Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!julius.cs.uiuc.edu!psuvax1!psuvm!uh2 From: UH2@psuvm.psu.edu (Lee Sailer) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.tech Subject: Re: need help learning amiga programming Message-ID: <90348.123646UH2@psuvm.psu.edu> Date: 14 Dec 90 17:36:46 GMT References: <27348.27630086@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu> <1859a224.ARN2584@starsoft.UUCP> <90346.133157DXB132@psuvm.psu.edu> Organization: Penn State University Lines: 39 In article <90346.133157DXB132@psuvm.psu.edu>, says: >While the RKM is a nice (and essential) reference book, it's not designed >to teach people how to program the Amiga, which is what the original poster >was asking about. I disagree. The RKM are prefectly designed to teach a person how to "program the Amiga." And, correctly, they assume that the person is already an expert programmer, where "expert" means equivalent to at least a BS in computer science (with good grades, and from a tough program). Why should the RKM teach people how to program, or for that matter why should they teach how window systems work, message passing, pointers structs externs memory management etc etc etc???? As I recollect, it took me a good six months of hard work to teach myself C in a plain vanilla text and command line environment. That was in 1984. Then, in about 88-90, it took me another year or two to come up to speed as an Amiga programmer, using windows, gadgets, and graphics in a competent (though still not really expert) way. I am a pretty smart guy with 25 years of amateur programming experience, not to mention that I am a professional *teacher* of programming (a different, but equally difficult skill 8-). If it took me three years to learn C and Amiga stuff, how long will it take you? Less? Maybe. Let me drone on. As a rule of thumb, it takes about 5000 hours to become an "expert" at any worthwhile skill---juggling, tennis, the cello, or even programming the Amiga. Use the back of an envelope to figure out how long it will take to acquire those 5000 hours in elapsed time. lee The RKM *is* sketchy; it assumes you bring a good deal of >knowledge with you to begin with. And I agree that the choice of 'C' for >examples is a bad one. (Unless you're a C wizard. Most people aren't). >Unfortuntely, there aren't many (any?!) good books about programming the >Amiga in general that I know of. (And I mean USEFUL books, not re-writes >of the RKM!!!!!). >-- Dan Babcock