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On Tue, Jul 26, 2011 at 4:18 PM, Genny Engel <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > C++ might be a better choice if you want to start off with a grounding in object-oriented programming. Or maybe Java. I'm about to start the C++ course at the local junior college. Which reminds me to mention, it probably doesn't matter which programming course you take right now -- if you then go through life taking more programming classes like I do! Here are a few quotes from computer science notables about C++: "I invented the term Object-Oriented, and I can tell you I did not have C++ in mind" (Alan Kay) "There are only two things wrong with C++: The initial concept and the implementation" (Bertrand Meyer) "Whenever the C++ language designers had two competing ideas as to how they should solve some problem, they said, 'OK, we'll do them both'. So the language is too baroque for my taste" (Donald E Knuth) To really learn OOP, Ruby, Java, Python and particularly Smalltalk are much better choices, IMHO. OK, you won't find much practical use for Smalltalk, but neither for C++ in this day and age (not in a library setting, anyway). And learning C then Smalltalk is a great path to Objective-C, the main language used to program iPhones and iPads. Putting aside the OOP issue, learning C is totally worthwhile as a grounding for any other language. Its what C++ adds to C that is not worth the trouble, as there are better alternatives. Cheers, -- Luciano Ramalho programador repentista || stand-up programmer Twitter: @luciano