Suppose you need to learn a programming language in a short period.
What kind of materials do expect to see in a low-level programming language tutorial ?
Suppose the programming language is C, Fortran , Pascal or Python.
I mean it is a basic language which can be used in any engineering application
A resonable quantity of interactive examples explaining each line of code. Materials could include some small video classes.
In my opinion, Python could be the best choice for a starting programming language. Of course, no one can deny the importance of knowing a low-level language like C in scientific life. However, if someone doesn't want to invest too many resources (e.g. time), Python is the way to go. Otherwise, stick to C.
As a tutorial, I would expect to have my basic straights with Base conversion, then followed by basic variable types, conditional statements, control (e.g. loop), array and so on. One of the important aspects of learning C is utilizing pointer as well as memory handling.
Dear Shantanu,
Thank you for your answer, My main question is that when you read a tutorial on a software (no matter which software / programming language) . What do you expect to see and learn from it ?
Dear Azadeh,
Could you please elaborate more on that ?
what topics are you looking for in that tutorial ?
- Interface with other softwares ?
- Examples ?
- Installation guide ?
Suppose you need to use C++ fro modeling some mechanical problems. However, you are new to C++.
Should this tutorial contain general example (not mechanical ones) to teach you how to use C++ capabilities?
Dear Alireza
In my opinion, Python could be the best choice for your means because it is easy to work as well as is a useful program for engineering application
Dear Dr. Soroudi,
Thanks for the clarification. Apart from the basics, such as download and installation manuals, the tutorial should interact with the target audience (i.e. the developer/researcher) with very details of the language. Sometimes it's better to have some "live coding" video sections where the developers can follow the thought process and can easily relate to the problem at hand.
And for specific purpose tutorial (e.g. modeling a physical process), I guess it will beneficial to have some basics (or at least some references to them) followed by more detailed solution and code scrutinization.
Dear Dr. Soroudi,
In my opinion, simple and general examples in which detailed explanations on each statement are given, is the main component of a programming language tutorial. I think that installation guide and interface with other softwares have the lower priority.
Best regards.
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