quote:
Originally posted by TheBlasphemer
...in which there are already two mistakes in one simple if statement.
If you cannot see those mistakes, and you can't be bothered, I'd recommend never even looking at programming again and go live on dreaming of VB. if however you want to learn REAL programming, find out, if a computer can only store numbers, how can you match two strings? I'll give you two hints: arrays, ascii...
The thing is that you already assume that an unschooled person already knows what if-then-else structures are (given this example). He doesn't not know that, and that are exactly the basic programming skills to be learned: splitting up problems in there seperate cases and constructing a workflow and understanding what "if-then-else", in this case, means. This is all learned much easier with VB without you needing to worry about pointers and other extra "bagage" (I call it bagage for now; I know those are the best thing in programmers heaven, but initialy the pupil doesn't need all the advanced stuff to learn how to program, it will only make it much harder if he also needs to worry about that).
It doesn't matter in what language it is learned, in some language (VB) it is easier to learn that then in others (C++). This has nothing todo with learning bad or wrong things; it is the concept of the if-then-else that is important (to learn).
On a sidenote, but related. You can even learn how to program without a programming language! In fact, pro programmers still use pen/paper to write workflows down; and that is the exact skill to be learned in programming. When writing down the workflow you don't bother about "oi, the pc only reconize 1's and 0's, how am I gonna make a string...", because that is not important...
Did you know that before the homecomputer was well developped and everybody could lay their hands on a programming language, that programming already was teached in college? The reason is what I said above....
And about the sort-command example. Yes, it is possible, and why should it be wrong when someone who begins to program uses it? When he is capable of programming, he quickly will learn that he can make his own sorting routine without the need of objects and stuff. But that's because he can grasp the concept of programming then.
Note: All this is not because I think that you can't learn C++ without first learning VB, of course you can. But my point is that VB is NOT shit, and is an excellent programming language and that it will not teach you bad stuff; It will not teach you ALL the stuff, but that is NOT the same as teaching bad stuff...
hey programmers!
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