🚀 go-pugleaf

Steve Carvaines wrote:
>
>    As part of our computer science curriculum at Ohio State, we learn
> Modula-2 as one of our 'first' languages (we also learn Pascal). I've
> checked with a few potential employers, and none of them need anyone with
> Modula-2 experience. Most don't even know what Modula-2 is. I've been
> told by professors that learning Modula-2 is a stepping stone for learning
> other languages. I don't buy that.

Yair, right. They don't know what they're talking about.

When you start in on other languages, you'll find that you
understand all the concepts and all you have to do is learn
the keywords and the syntax. Nice and easy. Pascal and Modula
*make* it easy because they don't clutter your learning mind
with lots of stuff irrelevant to the central issues of
programming. And there is *lots* of it.

When you get to languages like C, your error rate will go
through the roof. It might get so bad that you'll spend more
time debugging than anything else. If you had to start with
a language like that, your studies would be even harder and
more frustrating than they are now.

Modula-2 is gets the three T's: trim, taut, terrific. It's
small, elegant (wait for it: you'll learn what that means),
flexible, powerful and safe.

It's a damned shame that more employers don't use it. In a lot
of cases, they'd do better business. That those prospective
employers you mentioned don't use it probably indicates their
ignorance. And maybe weakness in their product.

That more employers don't use it is *not* a good reason for
making you learn programming principles *and* the specifics
of some error-prone syntax horror like C at the same time.

Ned