[aclug-L] Re: Weekly C quiz

[Larry Bottorff <mrprenzl@xxxxxxxxxx>]

John Reinke wrote:
> 
> My wife was just researching online tonight, looking to see what jobs I can
> expect to get when I finish my masters in about a year. It looks like the
> more programming languages you know, the more money you can make - even
> without a graduate degree.
> 
> I'd say definitely learn C, since I feel that is the most powerful
> programming language besides assembly. I haven't touched assembly in years,
> but I feel understanding it is essential to understanding computers. Once
> you understand the logic, it can be applied to most every language. I would
> also suggest learning C++, since that is what appears to be most common for
> the "general" programming jobs. C++ builds on C, so learn C first if you
> want to be able to write anything in C later on. I teach a C++ class, and
> it is the first programming language for most of my students. These people
> won't be able to prgram in C, unless they go back and learn the
> differences, but I doubt they will ever do that. You have an advantage of
> learning C separately. I wish I could teach my students the parts of C, but
> I don't have that much control over the curriculum.
> 
> Learning object-oriented programming (OOP) is an important part of C++. OOP
> has its place, with code reuse and designing separate actions to be
> performed on data "objects", rather than writing programs that control the
> complete processing of data. Java is purely OOP, and very similar to C++,
> so you can probably pick that up easily if you learn C++. These and all the
> others really depend on what you want to do.
> 
> I feel C will be around for quite a while, but it just won't be the
> "popular" programming language, because people tend to want an easy
> solution, not always a good solution. I can't image a world without it. You
> probably know that most OSs and major applications are written in C. (Look
> at your kernel source some time.) As far as IDEs go, it sounds like there
> is a decent version of CodeWarrior for Linux now (check Linux Journal), and
> there are a few others I've heard of. I've not mastered it yet, but emacs
> includes everything and the kitchen sink. Just think,  practically every
> application you use on Linux was developed in Linux or UNIX. To write that
> many applications, the environment must not be primitive. In time, I'm sure
> there will be others, too. Linux is growing in popularity, remember.
> 
> In the end, it really matters what you want to do. Figure that out, and be
> prepared for any job similar to that. Learn the programming languages and
> the industry, and then go for it. Some of my classmates are interviewing
> with companies like Micrsoft and Intel, and other big-name companies,
> because they want the money and prestige. That's fine for them, but I would
> be "selling out" if I did that. I'm sure I'm limiting my income potential,
> but hope to never program exclusively for windows. I've had too many jobs
> that I didn't like. What matters the most to me now is that I find a job
> that I enjoy.
> 
> BTW, enjoy cs300. (Hmm, should I stop posting answers to your questions?)
> That was one of my favorite classes. I use that stuff in almost everything
> I do. Be sure to say hi to Brad.
> 
> John
> 
I'm not in school to get a piece of paper, so I'm not going to "ask you
for the answers". CS300 is good. It's teaching me a lot of good
programming with C, a language I've never really studied formally. I'd
like to "follow my passions" as Joseph Campbell said, but I now have
twins, and the Wichita paper is barren of computer jobs. I know there's
a diversity of work in good markets, but Wichita is a black hole,
apparently. You're surely right about OOP. I had a good telcom job in
St. Louis with C++ (on SCO/Unixware). Slashdot had a good
interview/discussion with B. Stroustrop a while back. He slammed Java
for being not a language, but another proprietary platform like MS
Windows.

Job-wise, the OS movement might create an odd sort of economics where a
far-flung group works on a base version of some OS thing, while these
same contributors then go to paying jobs that actually use the software.
Already we're seeing companies paying staff to contribute to OS stuff.
Much of Red Hat and SuSE, etc does just that. But again, Wichita is
positively Mezzozoic, no, Pre-cambrian. It's almost if you don't do VB,
you don't work.

As far as prestige is concerned, a very sad note: My cousin-in-law was a
Linux guru kernel-hacker getting a PhD at U of V in CS who is now sold
on Microsoft. He did interships there and they turned him to the dark
side, I'm afraid. It's very alluring, the Redmond campus. You feel like
you should wear togas and laurel wreaths. But he's going to be deep in
the entrails of NT. As a Linux guru he can only help. . . .

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