Programming languages
 

I'm curious how many members actually do computer programming, either for work or as a hobby (or both !) - how long you have been doing it - and what languages you know, or have used. To start the ball rolling ;

I have been programming on and off for 31 years - I started with Fortran on the CEGB mainframe. After that I moved onto Basic - First 'standard Basic' on a Data General Nova using cards and punched tape, then later, Apple II Basic, Microsoft Basic (on a Dragon32) and finally BBC Basic.

Then while working at BT supporting their Mainframe e-mail systems I used Cobol & Rexx. I then joined Experian (CCN then) as a Cobol programmer. Since then I have moved on to using VBA (asp pages), Javascript, Mirc Script and finally PHP.

Quite a variety over the years. :)

Re: Programming languages
 

Unless you want to count Dr Logo (Amstrad's program where you move a turtle round the screen), then my first real programming was BBC Basic. I can't remember the exact year but I was probably between 10-12 (91-93).

After that I did (In approximate chronological order):

Q Basic
Visual Basic + VBA
HTML
mIRC script
C and C++ with Win32's API, MFC, OpenGL and DirectX
Assembler
Smalltalk
PASCAL (Borland Delphi)
Java & Javascript
Perl
SQL
B
PHP
I've just started Carbon (Mac's OSX API) with Objective-C and Cocoa (Same API but in Java)

I also went to uni and studied Software Engineering sometime in the middle of that. Some of those I know better than others. My PHP is much better than my assembler and I can barely rememeber Smalltalk. I also came across other languages like Tcl and Fortran which I had an overview of at uni, rather than learnt.

Next stop: Applescript.

Re: Programming languages
 

OK, I program for a living (and a hobby as well)...

Started off many, many years ago on a ZX81, with trusty BASIC (BBC as well, and all it's variations.
Over the years I have used :
SML
MODULA-2
Prolog
C/C++/C#
Occam
TCL/TK
Assembler
PHP
VB
VBA
RTM
SQL (is that a programming language) (MS/Oracle/Ingres,Sybase)
PL/SQL
Oracle Forms

These days I'm mostly Java (J2EE), and all that internet-thingme stuff (javascript/vbscript blah blah)

Basically I started out working for a company that wrote software for insurance companies, using an inhouse language called RTM, which was kind of like Modula-2 but with some really good/odd feature - like being able to nest if statements inside other if statements i.e

IF (IF (IF X = y THEN TUESDAY) THEN 1 ELSE 2) = 2 THEN ... etc - you get the idea... it meant you could write some really interesting looking code - because it was build purely for insurance systems there were some builtin history functions, so it would keep a track of all data file changes, by doing XORs on the details, allowing you to go back and forward through the history...

I then moved into Oracle, as a PL/SQL programmer, and quickly moved into the forms area... after a year I moved companies to somewhere that writes document management software - to convert their SQL Server system into oracle (learning java along the way) - and that's where i have stayed so far...

Re: Programming languages
 

Erm... started with BASIC on ZX Spectrum, then didn't really do anything for a number of years, before moving onto RPG on IBM's AS/400, followed by HTML, then on to VB and now Java. I've also picked up SQL, VBScript, ASP and JavaScript along the way, but I can't remember in which order or when I started learning them.

Re: Programming languages
 

My first programming was probably about 25 years ago - punch card / paper tape input to an ICL mainframe (can't remember what language) and Basic on a PET computer. My first home computer was a Dragon 32 (Basic, again) and I did some on a friends ZX Spectrum (saw one in a shop on Saturday - £30!)

At Uni I did,
Pascal
Algol 68
Fortran
Assembler (x86)
LISP & Birge (logic programming)
Prime 'advanced' Basic
and a couple of other 'academic' languages - nothing useful for commercial work.

At work, although not officially a programmer, I've programmed in -
Pascal
Cobol
C - internals of HP-UX and MPE OS's (never got into C++)
BRW & Transact (anyone recognise those?)
Allbase/4GL
SQL
Windows and Unix shell scripting, VBScript

Still like to dabble when I get the chance. :)

Re: Programming languages
 

BBC BASIC - And I never really got past that. :erm:

Since taking responsibility for development of our in-house intranet, I have learned to read HTML and can spot obvious errors/make minor changes (the page editor is a browser-based rich-text field but it lets you see the source code it's writing), but I'm a very long way from being able to write it.

Re: Programming languages
 

My only formal software training was at Uni where we learned Fortran (from a video of a bloke with a flip-board who kept making jokes about them using an Australian to write the stuff on the back)!

Then, along the way, I've picked up:

Basic
Forth
Occam (my favourite by far)
Pascal
Modula-2
C/C++ (only a little)
Delphi
Javascript (by far my least favourite)

and, for what it's worth:
Intel 8008 assembler (yes, I'm that old)
Zilog Z80 assembler (loads of)
NatSemi 32000 assembler
Microchip PIC assembler

Fave projects include:
A UART for a strange 13-bit protocol written in Z80 assembler;
A RTOS for the Z80 and NS32000 (called Razor ;) for Occam fans) again in assembler.

Re: Programming languages
 

Occam was interesting... wrote a prime number generator using that for a uni assignment... took a little while to get your head around the idea of it, but after that....

Re: Programming languages
 

HTML and Action Script.

I dabbled in a bit of C and Java once but am never touching that again.
Couldnt stand Java !

Re: Programming languages
 

In order of competence:
PHP
Perl
Python
C++
MySQL (although it's really a query language)

Also, scripting such as Javascript and markup like XHTML, HTML, XML and CSS.

Re: Programming languages
 

Started many moons ago with:
ZX80 built by my granddad (RIP)
then:
ZX81
VIC20
Amiga
Atari ST

GWBASIC, BASICA, QBASIC etc. (including Sycero a development tool for basic!!!)
Various Basic Compilers from M$
IQS (Honeywell Bull Mainframe!!)
PASCAL
PSION XCHANGE (Yuck!)
DATAEASE (Double Yuck - Programming lang's without Arrays!)
Visual Basic (from v2 to .NET)
Visual C (from 1.0 to C#)
C (Writing games for the Gameboy and Gameboy Color!)

Then various Web (PHP, HTML, ASP)
And a bit of scripting (SQL, VBScript, KixTart, etc.)

Re: Programming languages
 

OOOOhhhhhhh I see we have other Occam programmers here, for the uninformed that was the language for the INMOS Transputer.

In Altis I see someone that recognises that just quoting Assembler is useless as it doesnt specify the instruction set or even the family.

Strange 13 bit protocol ??? Wouldnt be CAA format would it ?

In addition to the languages already mentioned I've used
Ada, Prolog, LISP, Fixpack, Coral-66

If I designed a microprocessor or DSP into a circuit then I learned the assembly langauge and wrote that too. Being concientious of the CV I never designed the same processor in twice.

Fav Quote "Algorithms + Data Structures = Programs" Niklaus Wirth

Re: Programming languages
 

Same here

I did a bit of assembly language (For my a level)

I've dabbled with delphi since....

But that's my lot :)

I keep meaning to have a look at doing some programming again - but I never seem to get round to it.

Re: Programming languages
 

Hmmmmm, lets see, in rough chronological (that's my long word for the day!) order:

ZX Spectrum Basic,
Assembly on ZX Spectrum (well, I got it to print my name!)
STOS Basic on Atari ST,
GFA Basic, again on Atari ST,
Pascal also on Atari ST,
some sort of BASIC on DOS, might be GWBasic?
Paradox,
DBase,
Paradox,
FoxPro,
Delphi,
VB Dos,
VB 3, 4, 5, 6 & .NET
VBA,
HTML,
JavaScript (also my least favourite)
ASP,
Perl,
And a very quick dabble with C/C++ at various stages,
and an even briefer look at PHP

Also SQL, MySQL as others have put that down.
Can I include DOS batch files? Done a few big clever ones in my time.

Re: Programming languages
 

Re Occam: Yep, I used to be the Snr Engineer for Sension Transputer Systems (later to become Kane) who made and sold Transputer based systems. A fantastic British invention that never really caught on. At least it still lives - I recently bought a digital satellite receiver from Lidl and it uses an STi5518 (son of Transputer).

The 13-bit UART was while I was working for Sension Systems. It was for a machine to simulate over 1000 remote outstations so that one of the gas boards could test their telemetry software. It worked at 2400 baud but the software could handle 4800.

The Z80 source code was compiled on a VAX and then the hex output dumped to the terminal screen. The monitor program (only 2Kbyte long!) on the target listened in and poked it to RAM where it was run and debugged. At the time I could assemble stuff in my head and also knew how long each instruction took - in those days we had to write efficient code!

Re: Programming languages
 

:nworthy: blimey altis, all that and your morris man stuff, too :)

Re: Programming languages
 

Can't do anything yet, but want to start.

What's the best / cheapest way to start learning?

Re: Programming languages
 

Choose a "high level language". They are the most english-like, and take less code to do more stuff.

The best one to start with is probably Visual Basic. It is nice and easy, there are plenty of support sites (www.experts-exchange.com and www.codeproject.com and online tutorials as well as MSDN. You can do lots of Windows based programs easily).

That isn't the cheapest one though. If you want a cheap high-level language, you can try Java/Javascript. Both are fully free, and flexible (With Java you can do applications as well as applets. Lots of support sites, java.sun.com, and high level so most people can grasp them easily.

HTH

Re: Programming languages
 

hmmmm i fell somewhat outdone by everyone but then again im not that old tehe....

I have used in commrcial and bored situations the following some of which is markup and scripting i know...

REXX
QBASIC
VB
VBA
Delphi
Javascript
GML
HTML
PHP
JAVA
SQL - SQLServer... MySQL etc
Batch Scripting all that kinda thing..

I dont get to do much now just the occasional batch scripts and vbscripts for automating tasks...

You'll no where to find me im the one in the corner inadvertently creating infinite loops!

Re: Programming languages
 

Start with something like Perl, it's easy to learn and can be very powerful.

Re: Programming languages
 

ah, I didn't realise we needed to be that specific :p: in that case I used the MIPS R3000 assembly language...

Anyone remember the good old days of Lex, flex, bison and yacc?

Re: Programming languages
 

Ah, assembler, I forgot about that.

I remember days of fun with 6502 assembler, and then Acorn RISC assembler in later years. :disturbd: