Learning from scratch - any recommendations? [with OT additions]

[Richmond]

Interesting stuff.

"But writing in LC means that you have to master concepts and algorithms"

I wonder which programming language (and I don't mean block-based 
baby-hits-the-Lego-bricks stuff)
does not involve mastering concepts and algorithms.

One of the things that has slightly annoyed me in every single discussion
I have seen about learning and teaching programming in the last 25 years
was the assumption that somehow one could have a "free lunch."

You can't!

Learning any new skill (driving a tractor?) involves mastering concepts.

Most of the attempts at dumbing down have resulted in . . . wait for it 
. . . dumb stuff.

When BASIC was developed there was no attempt to dumb things down; just 
make the learning curve
not like the sort of exponential cliff that put off lots and lots of 
kids prior to that.

LiveCode does not dumb things down, but its learning curve is one "h" 
shallower than Python, C++ and all the other "usual suspects." 
Notwithstanding its shallow learning curve, no-one is going to get very 
far if they
behaved like me in the market in Jeddah (KSA) in 1996; "taxi, flat, 
help." (Actually I did get quite far,
as the people in the market felt so sorry for me with my non-existent 
Arabic that they gave me a sandwich
and a cup of coffee.) This was one of the main reasons why, very 
quickly, I got my head round a few Arabic verbs.

"The so called universal language was announced to be a possibility in 
LC to enhance the language but also, as announced, to translate it in 
other languages (like french) for kids with french words and expressions 
for example."

Sacre "oink". C'est un projet impossible, Je pense.

When I read/hear the phrase "universal language" I start thinking of 
Esperanto and Volupak . . . need
I say more?

Why don't the Francophones put down their glasses of pastis and design 
their own object-oriented
programming language, forbye?

Well, just possibly because, like it or not, the English-speaking world 
seem to be rather well ahead of everyone
else in terms of computer programming languages.

This could be due to an awful lot of European ennui.

Why did Linus Torvalds not do "his stuff" in Finnish, and why does he 
and his family live in California?
Go figure.

Je n'ai aucune sympathie pour les gens qui n'a pas un peu de langue 
Anglais (Ouf, J'ai lu un livre de Denis Diderot
hier, et dans le Francais de Diderot il ecrivait "Anglois.") un jeune 
qui est un monoglot est un infirme.

There, you see; I've got crappy French, so why can't other people have 
crappy English?

On 5.11.19 10:37, Georges Malamoud via use-livecode wrote:
>>> There are many good reasons to learn another language, ranging from the well-proven neurological benefits of multiple languages to the simple common courtesy of doing so - but in straightforward "increase in ability to communicate" I'm unconvinced that an English speaker gains enough to justify the effort.
> Hello. I am french and an active person for cultural and linguistic diversity, not only for french speaking (francophone )countries :)
> To speak several languages is a way to become richer, more open and versatile. Those who prefer to master only one language are ok but they are also sometimes closed to other cultures and, if it is not a problem for them, then it can be a problem for the others, the strangers. Those who would like to understand several languages, but cannot, are more open to cultural diversity. It is often a matter of choice. On the competitive market, it is best to speak several languages, of course. For me the best multicultural meeting is when each one speaks its own language (2 or 3) and everybody understand the others, because it is easier to understand that to speak. Those who measure their efforts in this matter are just losing ground. Have you seen several people speaking english with very different backgrounds (even in the same country) ? This can be a big source of problems in international meetings ;)
>
> Coming back to Livecode, two points :
> - LC is easier to read than to write because of its long sentences. It is a huge quality. But writing in LC means that you have to master concepts and algorithms and particularities of this loved and ç§&@!?’ed language. Easier if you know several computer languages. Fight for the computer language diversity also !
> - The so called universal language was announced to be a possibility in LC to enhance the language but also, as announced, to translate it in other languages (like french) for kids with french words and expressions for example. Where are we on this subject ? Nowhere, it seems to me ! Too bad...
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