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We've had this question asked before I believe but it does no harm in asking it again and again. After all, opinions change as does the software ecosystem. Quincy Larson of FreeCodeCamp.com asked this question via Medium: What programming language should you learn first? He thinks JavaScript is the way to go and his arguments are cogent and well thought out. However, I am somewhat hesitant to suggest someone learn to code in JavaScript first. My first programming language (in 1981!) was Fortran on a Control Data mainframe. The interactive environment the OS provided was pretty simple and the language provided few opportunities to hang yourself. JavaScript, by comparison, while it may not have those evil pointers of C/C++, it offers functional features and plenty of rope to hang oneself.
So, opinions please.
(Score: 5, Funny) by JNCF on Friday November 04 2016, @08:13PM
Real real men program in COBOL inside of JavaScript comments: [npmjs.com]
// Dependencies
var Cobol = require("cobol");
// Execute some COBOL snippets
Cobol(function () { /*
IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
PROGRAM-ID. HELLO.
ENVIRONMENT DIVISION.
DATA DIVISION.
PROCEDURE DIVISION.
PROGRAM-BEGIN.
DISPLAY "Hello world".
PROGRAM-DONE.
STOP RUN.
*/ }, function (err, data) {
console.log(err || data);
});
// => "Hello World"
Much like wrapping a decrepit old dying man in the flesh of a young mentally disabled child, the end product may seem fresh and new from a distance to the blind. But to be the one stretching the hide around -- to understand what you're doing, and continue? That takes grit.
(Score: 5, Touché) by dyingtolive on Friday November 04 2016, @08:26PM
Sadly there is no "-1 Literal glimpse into unknowable horror" mod.
Don't blame me, I voted for moose wang!
(Score: 3, Informative) by Subsentient on Friday November 04 2016, @10:58PM
I like you.
"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." -Jiddu Krishnamurti
(Score: 3, Informative) by JNCF on Friday November 04 2016, @11:19PM
Thanks! I like you too. I enjoy most of your comments that I read, and I was using a version of your init system on a virtual machine for a while. I don't know if you remember that time we flamed each other over my half-trollsy anti-vaccination position (the CIA does have a history of using vaccination programs to steal DNA), but I'm glad it hasn't fostered any long term negative associations with my username.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday November 05 2016, @05:34AM
That's right but don't forget that
If you gaze long into COBOL, COBOL also gazes into you...
(Score: 2) by davester666 on Saturday November 05 2016, @06:15AM
Once you've seen the slaughterhouse that is the original code base, doing this isn't so bad. Mix in periodic shots of Jack, and every day is easy.