and there are two related scripting languages called AutoIt and AutoHotKey. While both compile they don't come in any Linux flavor and have serious issues with virus scanners due to the number of key loggers and malware made with these programs. I could try them out with WINE, but that would be as bad as running BASIC from my point of view.
I got a poor grade in my intro to C++ (an elective) but I would like to learn something on my own more advanced than Bash. Thanks for the information!Comment
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That's a good thing IMHO, not so much thread hijacking as the original topic had been covered... more thread evolution so that it's still interesting to everyone involved!Originally posted by Simon View PostComment
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Why is it important that the language be compiled? While there are many such languages, few of them see much use -- in fact, I'd say that C is the only one in the list worth learning. Yes, cases exist in which some of the others might have an edge, but these are edge cases (LOL). Your time would be better spent learning a general-purpose language. Most of these are interpreted, and good reasons exist for interpretation. The popular languages of the day -- Python, JavaScript, Perl, PHP, Ruby -- are all interpreted. Plus, on modern hardware, programs written in interpreted languages can run nearly as fast as those in compiled languages.Originally posted by Simon View PostComment
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I am poking about inside the head of a 48 year old IT prof. at the university. I sorta failed (aka dropped) his course in C++ and when I quit, he told me, "Programming in C++ isn't for everyone. Programming isn't going to be something you will need in your field of study. However learning to program, in any language, will train you to think logically."
The few times I have seen the man about campus, we have had meals together, since I dropped his class. He also teaches an intro and advanced Pascal, but wants to start a course on Lua. However he needs a minimum number of students interested to get approval. Taking any programming course would just be another elective credit under my belt. Compiled or not I was informed that compiled languages are the "in-thang".
I was also informed that Python can be compiled too?
Finally I would want at least something I can fiddle with until the Fall. Then I would then start the class with more of a glimmer of hope.
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Input. Output. Sequence. Choice. Repetition.Originally posted by Simon View Post.... I sorta failed (aka dropped) his course in C++ .....
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Finally I would want at least something I can fiddle with until the Fall. Then I would then start the class with more of a glimmer of hope.
All languages require those five abilities. If it is just programming you could learn Bash scripting. Python, Free Pascal, etc., all suffer from poor linkage between the code and the GUI interface. One always has to either resort to using console based screens, or hook in graphical user interfaces, which always leads to version compatibility problems. (A road I spent too much time on.)
Since you already started learning C++ why not stick with it? First, install QtCreator (either from the repository, or better yet as the SDK from online. If you download the Qt5 SDK from Qt-project.org it will install in a subdirectory and be totally enclosed. It won't affect your distro or its other apps. You can delete it by deleting its directory.
Using Qt5 will give you a head start on Qt5's abilities. A beginner's tutorial is here, and you can always come here for help.Last edited by GreyGeek; Jan 14, 2014, 12:12 PM."A nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people.”
– John F. Kennedy, February 26, 1962.Comment
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He wasn't joking, or being trite. When I worked in C++, I formed the opinion that most programmers I knew and had known would not cope with and be competent in C++, even though most were reasonably able in other languages. C++ has improved a bit since then, but I think a non-programmer would be better learning something else.Originally posted by Simon View Post
Regards, John LittleRegards, John LittleComment
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@GreyGeek: As you can tell (from my more ancient posts) I have made some Bash scripts that never went much beyond a simple case statement or if then else. I would like to take an elective this Fall that will not be or seem as confounding as C++ was to me. I will download Qt5 and give it another shot. But I don't plan to take C++ again and risk wasting more of the class time. They don't teach Java or I might have gone that route here and made more mistakes. One great thing to come of this, I won't be one of those medical professionals who have to call tech support at the drop of a hat.
@JLittle: Thanks John, my current field of study is DNA and computer programming is just a hobby on the side. A few years or so my good friend Frank and I plan to open a combined clinic and laboratory for forensic research. Frank is working on his Phd in Hematology. When we do, I plan to set up all the computer equipment and software saving us a ton of cash.
===EDIT===
GreyGeek: I downloaded the 32 bit version the linked version was the 64. Once it ran I tried to run a sample but it crashed with an error about the compiler?
"Qt needs a compiler to build"
From terminal I did this;
$gcc --version
gcc (Ubuntu/Linaro 4.6.3-1ubuntu5) 4.6.3
Copyright (C) 2011 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
This is free software; see the source for copying conditions. There is NO
warranty; not even for MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
So what am I missing or does it need a different compiler?Comment
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ok now I installed g++ and still having compiler errors... maybe it is just my bad karma.
I am already having "flashbacks". LoLCode:/media/drive_d/Qt/5.2.0/gcc/include/QtGui/qopengl.h:110: error: GL/gl.h: No such file or directory # include <GL/gl.h>
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