Re: How to help create a singularity.

From: Emlyn (emlyn@one.net.au)
Date: Mon Apr 30 2001 - 05:03:28 MDT


Samantha Atkins wrote, amongst other things with which I had no quibbles:
> At minimum a good
> computer language survey class, data structures class, computability
> theory class, compiler class and an OS class.

Personally, I'd drop the computability class, replace it with something on
algorithms + algorithmic complexity. Also, parallel & distributed computing
is a must-have.

Also, libraries & environments can be more important than languages
themselves, in my opinion. It is easier to move between two different
languages with the same libraries/environment, than it is to move between
two implementations of the same language with different environments (eg:
javascript vs vbscript vs n-many other languages on IIS is easy. Borland's
VCL <-> MFC is not so easy.)

I'd highly recommend Java these days, specifically because of the J2EE
specification for enterprise computing. The resources provided by that
environment let you get as close as possible to industrial strength
applications, without the usual heterogeneous hell-on-earth that accompanies
similar efforts. You can start very small with Java, and go very large, and
everywhere in between.

Emlyn



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