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I'm from a generation where BASIC was the go-to programming language since it was available on every single computer sold at the time. Everyone I know who was

by pan69 14y ago

I'm from a generation where BASIC was the go-to programming language since it was available on every single computer sold at the time. Everyone I know who was a kid in the mid-80's and who is still programming today learned programming from this crappy language called BASIC. When you start out learning to program all you need to learn is about variables, functions, basic constructs such as loops and if's etc. and maybe a bit about data types. PHP let people do exactly that and guess what, today people don't write command line apps anymore. Their context of learning to program is by making a website. Most people who are serious about programming and learn to program with PHP are smart enough to learn other languages as well just like me and my friends did after we first learned BASIC.

10098 14y ago
It's funny because it was precisely how I learned programming: first a bit of Visual Basic, then PHP. I want to warn people against it, because I think I lost a lot of time along the way doing stupid irrelevant things. You see, instead of learning the basic stuff like algorithms and data structures, I was writing visitor counters and guestbooks. As a result, in a few years, those who started with Pascal or even plain old BASIC, were already coding circles around me :) Maybe it's not as much about the language as about having a wise teacher who can push you in the right direction. I didn't have one, unfortunately. P.S.: on the other hand, I was able to sell my skills much earlier than my peers: I made my first money on php. But I don't think it's important: it's about being a good programmer, not selling you code as early as possible.
- dr42 14y ago
  Just because you built visitor counters doesn't mean the language can't do a whole lot more. You're whole criticism seems more leveled at your early jobs, rather than the language.
- dr42 14y ago
  Just because you built visitor counters doesn't mean the language can't do a whole lot more. You're whole criticism seems more leveled at your early jobs, rather than the language.

by pan69 14y ago

10098 14y ago

It's funny because it was precisely how I learned programming: first a bit of Visual Basic, then PHP. I want to warn people against it, because I think I lost a lot of time along the way doing stupid irrelevant things. You see, instead of learning the basic stuff like algorithms and data structures, I was writing visitor counters and guestbooks. As a result, in a few years, those who started with Pascal or even plain old BASIC, were already coding circles around me :) Maybe it's not as much about the language as about having a wise teacher who can push you in the right direction. I didn't have one, unfortunately. P.S.: on the other hand, I was able to sell my skills much earlier than my peers: I made my first money on php. But I don't think it's important: it's about being a good programmer, not selling you code as early as possible.

dr42 14y ago
Just because you built visitor counters doesn't mean the language can't do a whole lot more. You're whole criticism seems more leveled at your early jobs, rather than the language.
dr42 14y ago
Just because you built visitor counters doesn't mean the language can't do a whole lot more. You're whole criticism seems more leveled at your early jobs, rather than the language.