[ale] Programming Question - Where to Start

[Byron A Jeff]

> 
> I am ready to admit that I need to acquire some basic programming skills,
> and believe that Perl is probably the best place to start.

Probably not. Perl is a very eclectic language that pulls from a bunch of
other Unix style languages (C, awk, sed, shell). So if you're not in the
know about Perl's lineage, it can be very crypic and confusing.

> 
> I have done some very basic high-level 'programming', in the form of PAL
> (Paradox App Lang) scripting a long time ago, and more recently some
> Filemake Pro scripting, but in no way consider myself to be a programmer.  I
> have peeked at some Perl scripts, and am mystified by what I see.

That's exactly the point I was trying to make about Perl.

> 
> So, my question is, where shouod I start?  Is there a good book for absolute
> beginners, that won't assume that I know a bunch of stuff that I don't?
> Should I take a class?  Both?  I was planning on finding a good book for
> beginners, worky my way through that, then once I know enough to be
> dangerous, see if I can find a class.

Take a look at Python. It's simple, straightforward, and highly structured.
It's a good first language. And a powerful everyday language.

BAJ

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