Anyone have a favorite programming language?

Yeah, yeah, I know, that's like asking if you have a favorite indigenous tribe. Who cares, right?

I've been investigating programming languages to broaden my horizons. I've been scripting with Applescript for a while, using it for work and personally. SO I figured, now that I have some experience with the programming mindset, I should see what else is out there—specifically, platform-independent languages.

I've been learning Python recently. It seems simple enough, it's cross-platform, and it's more like a scripting language than hard-core programming, which is why it's attractive to me. I just have to come up with a project to use Python for. I've found the best way to learn programming is to have a goal, THEN figure out how to get there. Learning the syntax and features of a language is great, but it doesn't all come together in a cohesive fashion until you start experimenting with the right way to do certain things. Once you have a task, you can research online what's the best way to program all the various parts. That's how I learned Applescript.

Plus, Python has tons of online documentation and an active community willing to help with questions and pointing out resources.

So if you have any suggestions about my next foray into programming after Python, let me know. Whether you're big on Lisp, NewLISP, Perl, Java or whatever, shoot me a line.

And if you DO have a favorite indigenous tribe, I'd like to hear about that too!

:0{>

Welcome!

And howdy-doo!

Here's the first entry for "It's All A Rich Tapestry...", a blog about anything and everything. Not too many blogs like that around, eh? :-p

I wanted to create a blog that reflected my own interests, which just happens to be anything that's cool. Yeah, it's very general to say that, but I find many subjects fascinating, in weird and esoteric ways. In fact, just about any subject has its interesting aspects depending on one's perspective. So this blog may veer into strange tangents. But don't be skeered; afterwards we'll bring you back to Mundania in one piece.

So yeah. I'll be bringing you glimpses into neat stuff I find on that ultimate playground, the Internet. Hope you enjoy it.

JCM

PS Oh, and just a quick mention that it's Patrick Stewart's and Harrison Ford's birthdays today! Courtesy of the fine folks at "Dead or Alive?"!