Change the way you think about programming for the better
Challenging ourselves is transformative. Changing the way you look at programming will introduce paradigm-shifts... even when going back to old languages and tools.
“A language that doesn’t affect the way you think about programming is not worth knowing.” — Alan Perlis
I absolutely love that quote.
For me, Java long since stopped affecting the way I think about programming. C++ even more, and I’ll throw Python in the mix too. None of these languages challenge me to think about programming in new or different ways.
Which is probably why I haven’t touched them in years. They’re stagnant, uninteresting, and just not pushing boundaries.
There are plenty of languages that get me thinking about how I program. Changing my methods, for the better — really learning interesting and new concepts, not just a new technical skill but a new view of programming.
Changing how you think
Rust is one such language. If you haven’t learned Rust, I recommend doing it — even if you’re just exploring. It will affect the way you think about programming.
I’m biased toward functional programming languages, which is probabl…
