3 ms·

I'd go for C++, if you're really good at C++, picking up Java, C# & ObjC will be a matter of a couple days each. That and Python.

by zyb09 16y ago

barrkel 16y ago
I don't think C++ would give you a good grounding for a language like C#; too much emphasis on manual memory allocation, and insufficient exposure to higher-level abstractions, like lambdas and monads (as IEnumerable<T> effectively is).
- brownegg 16y ago
  Maybe. Manual memory allocation is no longer a best practice for "normal" C++ projects, and I'm not sure how much easier C#'s syntax for higher-level abstractions is relative to template metaprogramming. Both are convoluted, obviously.
  - cageface 16y ago
    Are smart pointers the accepted alternative or are you talking about real garbage collection?
  - wtetzner 16y ago
    In what way are lambdas convoluted?
- steve-howard 16y ago
  C++0x, which already has a few partial implementations (including VS2010's), does have lambdas.
- maximilianburke 16y ago
  It all depends on the type of C++ you are writing. It is such a vast language that usage patterns can range anywhere from C90 plus declare-where-used and single line comments to something that in practice isn't a whole lot different than C#. Modern C# includes RAII-like idioms with using statements and IDisposable replacing C++'s destructors, and C++ manages to fake garbage collection using smart pointers. It's not an ideal basis but there are worse languages to learn before coming to C#; it might even be easier for C++ programmers to move to C# and begin working comfortably than Java programmers.
ajays 16y ago
I'm sorry, but a language for which a fully-compliant compiler takes a decade to write is horribly broken. (Computer) languages should not inspire "puzzle books". Too often I'll see colleagues scratching their heads wondering why a piece of code works a certain way, or why something doesn't work the way it's supposed to. Languages are a tool to get things done. The more time you spend lost in the entrails of a language, the more you're wasting your time.

I'd go for C++, if you're really good at C++, picking up Java, C# & ObjC will be a matter of a couple days each. That and Python.

by zyb09 16y ago

I'd go for C++, if you're really good at C++, picking up Java, C# & ObjC will be a matter of a couple days each. That and Python.

barrkel 16y ago

I don't think C++ would give you a good grounding for a language like C#; too much emphasis on manual memory allocation, and insufficient exposure to higher-level abstractions, like lambdas and monads (as IEnumerable<T> effectively is).

brownegg 16y ago
Maybe. Manual memory allocation is no longer a best practice for "normal" C++ projects, and I'm not sure how much easier C#'s syntax for higher-level abstractions is relative to template metaprogramming. Both are convoluted, obviously.
- cageface 16y ago
  Are smart pointers the accepted alternative or are you talking about real garbage collection?
- wtetzner 16y ago
  In what way are lambdas convoluted?
steve-howard 16y ago
C++0x, which already has a few partial implementations (including VS2010's), does have lambdas.
maximilianburke 16y ago
It all depends on the type of C++ you are writing. It is such a vast language that usage patterns can range anywhere from C90 plus declare-where-used and single line comments to something that in practice isn't a whole lot different than C#. Modern C# includes RAII-like idioms with using statements and IDisposable replacing C++'s destructors, and C++ manages to fake garbage collection using smart pointers. It's not an ideal basis but there are worse languages to learn before coming to C#; it might even be easier for C++ programmers to move to C# and begin working comfortably than Java programmers.

ajays 16y ago

I'm sorry, but a language for which a fully-compliant compiler takes a decade to write is horribly broken. (Computer) languages should not inspire "puzzle books". Too often I'll see colleagues scratching their heads wondering why a piece of code works a certain way, or why something doesn't work the way it's supposed to. Languages are a tool to get things done. The more time you spend lost in the entrails of a language, the more you're wasting your time.