[ABE.pm] learn a new programming language

[Ricardo Signes]

So, I was of late lamenting my failure to learn any new languages for a while,
at least beyond the basics.  Like, okay, I understand how functions and types
and pattern matching and case expressions and stack manipulation and all kinds
of basic concepts work in all kinds of basic languages, but I think that of all
the languages that I've "learned" in the last few years, I couldn't write a
guess the number game in more than one or two, and those are all very
big-P-language-like.

There are some sites like "code katas" or Project Euler that are meant to be
generic exercises for learning languages, but they tend to really favor
algorithmic thinking and number crunching.  That's cool, but I'd rather figure
out how to get work done.  I'm glad that I know how to think about efficiency,
but I'd also know how to write 10 INPUT GUESS$ and so on, and maybe write a
stupid utility program or finger server.  Or, so help me, a template engine.

1) Anybody aware of any such list of exercises in "real work"?

2) Anybody want to help make such a list?

3) Anybody feel like trying to solve such problems in some chosen language, to
   gain slightly more practical skill than those generally offered by the
   exercises listed in language learning texts?

On a closely related note, I had fun organizing a round of Core Wars, and plan
to continue doing so, with other "programming games."  Fun and educational!

  https://github.com/rjbs/Code-War-101

-- 
rjbs
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