Groups > comp.lang.java.programmer > #33066

Re: Java primitive variable objects

From	Martin Gregorie <martin@address-in-sig.invalid>
Newsgroups	comp.lang.java.programmer
Subject	Re: Java primitive variable objects
Date	2015-11-10 02:10 +0000
Organization	A noiseless patient Spider
Message-ID	<n1rjnc$gme$1@dont-email.me> (permalink)
References	(2 earlier) <9bd4f37d-dc09-46f8-8722-92615ac542ef@googlegroups.com> <n1mf48$anc$2@speranza.aioe.org> <2fa8e907-f6b4-4bd5-b6cb-304b25c5e754@googlegroups.com> <n1re9r$rik$1@speranza.aioe.org> <n1rh0d$gf7$1@dont-email.me>

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On Mon, 09 Nov 2015 20:26:53 -0500, Jerry Stuckle wrote:

> On 11/9/2015 7:38 PM, Arne Vajhøj wrote:
>> Universities are supposed to teach students something that will help
>> them through a career of 40-45 years.
>> 
>> 
> That's hard to do in any of the sciences today.  The world is changing
> too quickly.
>
Yes, but its what a *University* should be doing - and apparently a 
number of US State universities weren't doing it in the 70s and haven't 
changed their ways 20 years later, as confirmed by ED. The question is: 
have they changed since then.

In NZ, where I got my degree, and in the UK computer science degrees have 
certainly taught programming languages, but as tools that let students 
get hands-on experience of the non language-specific skills that the 
degree is meant to teach them. Things such as the elements of hardware 
and software architecture, systems analysis principles (not how to use 
SSADM, Bootch or Rational Rose), modular program decomposition (not how 
to look up design patterns). IOW, they're teaching general principles and 
problem solving - skills which *can* serve you well throughout a career.

I'd call any school that simply taught coding in a programming language a 
polytech: its certainly not a University, at least not the sort of 
University I attended.
 
>> At that time I think it both made sense and was common to use Pascal or
>> C++.
>>
Yes, Pascal has always been a popular teaching language. In addition to 
the reasons already given, algorithms expressed in it are very easy to 
read by anybody who knows any block-structured language. Take a look at 
Sedgewick: "Algorithms" - a book that belongs in any serious programmer's 
library. It uses Pascal and I know, from personal experience that I can 
transcribe its algorithms directly into C. It should be equally easy to 
transcribe its Pascal code into Java, C++ or Python.

> PASCAL has never been big in business.  C++ is to some extent, but still
> not as popular as C.
>
I think it depends what you're doing, though I agree about Pascal. If 
you're writing, say, business domain-specific message switches, ATM or 
EFTPOS network controllers or almost any very high volume application 
you'll probably choose C with Java and C++ in 2nd rank due to their 
generally larger support libraries and related overheads.
   
>> Even though COBOLwas still very popular at that time, then it was
>> obvious that it would not stay that way.
>>
>>
> It is still the most commonly used language in the world.
>
And, within the application domain it was designed for, it may still be 
the best. As I've said before, how many lines would it take in any other 
language to format a financial in the way described by 

 77 MY-VALUE      COMP SYNC RIGHT PIC $$,$$$,$$0.99DB BLANK WHEN ZERO.


-- 
martin@   | Martin Gregorie
gregorie. | Essex, UK
org       |

Thread

Java primitive variable objects Eric Douglas <e.d.programmer@gmail.com> - 2015-11-02 10:11 -0800
  Re: Java primitive variable objects Eric Sosman <esosman@comcast-dot-net.invalid> - 2015-11-02 14:15 -0500
    Re: Java primitive variable objects Eric Douglas <e.d.programmer@gmail.com> - 2015-11-02 13:03 -0800
      Re: Java primitive variable objects Eric Sosman <esosman@comcast-dot-net.invalid> - 2015-11-02 16:29 -0500
  Re: Java primitive variable objects Jan Burse <janburse@fastmail.fm> - 2015-11-02 22:46 +0100
    Re: Java primitive variable objects Jan Burse <janburse@fastmail.fm> - 2015-11-02 22:52 +0100
    Re: Java primitive variable objects Eric Sosman <esosman@comcast-dot-net.invalid> - 2015-11-02 17:47 -0500
  Re: Java primitive variable objects Joerg Meier <joergmmeier@arcor.de> - 2015-11-05 22:19 +0100
    Re: Java primitive variable objects Eric Douglas <e.d.programmer@gmail.com> - 2015-11-05 13:31 -0800
      Re: Java primitive variable objects Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2015-11-07 22:21 -0500
        Re: Java primitive variable objects Eric Douglas <e.d.programmer@gmail.com> - 2015-11-09 04:52 -0800
          Re: Java primitive variable objects Jerry Stuckle <jstucklex@attglobal.net> - 2015-11-09 08:54 -0500
            Re: Java primitive variable objects Eric Douglas <e.d.programmer@gmail.com> - 2015-11-09 07:27 -0800
              Re: Java primitive variable objects Jerry Stuckle <jstucklex@attglobal.net> - 2015-11-09 10:51 -0500
                Re: Java primitive variable objects Eric Douglas <e.d.programmer@gmail.com> - 2015-11-09 08:28 -0800
                Re: Java primitive variable objects Jerry Stuckle <jstucklex@attglobal.net> - 2015-11-09 11:57 -0500
                Re: Java primitive variable objects Eric Douglas <e.d.programmer@gmail.com> - 2015-11-09 10:13 -0800
                Re: Java primitive variable objects Eric Sosman <esosman@comcast-dot-net.invalid> - 2015-11-09 13:28 -0500
                Re: Java primitive variable objects Jerry Stuckle <jstucklex@attglobal.net> - 2015-11-09 14:53 -0500
                Re: Java primitive variable objects Nigel Wade <nmw@ion.le.ac.uk> - 2015-11-10 09:27 +0000
                Re: Java primitive variable objects "Jeffrey H. Coffield" <jeffrey@digitalsynergyinc.com> - 2015-11-09 10:44 -0800
                Re: Java primitive variable objects Martin Gregorie <martin@address-in-sig.invalid> - 2015-11-09 18:59 +0000
                Re: Java primitive variable objects Jerry Stuckle <jstucklex@attglobal.net> - 2015-11-09 15:02 -0500
                Re: Java primitive variable objects Martin Gregorie <martin@address-in-sig.invalid> - 2015-11-09 22:57 +0000
                Re: Java primitive variable objects Jerry Stuckle <jstucklex@attglobal.net> - 2015-11-09 19:16 -0500
                Re: Java primitive variable objects Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2015-11-09 20:55 -0500
                Re: Java primitive variable objects Jerry Stuckle <jstucklex@attglobal.net> - 2015-11-09 22:13 -0500
                Re: Java primitive variable objects Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2015-11-09 20:40 -0500
                Re: Java primitive variable objects Jerry Stuckle <jstucklex@attglobal.net> - 2015-11-09 22:23 -0500
          Re: Java primitive variable objects Martin Gregorie <martin@address-in-sig.invalid> - 2015-11-09 14:00 +0000
            Re: Java primitive variable objects Eric Douglas <e.d.programmer@gmail.com> - 2015-11-09 07:18 -0800
              Re: Java primitive variable objects Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2015-11-09 20:43 -0500
          Re: Java primitive variable objects Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2015-11-09 19:38 -0500
            Re: Java primitive variable objects Jerry Stuckle <jstucklex@attglobal.net> - 2015-11-09 20:26 -0500
              Re: Java primitive variable objects Martin Gregorie <martin@address-in-sig.invalid> - 2015-11-10 02:10 +0000
                Re: Java primitive variable objects Jerry Stuckle <jstucklex@attglobal.net> - 2015-11-09 22:12 -0500
                Re: Java primitive variable objects Martin Gregorie <martin@address-in-sig.invalid> - 2015-11-10 13:01 +0000
                Re: Java primitive variable objects Jerry Stuckle <jstucklex@attglobal.net> - 2015-11-10 12:23 -0500
                Re: Java primitive variable objects Eric Douglas <e.d.programmer@gmail.com> - 2015-11-10 10:10 -0800
                Re: Java primitive variable objects Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2015-11-10 22:08 -0500
                Re: Java primitive variable objects Martin Gregorie <martin@address-in-sig.invalid> - 2015-11-10 20:05 +0000
                Re: Java primitive variable objects Eric Douglas <e.d.programmer@gmail.com> - 2015-11-10 13:21 -0800
                Re: Java primitive variable objects Martin Gregorie <martin@address-in-sig.invalid> - 2015-11-10 23:30 +0000
                Re: Java primitive variable objects Jerry Stuckle <jstucklex@attglobal.net> - 2015-11-10 20:58 -0500
                Re: Java primitive variable objects Gene Wirchenko <genew@telus.net> - 2015-11-10 22:30 -0800
                Re: Java primitive variable objects Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2015-11-10 21:58 -0500
              Re: Java primitive variable objects Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2015-11-10 21:56 -0500
                Re: Java primitive variable objects Jerry Stuckle <jstucklex@attglobal.net> - 2015-11-10 22:19 -0500
                Re: Java primitive variable objects Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2015-11-10 22:42 -0500
                Re: Java primitive variable objects Jerry Stuckle <jstucklex@attglobal.net> - 2015-11-10 23:07 -0500
            Re: Java primitive variable objects Eric Douglas <e.d.programmer@gmail.com> - 2015-11-10 06:06 -0800
  Re: Java primitive variable objects Lew <lewbloch@gmail.com> - 2015-11-16 14:47 -0800

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