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 _______________________________________________ lilypond-user mailing list lilypond-user@gnu.org http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/lilypond-user
