Preserved Topic: Cross language ref -wanna help?

Hey all (work with me here if this gets a bit long-winded)
Back in the day I wanted to make my site do mouseovers, so I taught myself how to "program" in JavaScript. After that I wanted to write some CGIs so I learned Perl. While I was learning Perl I found I was able to take a lot of what I learned in JS and "translate" it to perl. Things like variables, arrays, for loops etc. The I needed to learn (don't ask why) TcL. Very different in form from JS and perl but after getting over a few key differences I found myself again "translating" code from JS and Perl into TcL. The same a few months ago when I started playing a lot with PHP.


Anyway I have come up with a theory, idea whatever.

It seems that most of the programming you do will be based around a couple of core concepts. Once you learn how to perform these basic functions you are well on your way to being able to use a language, not necessarily a master but you can move around in it and with the proper reference materials (for me it's usually a book in my lap) you can get just about anything done. Maybe not the best way, but the output matches the input.

My list of core functions are

setting variables
combining variables (concatination and adding)
setting scaler arrays
setting associatve arrays
if ... elseif ... else statements
for loops
foreach loops
while loops
custom functions

and the biggie
Object / Class creation

The of course there are all the built in functions, methods, mods specific to each language.
My idea is to create a site that explains how to do each of these "core" functions with some detail for every language.
Say variables
Js -
Variable look like this:
myvar;

set like this:
var myvar = 'value'

Some explaination of how to use strings and integers and how to concatanate and add variables.

PHP
Variables look like this
$myvar
set like this
$myvar = 'value'

Some explaination of how to use strings and integers and how to concatanate and add variables.

etc.

Then an area of the site that has some sort of Power tips for each langauge.

The ultimate idea being a site where anyone who has some basic knowledge of programming theory in any language can get a jump-start into a new language.

What I am asking for right now are ideas whether this seems like a worthwhile exercise. Other ideas for "core functions".

Then I'll need some volunteers for adding content but thats later.
piece
mike





Walking the Earth like Kane

I think the key concept here is the object-orriented-aspect (is perl object orriented? I can never remember that one) of coding. In languages that are not object orriented things change a bit, and it gets a little hairy. Try using your knowledge of JavaScript into the world of asymbly, so I do think the focus needs to be squeezed a little bit, or in some way.

So yes the object orriented reference guide. Do we need to get a list of these languages down? I think that could be a third step. The second step would then be figuring out a 'why', 'why' would we be doing this, 'why' would we need something like this. The first step is done, you asking the question.

The Art of OOP. I am sure there is a book by that name already, I have never read it, but I think that that is the essence of what we would be doing, and I see it as a site that would be dedicated to providing reference material, which then means that it has to be easily printable.

I also think there are many areas that you left out. Recursion, code reuse, searching, sorting, data types. This is and if undertaken will not be a small task by anyones imagination.

So let me put down the languages that I can think a complete reference would be useful for:

JavaScript
Server-Side JavaScript
Perl
PHP
C++
Java
JSP (which is java...)
TcL
Python
ColdFusion
VisualBasic Script
VisualBasic

And I think that this list can keep growing. So more input. I think it is a good idea, but an idea requiring a lot of work.

Bump for further support, max, bugs, butcher, jiblit, linear, others...

Bitdamaged

I'm more than happy to help. Just let me know if you think I can do something to help you out. My programming skills are nowhere near the level of anyone else's on the list of names that WarMage gave you, but I'm game if you are.

Just let me know.

Sounds like a cool idea bitdamaged. I'll help if you want C++, but I'm not real big on any of those other languages.

As a point of note, there are similarities in all those languages because, as mage pointed out, they are OOP languages and also because there are certain things that need to be done in programming that hold true for most languages. Non OOP languages are definitely harder, IMHO. But, at this point, I'm pretty sure I could learn a new language in two weeks at the very most.

It's kind of like spoken language. Almost all of them can be broken down into verbs and nouns. Once you learn one or two, learning new languages is easier.

FYI, I first started with BASIC on an old TRS-80 and that was an experience.

And i can help you in:
Delphi,
C,
Assembly

I don't quite get the concept. If you're trying to learn language X, and you know how a for loop works in language Y, why do you need anything other than the reference for language X?

I guess I don't see a need.

No you are right.

This would be a reference for Language X. My idea is just getting the basics of as many languages as possible in one central place.

The idea being if you know the basics of "programming" you can jump languages farily easily if you know the basics.

Kinda a quick start guide


Walking the Earth like Kane

Ever seen those O'Reilly "Pocket Refernce" guides? That's what I use. For $10 it's unbeatable.

Now....If you wanted to build a website that was DB backed, and served queries the way the php.net server does (http://php.net/split servers the reference page for split) that would be damn cool.