Re: Programming beginners' documentation

[KHMan <keinhong@...>]

Peter Sommerfeld wrote:
> Am Samstag, den 10.05.2008, 10:09 -0400 schrieb Jim White:
>> I expected more people in the same skill level as my I have gone with
>> Python. I will revisit Lua from time to time to see if I can make any
>> sense of it. Some day I will.
> 
> Python has the advantage that you can run it out of the box because it
> is designed for. Lua has others...
> 
> If you come back to Lua have a look at Scite
> http://www.scintilla.org/SciTE.html
> 
> There are several Windows_Installer and some (all?) contain a
> Lua-Interpreter. With a bit editing the option files you'll get a nice
> enviroment for learning Lua. Of course, you have to read the docs first.
> And get a copy of PIL before...

Ewww... there have been complaints from users about lack of proper
documentation for Lua scripting on SciTE on that list, and it's
not integrated like Emacs but it's tacked on in a somewhat ad hoc
manner. Some users not used to tweaking and troubleshooting
property files in SciTE have complained before. Also, error
messages sometimes leaves a lot to be desired and you cannot break
out of infinite loops. If a new user gets stuck and does not know
enough to troubleshoot, again, it might end badly.

Trouble is, I think it's hard to give solid suggestions because
there is not enough context. If say, Jim is a high school student,
I'm sure we will be much, much more patient in providing guidance
and we might be able to give better or more relevant suggestions.
Since there is not enough information and we can only guess or
extrapolate, the problem and frustration in communication is to be
expected.

I think Jim is going in the right direction. Python has IDLE and
it has lots of libraries to keep one occupied. Stick to one thing
for now. If you get bored with command prompts, write something
using PyGame. At least, Python has good industry recognition and
is a good first language.

In the meantime, this list isn't that high-traffic, and it's
normal for newcomers to lurk. Stick around a few mailing lists
like this, and you'll soon know how to conduct yourself admirably
on any developers' mailing list. Soak up the culture first...

-- 
Cheers,
Kein-Hong Man (esq.)
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia