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Subject: Re: Any idea's on how long it takes to learn C++, then create a chessmonster

Author: David Hanley

Date: 14:49:00 12/10/01

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On December 10, 2001 at 16:28:39, Dann Corbit wrote:

>On December 10, 2001 at 15:40:09, David Hanley wrote:

>>I'd say use something else.  C/C++ is really a high-level assembler.  It
>>sacrifices a lot of programmer time to make your code run faster.  But even
>>running twice as fast won't make your prgoram a LOT stronger.  But it will make
>>your programming take a LOT longer.
>
>I have seen studies that indicate this generalization is not true.  See (for
>instance):
>http://wwwipd.ira.uka.de/~prechelt/Biblio/jccpprtTR.pdf

Hmmm.. I think this study supports my claim.  Not in the case of java, to be
sure, but look at the size & programming time of the perl/python code vs the C
code.

>
>>If 1600 if your goal, you can do it in java, and a lot of your work will be a
>>lot easier.  Java is plenty fast for a 1600 program on modern hardware.
>
>This I will agree with.
>
>>Also:
>>
>>smalltalk
>
>Someday, someone may even invent a toolset that will work with it.
>;-)

Oh, come on.  C toolsets haven't yet caught up with 85's smalltalk--unless you
are referring to some chess-specific libraries, or maybe specific development
tools?

>
>>lisp
>
>Be prepared to purchase a new parenthesis key for your keyboard once a month.
>;-)

Better than a whole keyboard from pounding on it because of C coredumps. ;)

>
>>SML
>
>What's SML?  Is it related to ML?

Yes, it's standard meta-language.

I guess this isn't the best place for a language war, i was just trying to point
out to him that he doesn't have to use c/c++, and that it might be easier and
more interesting for him if he didn't.

In my program i'm doing now, the bounds checking alone has saved me from bugs
quite a few times.  My program plays correctly, if very weakly, but it think it
would have taken me at least 3x as long in C--and i'm a published author on C!

dave



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