Re: 12 year old programmer to be

Tech-Archive recommends: Repair Windows Errors & Optimize Windows Performance

mr_unreliable wrote:

As an added bonus, if your son gets good enough at javascript,
then he could put himself through college by writing script
code for website development consultants.

Not so sure about this one. I'm 18 and a Junior at University of Iowa. I've been programming since I was 10, and I'm fairly proficient in anything from javascript to perl, not to mention delphi, java, vb6/vb.net, c++ etc... Of all of those, I'd have to say that knowing "real" languages like c++ and vb6/.net pays the most lucratively... And I've never seen an employment opportunity that required no more programming knowledge than javascript.

In practical terms, javascript is most useful for performing simple web animations, quick calculations, and form validation to prevent bandwidth-wasting form-submissions. It is most usefull when it's effects to the webpage are subtle and indirect. However, the person who writes the scripts to do these things generally also writes the complimentary server-side framework - in perl or ASP or PHP - or maybe c++. Javascript is not flexible enough to implement a complete project, so it's not exactly a resumè gem.

I'm gonna have to recommend avoiding javascript for now. From a standalone perspective, Javascript is little more than a way to make IE windows that convulse and change background colors... There's a reason that they call them "script kiddies." Don't let your kids fall into that hole.

On the other hand, VB is a much more rewarding language for a new programmer to learn, because it hides most of the confusing inner working and provides almost instant GUIs. Not only can you *learn* what a variable or an array or a control is, but VB can make you *care* about it. It's also semi OOP, so it's a good language to learn beofe transitioning to c++ or java.

Stick with VB.  Your son will thank you.

-Joel
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: which language...?
    ... using JavaScript and if you have been paying attention scripting the DOM has ... JavaScript IS a programming language. ... >> program in html, css well, but my question is which server side language ...
    (microsoft.public.frontpage.programming)
  • Re: When MV is not an option
    ... I do not mind what language a person write in so long as it is appropriate ... transportable deep system coding. ... instructions first - is still the most valid approach to programming I can ... JavaScript has a similar feature to DataBASIC -- you get ...
    (comp.databases.pick)
  • Re: programming languages (etc) "web popularity" fun
    ... Although juxtaposing "programming" to the search, ... If a language was called, for example, 'and', we'd NEVER ... > to eliminate classes of noise. ... So, I've made a 2nd release of my script, more targeted at those ...
    (comp.lang.python)
  • Re: Visual Basic class any help for learning VBA
    ... too much about learning a specific language. ... expressions which have been evaluated twice and change the script to ... I think any work requires pride on the ... programming, ...
    (comp.databases.ms-access)
  • Re: FAQ suggestion: Does JavaScript have classes and instances?
    ... Javascript is very much an object oriented language, ... I'm used to programming in Python, and the idea that there is inheritance but no inbuilt concept of class took me some time to get my head around. ... behave in a uniform manner with respect to the method properties of the prototype object. ...
    (comp.lang.javascript)