Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!usc!wuarchive!uunet!tronsbox!bleys From: bleys@tronsbox.xei.com (Bill Cavanaugh) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.tech Subject: Re: need help learning amiga programming Message-ID: <2769ac25-b81.8comp.sys.amiga.tech-1@tronsbox.xei.com> Date: 15 Dec 90 05:06:08 GMT References: <27348.27630086@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu> <90348.123437UH2@psuvm.psu.edu> Lines: 40 Lines: 38 >90348.123646UH2@psuvm.psu.edu > >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???? Lee, you're missing the point. No one has suggested that the RKM's should teach someone how to be a programmer. The question was if there was some OTHER book that laid out the basics of Amiga programming in layman's terms. Your post sounded like you were either saying, "I had it tough; therefore, everyone should!", or, "Only someone who already has been programming for years and is already an expert should be allowed to learn how to program the Amiga." On another point, the specific purpose of the RKM's (or any manual for an operating system) is to describe how that operating system works. They >should< teach how window systems work, since that's an integral part of the operating system. Message passing and Amiga-specific memory management also fit, since these concepts are not generic. I've been programming as an amateur for fourteen years, and as a pro for two. I taught myself as much C as I need to know, but I wouldn't DREAM of writing a serious Amiga application without some form of tutorial work first. My hat goes off to all of those people who figured this stuff out on their own, but many of us are either not that smart, or don't have that