On 12/13/2010 11:37 AM, Les Mikesell wrote: > On 12/13/2010 10:14 AM, Sven Aluoor wrote: >> Hi folks >> >> I have more than 12 years experience with UNIX system administration, >> but I am too stupid for programming. My only programming experience is >> shell scripting. I tried to learn Java, but don't understand it >> because it is too complicated for my limited brainpower. >> >> What programming language should I learn? >> >> A friend said that C-Sharp (Mono) is very simple. Is this true? > > Perl is probably the easiest next step for someone who has shell > scripting experience. The language can as complicated as you want to > make it, but you can keep it simple if you like. The big win with perl > is that pretty much anything you are likely to need to do has already > been done with code available on CPAN. > > On the other hand, if you had some reason to want to use Java (like a > need to use existing code in binary jars), you might like groovy which > is mostly compatible with standard java but can also act like an > interpreter with much of the verbose requirements removed so it is much > easier to see the logic of a program. Perl++ It's like paint. You have a fairly basic set of tools, but they can be combined to make anything you can imagine. Like paint though, if you don't care about your work, you can end up with a bleeping mess. If you care about your art though, you can make powerful masterpieces. Perl is strictly object oriented, though it can be used as such. It has very few enforced rules, so it's up to you to develop a clean coding style. There is a line in the docs with regard to variables in module that, I think, applies to everything in perl. Perl doesn't have an infatuation with enforced privacy. It would prefer that you stayed out of its living room because you weren't invited, not because it has a shotgun -- Larry Wall Some people love the freedom of this ideaology while others hate it. Whether perl is right for you will depend largely on your take on this. If you prefer structure, then Python is an excellent alternative. -- Digimer E-Mail: digimer at alteeve.com AN!Whitepapers: http://alteeve.com Node Assassin: http://nodeassassin.org