[geeks] Java as a first language

[Sridhar Ayengar]

Jonathan C. Patschke wrote:
> All that said, the language you choose isn't nearly as important as how
> you program in it.  Don't just learn enough to hack things together;
> learn to program well.  Learn to comment well, so that you'll know what
> was in your head six months ago.  Your code should be as unambiguous to
> the reader as it is to the compiler.

Indeed.  I like to stress that much of good programming is good 
planning.  And I don't mean writing flowcharts and things like that. 
And I also don't mean necessarily coming from the top-down like most 
schools teach nowadays.  What I mean is that it is a good idea to get 
the logic of solving the problem solved out well in your head before 
writing the code.  Unfortunately, many people who call themselves 
programmers nowadays are unable to chop a large problem into smaller 
ones, let alone solve said larger problems.

Peace...  Sridhar