At  01:17 PM 9/17/00, Glenn Cole wrote:
>Cortlandt writes:
> > I can rephrase my initial idea as a question.    If one is starting
> > out today to learn web and e-commerce programning where does one
> > start?   Given a blank slate, what language or languages does it make
> > the most sense to learn first?    Obviously, first some HTML.    I
> > propose that Java has become or most likely will become a very good
> > second.   Sort of like, but probably to a lesser degree,  a business
> > programmer knowing COBOL.
>
>In general, I would still go with Perl as the second language (after HTML),
>and Java (for Java Server Pages) as the third.

The last several months I've been working on one of the BSD unix clones
(not my choice FWIW) writing an application in TCL.  I've been very
impressed with TCL for several reasons.  I see a progression of complexity
and natural obfuscation in a progression that for the 3GL languages looks
something like: COBOL, BASIC, PASCAL, SPL, C, and APL  :) ... and in the
same way TCL is more like COBOL or BASIC (or MPE) and Perl is more like C
(or unix).

In my opinion, if a language can get the job done just as efficiently
without being a straightjacket (which unfortunately Wirth's standard Pascal
is, though MPE's Pascal/XL aka Modcal is not) then it's better to be simple
to code and read again later.  TCL is an interpreted language with a
built-in byte-code compiler which is very extensible and flexible yet is
inherently legible.  If and when I get to work on MPE systems on a regular
basis again, I'm going to try to finish the port of TCL that Mark Bixby
started quite some time back.  In the meanwhile, if you're looking for
something as quick, extensible and easy to write in as Perl but you prefer
COBOL, BASIC or Pascal over C then perhaps TCL would be worth your time to
have ported to MPE.

P.S.  Someone mentioned the TK extension to Perl to do GUI stuff...  It's
my understanding the TK was initially a TCL extension.  In fact, many
references to TCL actually call it TCL/TK or simply TCLTK.  You can find
more info about TCL and TK via http://www.tcltk.org

--
Jeff Woods
"The great thing about Open Source software is that you can
have any color screen of death that you want." -- Gavin Scott


__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger.
http://im.yahoo.com