Quote:Original post by senelebe
In all of the rhetoric there are some things I fail to recognize. A very large percentage of learning to program really has nothing to do with the syntax or the compiler, the ide, the sdks, or the [insert any brand specific feature here]. Program flow, logic and design probably represent the greatest learning curve that anyone starting to develope has to overcome. Follow that up with concepts such as object oriented programming/design , component object modeling, database processing, and a slew of other things that have absolutely nothing to do with what language you select. (yeah yeah I know not all languages support all of these features).
If you like the feel of python, then by all means jump all over it. You can learn the things I mentioned above in any language! From what I've heard python is actually a GREAT language for object oriented design, just learning the basics of that concept puts you lightyears ahead of most developers that are still using procedural code....
I may do just that (switch to Python). It doesn't put me out anything to get the Python program and compiler, since Python is distributed as "open source." I might be out the price of a book or two, but I wouldn't be on Microsoft's "new language upgrade with new charge" treadmill. I was impressed with a copy of Michael Dawson's "Python Programming for the Absolute Beginner" that I saw the other day, and I think I may start with his book.
Dave FF