i was just talking with someone about learning spoken languages, and how the things i appreciate most about it is the way it allows you to *think* in different ways, simply because you now have vocabulary (or language structures) you lacked before. it's definitely true of programming languages, as well. the point isn't to argue about whether high- or low- level languages are "better" (as it of course depends on what you're trying to accomplish), but to add more tools -- and more flexibility -- to the toolkit in your head.
btw, i thought about it for a second and came up with the North/South thing, too. is there a valid answer aside from that obvious one, or did you over-complicate things? :)
kat - 2007-10-31 18:37:42
i was just talking with someone about learning spoken languages, and how the things i appreciate most about it is the way it allows you to *think* in different ways, simply because you now have vocabulary (or language structures) you lacked before. it's definitely true of programming languages, as well. the point isn't to argue about whether high- or low- level languages are "better" (as it of course depends on what you're trying to accomplish), but to add more tools -- and more flexibility -- to the toolkit in your head. btw, i thought about it for a second and came up with the North/South thing, too. is there a valid answer aside from that obvious one, or did you over-complicate things? :)