Re:How do you learn?
by tjr on Tuesday February 05, 2008 @03:28PM
(#109887)
I too find that the best way for me to really learn a programming language is to use it, though I do begin by reading documentation.
First, this familiarizes me with the language constructs, what is and what isn't available, and I can build up a "mental diff" of how this new language is or is not like other languages I already know.
Perhaps more importantly, it also gives me a clue as to if I should bother spending my time to really learn the language well. For example, I've tinkered with Ruby, and read some Ruby documentation. It appears to be a fine language, but I don't see it offering me anything that I find lacking from Python or Lisp. So I've never taken the time to become expert with Ruby.
First, this familiarizes me with the language constructs, what is and what isn't available, and I can build up a "mental diff" of how this new language is or is not like other languages I already know.
Perhaps more importantly, it also gives me a clue as to if I should bother spending my time to really learn the language well. For example, I've tinkered with Ruby, and read some Ruby documentation. It appears to be a fine language, but I don't see it offering me anything that I find lacking from Python or Lisp. So I've never taken the time to become expert with Ruby.