[plug] Starting in Windows not Unix

[Kenworthy Family]

Dealing with windows as a user is vastly different from dealing with it as a
programmer.  Linux at least places the user closer to the system (I keep coming
across otherwise knowledgeable win users who can fix quite arcane faults using
gui tools, but only "know of" a dos console and never heard of batch files and
are wondrous at what can be done with them.  This is a GUI thing, not os
though)  I have written some openGL stuff that runs equally well on windoze and
X, but to do so required a lot of research and fiddling - all on the linux end.
The same with assembler, to get programs to assemble under windoze programs like
borland or hand written for tasm was a lot easier than linux, requiring little
os knowledge to get the assembler itself to work.  Once familiar with linux
assemblers/compilers etc it is still not as easy as windoze programs help by
hiding/supplying detail that can confuse/confound the less experienced.  Let the
new user get their feet in a supportive environment - not lose them by a
forbidding and frustrating one.  I have not seen a linux ide that is as easy to
use as either Borlands or Microsofts - the few I have tried are more for
experienced users and seem particularly difficult to learn - scope for
improvement there.  The idea is to teach the rudiments of programming using a
basic and easy to understand os (DOS) - not a complex os at the same time as
programming.

BillK

* at home I mostly use nedit and scripts containing compiler commands/switches
(though make would be a better choice) for c/c++/java etc.  Prefer to have
control over what's happening, which can be difficult with ide's sometimes.

Christian wrote:

> Leon Brooks wrote:
>
> > > and most have been dealing with Windows at home for years.
> >