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March 29, 2024, 06:22:48 am

Author Topic: Softdev: What programming language?  (Read 11124 times)  Share 

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Ashurbanipal

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Re: Softdev: What programming language?
« Reply #15 on: March 26, 2018, 01:21:53 pm »
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My class learned Python. I recommend any beginning programmer to start with Python because it's easy to learn. I learned C# for my major project.

truman999999999

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Re: Softdev: What programming language?
« Reply #16 on: November 17, 2018, 05:10:05 pm »
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My class ain't gonna use these, but some good ones that I'm learning/would learn if I get time are Pascal (have actually started learning), Java with JavaFX (am quite experienced already), Lisp (very interesting feature set) and C++ (only done a tiny bit, but extremely interesting). Guys, if you get the choice, don't choose some outdated and completely obsolete language like VB. Its what I have to learn and there are much better and newer languages to choose from! Pascal's old, but its still used everywhere and has several extremely desirable qualities (VB has a few too, but its downsides are too much of downers).

Aaron

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Re: Softdev: What programming language?
« Reply #17 on: November 18, 2018, 08:58:35 pm »
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Love the ideas truman, and while they would satisfy the requirements of SD... I feel that both Java and C++ are significantly challenging to the average student. As somebody who has done a degree in the discipline and teaching experience, i'd definitely say something like Python is a fairly straight forward choice. I would even go as far as to challenge VB as an 'ideal' language for SD given the crappy syntax... it's not exactly user-friendly.

Obviously the idea of a course is to cover an appropriate amount of content (and get through it), as well as ensuring that success is achievable and I feel the learning curve from potentially no understanding at all to that of JavaFX/Java in general (e.g.) is quite significant.

Kudos for your understanding of other foreign languages e.g. Lisp. Not many school students can identify a language used for AI, such as that. Well done :)
« Last Edit: November 18, 2018, 09:04:59 pm by Aaron »
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anon101

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Re: Softdev: What programming language?
« Reply #18 on: November 23, 2018, 05:20:04 pm »
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I feel that both Java and C++ are significantly challenging to the average student.
Yeah, C++ is too tricky for your average student, but why would you say Java's too tough?
Here's my thought process here:
  • It has garbage collection and all that stuff to save from the usual errors.
  • Excludes other "tricky" concepts like delegates which languages like C# have.
  • Has a more than half decent user base, which is likely far larger than VB's.
  • Lastly, I just think that the syntax is ultimately not going to dramatically change a person's ability to learn a language. It may be 50% tougher to start off learning a C like syntax at first, but the more you learn, the easier it gets.
    Plus, there are SO MANY languages which are going to look nearly exactly the same (especially C# after Java!) after that (so concepts > syntax).

But yeah, Python is pretty amazing for a first time learning!!!

4See

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Re: Softdev: What programming language?
« Reply #19 on: December 13, 2018, 08:08:15 pm »
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Hi all,
I've signed up for Software Development next year. Our class would be learning PhP but I feel like that language is kinda 'outdated' and not as popular, especially since I want to go into Algorithmics in year 12 (doing Software Dev as a year 11 next year) and they use Python. Unfortunately I won't be able to learn python as it does not meet the program prereqs. Are there any mainstream languages that people would recommend learning? C#, C++, Java, etc.
Cheers
2019 -  Business Management
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Aaron

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Re: Softdev: What programming language?
« Reply #20 on: December 13, 2018, 08:20:26 pm »
+1
Hi all,
I've signed up for Software Development next year. Our class would be learning PhP but I feel like that language is kinda 'outdated' and not as popular, especially since I want to go into Algorithmics in year 12 (doing Software Dev as a year 11 next year) and they use Python. Unfortunately I won't be able to learn python as it does not meet the program prereqs. Are there any mainstream languages that people would recommend learning? C#, C++, Java, etc.
Cheers

What program prereqs does Python not meet? As far as I can recall, softdev requirements are 'an object oriented programming language' (as you need this to do certain things), which Python technically can be if used in that way. In terms of PHP, it actually isn't as outdated as you think... quite a significant amount of web based solutions still use PHP.
« Last Edit: December 13, 2018, 08:55:16 pm by Aaron »
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VoydVoyd

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Re: Softdev: What programming language?
« Reply #21 on: January 12, 2019, 01:03:48 pm »
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My class is using Swift, but I've gotten permission to use C# after the first SAC as I'm a lot more knowledgeable about it. It allows me to work on my laptop and at home since I don't have an Apple device, and a virtual machine would destroy my laptop's battery in an instant.

As for difficulty, I'm not an impartial person as I've been coding since year 8, I started with Gamemaker Studio's GML language and it took me a good while to 'get into' C# and I probably wouldn't teach it to my class if I had one, haha.

Swift is really lenient with syntax and XCode is fine but I find it's pretty hard to do anything more complicated than inputting or changing the text/image/value of the different UI elements. The XCode interface itself is also not amazing, and if you have an issue you need to google there's like ~4 versions of swift with radically different solutions to every problem, which really gave me a headache doing app development in year 10 and the programming unit in computing 1/2.
« Last Edit: January 12, 2019, 01:37:44 pm by VoydVoyd »

Aaron

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Re: Softdev: What programming language?
« Reply #22 on: January 15, 2019, 12:11:52 pm »
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Apple products *sigh* - thanks for your contribution Voyd and really admire your efforts to use C# when you could use something much easier (e.g. python). Good luck!
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Aaron

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Re: Softdev: What programming language?
« Reply #23 on: January 20, 2019, 12:11:03 am »
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Hi folks, for those that were commenting in this thread be advised your discussion has been moved to this thread: https://atarnotes.com/forum/index.php?topic=183589.0

This thread we're in now is for users to post their programming language that they're doing in their class this year and to provide initial commentary. To discuss or debate programming languages and their suitability/effectiveness for the subject, the thread linked above is the place to discuss. Thank you very much for your cooperation and thanks for taking part in discussions in this board! :)
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basysmith

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Re: Softdev: What programming language?
« Reply #24 on: January 31, 2019, 08:48:30 am »
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Has anyone used Unity 3D and C# for their SAT?

Cheers,

VoydVoyd

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Re: Softdev: What programming language?
« Reply #25 on: February 13, 2019, 08:45:28 pm »
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Has anyone used Unity 3D and C# for their SAT?

Cheers,

I'm probably going to be doing this myself, even though I'm probably not going to be making a game, because the IDE is something I'm familiar with and is quite useful, and the UI elements are quite similar to that of XCode which the rest of my class is using. Did you have any questions about it? I think it's a fine tool for the SAT, even if you're not making a game. I would advise against making an actual game because the SAT marking scheme is heavily oriented around more "practical" software and you'll probably find it harder to justify a lot of your decisions, unless it's something like an educational game for a specific client.

basysmith

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Re: Softdev: What programming language?
« Reply #26 on: March 04, 2019, 08:16:25 pm »
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I would advise against making an actual game because the SAT marking scheme is heavily oriented around more "practical" software and you'll probably find it harder to justify a lot of your decisions, unless it's something like an educational game for a specific client.

How so? A game in Unity can be practical in many ways, not just educational. It can be for entertainment, marketing, rehab, sensory etc.. I understand where you're coming from though as a lot of students create random FPS's and car games that have no real objective or aims.

GeneralJuicy

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Re: Softdev: What programming language?
« Reply #27 on: August 21, 2019, 02:54:18 pm »
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java
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bobovikisan

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Re: Softdev: What programming language?
« Reply #28 on: August 23, 2019, 11:13:52 am »
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My Class is pretty focused on Web development. We started off just using Javascript, then used HTML and CSS to make the webpage prettier! We then learned server-side scripts like Node.js and PHP. And then in our final SAT projects combined all the knowledge to create an interesting project! Like I tried to recreate the Sorting Hat in Harry Potter for my SAT project. Hope this gives people a general idea of the SD class can entail! ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D