I like to have a simple personal 'benchmark' when learning new languages. One of the first programs I try to implement whenever a new language comes along is a

I like to have a simple personal 'benchmark' when learning new languages. One of the first programs I try to implement whenever a new language comes along is a filesystem walker. It combines enough concepts that allow me to quickly evaluate the syntax and some core principles of a language. I rarely end up writing the same thing, which is rather impressive and sometimes even enlightening.