Re: are you interested in number theory AND programming

From	Boris Dorestand <bdorestand@example.com>
Newsgroups	comp.programming
Subject	Re: are you interested in number theory AND programming
Date	2020-06-27 11:22 -0300
Organization	Aioe.org NNTP Server
Message-ID	<86k0zslhbp.fsf@example.com> (permalink)
References	(14 earlier) <rd45nq$9o$1@dont-email.me> <c544bf1f-7eb9-48d3-b239-b39b3bb5a20bo@googlegroups.com> <rd4e1m$c79$2@dont-email.me> <d1240ea0-15dd-45a8-8a4d-5e70f137435bo@googlegroups.com> <rd4mg8$v1e$1@dont-email.me>

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David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> writes:

> On 26/06/2020 12:56, James Dow Allen wrote:
>> On Friday, June 26, 2020 at 4:10:17 PM UTC+7, David Brown wrote:
>>> On 26/06/2020 10:25, syed owais wrote:
>>>> i have changed course in the pursuit of programming skills--i will
>>>> first learn c and the python.
>>>>
>>>
>>> Trust this from someone who works primarily with C and Python for a
>>> living - that is a truly stupid idea.  It is perhaps not quite as bad as
>>> picking FORTRAN, but it is /bad/.
>> 
>> Why?  I think there's a case for first learning a language
>> "close to the hardware."  Is there some reason that C is a bad first
>> language?
>
> Yes, many reasons.
>
> I can agree that learning a language "close to the hardware" is a good
> idea if you want to understand about computer hardware.  The OP here
> wants a tool to help automate his mathematics work - he does not (or
> should not) care anything about the hardware.

[...]

> It might be that the best choice for him is Haskell or Lisp, rather than
> Python, or that he has other requirements that haven't been discussed.
> And it is entirely plausible that the best choice in the end will not be
> the same as the /first/ choice - you can pick a different balance when
> learning about programming, and later once you have a better
> understanding and want something more advanced.  But I am very confident
> that neither C nor FORTRAN are appropriate choices.

Your entire post makes a lot of sense.  I'd like to contribute with an
addition here that might sound very controversial at the end, but here
it goes.

I think the OP should also consider not just the language but the book
too.  Because of the availability of ``the book'', I think a Lisp turns
out to the best thing for the OP.  Here's why.

The book 

  How to Design Programs
  http://htdp.org

is AFAIK the unique book in the entire world that seems to actually
teach programming without the usual strategy of presenting various
sample problems and solving them the programming language of choice.  It
seems HtDP is the only book that found a way to talk about programming
in a more general sense of the word.  Of course they solve lots of
sample simple problems, but only to illustrate the more general
strategy.

The books sends you towards functional programming --- which I guess
will suit the OP's mathematics work --- and Lisp seems to be the
language with least syntax, which seems like a good educational start.

But the choice for Lisp is due to HtDP.  This book is *the educational
first book* on programming.  Even experienced programmers should read
it, I think: if not for anything else, then at least so one would get
close to an educational approach one hasn't closely seen yet.

I have no association with the authors.  I speak for myself, of course.

Thread

are you interested in number theory AND programming syedanwarowais5@gmail.com - 2020-06-12 02:25 -0700
  Re: are you interested in number theory AND programming root <NoEMail@home.org> - 2020-06-12 14:26 +0000
    Re: are you interested in number theory AND programming syedanwarowais5@gmail.com - 2020-06-12 19:34 -0700
      Re: are you interested in number theory AND programming Ben Bacarisse <ben.usenet@bsb.me.uk> - 2020-06-13 11:16 +0100
        Re: are you interested in number theory AND programming syedanwarowais5@gmail.com - 2020-06-13 04:07 -0700
          Re: are you interested in number theory AND programming Julio Di Egidio <julio@diegidio.name> - 2020-06-13 07:20 -0700
            Re: are you interested in number theory AND programming Julio Di Egidio <julio@diegidio.name> - 2020-06-13 07:47 -0700
            Re: are you interested in number theory AND programming Julio Di Egidio <julio@diegidio.name> - 2020-06-13 08:29 -0700
          Re: are you interested in number theory AND programming Ben Bacarisse <ben.usenet@bsb.me.uk> - 2020-06-13 17:02 +0100
            Re: are you interested in number theory AND programming syedanwarowais5@gmail.com - 2020-06-13 23:11 -0700
              Re: are you interested in number theory AND programming syedanwarowais5@gmail.com - 2020-06-13 23:23 -0700
                Re: are you interested in number theory AND programming James Dow Allen <jdallen2000@yahoo.com> - 2020-06-17 00:55 -0700
                Re: are you interested in number theory AND programming Richard Heathfield <rjh@cpax.org.uk> - 2020-06-17 09:30 +0100
                Re: are you interested in number theory AND programming James Dow Allen <jdallen2000@yahoo.com> - 2020-06-17 02:32 -0700
                Re: are you interested in number theory AND programming Richard Heathfield <rjh@cpax.org.uk> - 2020-06-20 08:26 +0100
                Re: are you interested in number theory AND programming James Dow Allen <jdallen2000@yahoo.com> - 2020-06-20 03:58 -0700
                Re: are you interested in number theory AND programming Richard Heathfield <rjh@cpax.org.uk> - 2020-06-20 14:55 +0100
                Re: are you interested in number theory AND programming Ben Bacarisse <ben.usenet@bsb.me.uk> - 2020-06-17 23:11 +0100
                Re: are you interested in number theory AND programming syed owais <syedanwarowais5@gmail.com> - 2020-06-20 04:44 -0700
                Re: are you interested in number theory AND programming Julio Di Egidio <julio@diegidio.name> - 2020-06-20 06:27 -0700
                Re: are you interested in number theory AND programming syed owais <syedanwarowais5@gmail.com> - 2020-06-21 17:31 -0700
                Re: are you interested in number theory AND programming James Dow Allen <jdallen2000@yahoo.com> - 2020-06-22 02:00 -0700
                Re: are you interested in number theory AND programming syed owais <syedanwarowais5@gmail.com> - 2020-06-22 05:34 -0700
                Re: are you interested in number theory AND programming root <NoEMail@home.org> - 2020-06-22 14:05 +0000
                Re: are you interested in number theory AND programming syed owais <syedanwarowais5@gmail.com> - 2020-06-23 04:50 -0700
                Re: are you interested in number theory AND programming David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2020-06-23 15:50 +0200
                Re: are you interested in number theory AND programming Chad <cdalten@gmail.com> - 2020-06-23 14:34 -0700
                Re: are you interested in number theory AND programming syed owais <syedanwarowais5@gmail.com> - 2020-06-24 01:39 -0700
                Re: are you interested in number theory AND programming David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2020-06-24 15:48 +0200
                Re: are you interested in number theory AND programming Ben Bacarisse <ben.usenet@bsb.me.uk> - 2020-06-24 13:52 +0100
                Re: are you interested in number theory AND programming David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2020-06-24 16:00 +0200
                Re: are you interested in number theory AND programming Ben Bacarisse <ben.usenet@bsb.me.uk> - 2020-06-24 17:03 +0100
                Re: are you interested in number theory AND programming David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2020-06-24 20:32 +0200
                Re: are you interested in number theory AND programming Chad <cdalten@gmail.com> - 2020-06-24 14:19 -0700
                Re: are you interested in number theory AND programming Julio Di Egidio <julio@diegidio.name> - 2020-06-26 06:24 -0700
                Re: are you interested in number theory AND programming David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2020-06-26 16:28 +0200
                Re: are you interested in number theory AND programming Julio Di Egidio <julio@diegidio.name> - 2020-06-26 06:11 -0700
                Re: are you interested in number theory AND programming James Dow Allen <jdallen2000@yahoo.com> - 2020-06-22 09:39 -0700
                Re: are you interested in number theory AND programming syed owais <syedanwarowais5@gmail.com> - 2020-06-23 00:50 -0700
                Re: are you interested in number theory AND programming James Dow Allen <jdallen2000@yahoo.com> - 2020-06-23 05:14 -0700
                Re: are you interested in number theory AND programming syed owais <syedanwarowais5@gmail.com> - 2020-06-24 02:39 -0700
                Re: are you interested in number theory AND programming Richard Heathfield <rjh@cpax.org.uk> - 2020-06-25 20:48 +0100
                Re: are you interested in number theory AND programming David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2020-06-26 08:48 +0200
                Re: are you interested in number theory AND programming syed owais <syedanwarowais5@gmail.com> - 2020-06-26 01:25 -0700
                Re: are you interested in number theory AND programming David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2020-06-26 11:10 +0200
                Re: are you interested in number theory AND programming James Dow Allen <jdallen2000@yahoo.com> - 2020-06-26 03:56 -0700
                Re: are you interested in number theory AND programming David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2020-06-26 13:34 +0200
                Re: are you interested in number theory AND programming Boris Dorestand <bdorestand@example.com> - 2020-06-27 11:22 -0300
                Re: are you interested in number theory AND programming David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2020-06-27 17:50 +0200
                Re: are you interested in number theory AND programming Boris Dorestand <bdorestand@example.com> - 2020-06-27 13:42 -0300
                Re: are you interested in number theory AND programming syed owais <syedanwarowais5@gmail.com> - 2020-07-04 18:44 -0700
                Re: are you interested in number theory AND programming syed owais <syedanwarowais5@gmail.com> - 2020-07-09 19:51 -0700
                Re: are you interested in number theory AND programming James Dow Allen <jdallen2000@yahoo.com> - 2020-07-10 05:32 -0700
                Re: are you interested in number theory AND programming syed owais <syedanwarowais5@gmail.com> - 2020-07-10 09:03 -0700
                Re: are you interested in number theory AND programming Julio Di Egidio <julio@diegidio.name> - 2020-06-26 06:02 -0700
                Re: are you interested in number theory AND programming James Dow Allen <jdallen2000@yahoo.com> - 2020-06-26 01:58 -0700
                Re: are you interested in number theory AND programming David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2020-06-26 11:14 +0200
                Re: are you interested in number theory AND programming Richard Damon <Richard@Damon-Family.org> - 2020-06-26 13:10 -0400
                Re: are you interested in number theory AND programming Julio Di Egidio <julio@diegidio.name> - 2020-06-26 06:12 -0700
          Re: are you interested in number theory AND programming David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2020-06-13 23:28 +0200

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