Learn a Programming Language Faster by Copying Unix

Great advice. I've written a simple version of the `column` tool as an entry to the International Obfuscated Ruby Code Contest: https://github.com/saizai/iorcc/pull/1

Just a bit of fun, the contest doesn't seem to be very 'official'.

As far as the Windows and Mac comment goes, there is no reason why you couldn't do this on either. In fact Mac OS X supports the same commands as linux. In Windows case, I see no reason why you couldn't do one of two things:

1. The first would be implementing your own linux commands so they work on Windows. You would probably want something like cygwin, a linux vm, or an actual linux box to test this stuff on though.

2. Pick Windows commands instead and implement them instead. It’s the same idea roughly. I haven't used a Windows machine in almost a decade, so I'm not sure what all would be involved, but seems possible that you could get them to work roughly similar.

As far as specific languages go, there’s no reason that almost any language couldn’t be used as long as it can take arguments from the command line.

It is a good approach and back say 20 years ago the favorite was to redo the du command and add a conversion to MB (now handled by the -h option for human in the du and ls command).

Cat is also a good example and not just to learn a programming language but the OS. Ask somebody to come up with 20 ways to display a file, you can do it with not just the cat command. Now I'm not saying there are twenty ways, but it is one area which some delving and approach will allow people to try and find them.

Examples are for me the best way to learn a programming language and again with the simple Unix commands you have a common base which people are more likely to ifnd an example. Can't recall but great site on the net which has "Hello World" in about every programming language around.

After a while, you will start to add option to your redeveloped commands, then add entirely new commands and from there you can think about writting your own shell. No graphics or the like to distract you too much. Graphics as a rule in programming languages I have found to be like learning an after thought and also you are more controlled in the mentality behind the API. So I do advise not even looking at graphics for a while until you have learned how to flex the language without the distractions graphics and the way they are handled add a overhead to your code. I'm sure somebody will list a programming language that is easier to do graphicly as apposed to text output, though its a safe rule. SO just because you have windows, don't mean you have to jump into GUI's from day one, if even at all.

I learned programming in QBasic by experimenting with graphics, games and fractals.

I honestly think that plotting per-pixel graphics is a much more fun and rewarding way to learn programming, than a cat program.

It's only a shame Linux has no "mode 13h" screen and a PSET function in the C language :)

For learning functional programming languages, Project Euler[1] is a really great resource.

[1] - http://projecteuler.net/