Re: which language for programming

[Erik Sandberg]

On Wednesday 22 November 2006 15:53, Bob Kline wrote:
> Ed Ardzinski wrote:
> > If Lilypond is written in C++ (and I do see some hints of C type syntax
> > when I use Lilypond) this *might* be a factor to consider.  But... C and
> > C++ are fairly complex languages and have steep learning curves.  If you
> > an abject beginner with programming I suggest starting out with Visual
> > Basic and concentrating on trying to develop good programming
> > practices.  That will make a switch to a more difficult language easier.
>
> I thought I read somewhere that while Lilypond had originally been
> written in C++ it has since been reimplemented in Scheme, which is a
> dialect of Lisp.  I would recommend Python as a good first language for
> learning to program.
>
> http://www.python.org

In addition, Python is used for most lilypond-related tools (convert-ly, 
lilypond-book, etc), so if you want to start hacking lilypond it can be a 
good choice (plus it's in general very good as a first language, as other 
people already mentioned).


Scheme is the language used for music functions in LilyPond; you can write 
Scheme code in a .ly file to manipulate music. So Scheme is good if you want 
to find a real use for your programming skills quickly.

However, Scheme is considered by some people as difficult, as a side-effect of 
its extremely simple grammar. E.g., in order to express 3 + 8, you write
(+ 3 8) in Scheme, this confuses some people. If you are mathematically 
minded, this should not be a problem.

-- 
Erik