Why Learning Prolog Can Make You a Better Programmer

Re:Why Learning Prolog Can Make You a Better Programmer by nickolai on Friday April 08, 2011 @01:34PM (#2424818)

Agreed. Though i'd like to have someone name me a language, adding which to one's skillset would make one a worse programmer.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Why Learning Prolog Can Make You a Better Programmer by lt on Friday April 08, 2011 @02:24PM (#2425044)

It is practically impossible to teach good programming to students that have had a prior exposure to BASIC: as potential programmers they are mentally mutilated beyond hope of regeneration.

The use of COBOL cripples the mind; its teaching should, therefore, be regarded as a criminal offence.

-- Dijkstra

http://www.cs.utexas.edu/users/EWD/transcriptions/EWD04xx/EW...

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Why Learning Prolog Can Make You a Better Programmer by kenjackson on Friday April 08, 2011 @02:47PM (#2425115)

I guess I would recommend perhaps LISP, FORTRAN and APL if you wanted to pick old time languages. More recently you might want to take a look at Ruby and Haskell, to pick a functional language, and COBOL, which has some interesting ideas in it you won't find in some of the other languages.

-- Guy Steele

Notice that he lists COBOL as a language to learn. I've always found Dijkstra to be a little over the top (often the only way to get people to listen), and Steele more pragmatic.

http://www.infoq.com/interviews/Programming-Languages-Guy-St...

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Why Learning Prolog Can Make You a Better Programmer by billmcneale on Friday April 08, 2011 @10:29PM (#2426315)

Dijkstra was provably completely wrong about this: pretty much all the most talented programmers I have ever talked to or read about started with BASIC.

The starting language matters very little, the important part is to remain curious and to keep learning.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Why Learning Prolog Can Make You a Better Programmer by bad_user on Friday April 08, 2011 @01:53PM (#2424899)

You can waist time; which you could use for other things, making you a worse programmer than if you would have been if you picked Prolog instead :P

Seriously, our attention span, time on this earth and even ability to learn is limited ;)

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Why Learning Prolog Can Make You a Better Programmer by mindcrime on Friday April 08, 2011 @01:41PM (#2424848)

Intercal?

[ Parent | on HN ]