Click here to Skip to main content
15,867,756 members

Survey Results

You are asked to work on a project in a language you don't know. What do you do?   [Edit]

Survey period: 15 Aug 2011 to 22 Aug 2011

Let's assume you're given time to learn the new language before you start, if required.

OptionVotes% 
I dive in and learn the language as I go77268.99
I learn the new language and then dive in24722.07
I do it but try and get out of the project211.88
I actively try and get out of the project before it starts322.86
I quit171.52
Other302.68

View optional text answers (36 answers)


 
GeneralRe: Aren't most languages really the same? Pin
rudolfsson15-Aug-11 22:41
rudolfsson15-Aug-11 22:41 
GeneralRe: Aren't most languages really the same? Pin
Kevin McFarlane19-Aug-11 12:11
Kevin McFarlane19-Aug-11 12:11 
GeneralRe: Aren't most languages really the same? Pin
StarNamer@work15-Aug-11 22:51
professionalStarNamer@work15-Aug-11 22:51 
GeneralRe: Aren't most languages really the same? Pin
Julien Villers15-Aug-11 23:12
professionalJulien Villers15-Aug-11 23:12 
GeneralRe: Aren't most languages really the same? Pin
StarNamer@work16-Aug-11 0:02
professionalStarNamer@work16-Aug-11 0:02 
GeneralRe: Aren't most languages really the same? Pin
Doug Domeny17-Aug-11 16:02
professionalDoug Domeny17-Aug-11 16:02 
GeneralRe: Aren't most languages really the same? Pin
CPallini15-Aug-11 21:42
mveCPallini15-Aug-11 21:42 
GeneralRe: Aren't most languages really the same? Pin
Gregory Gadow16-Aug-11 4:13
Gregory Gadow16-Aug-11 4:13 
One of the first bits of professional programming I had done was RPG, which was very different from the Fortran and Pascal I learned in school. The job I now have started 16 years ago maintaining COBOL applets for an Informax database, and that was REALLY different. You cannot just start coding with RPG and COBOL: both of these languages have different syntatic sections for app setup and data layout, so you have to organize on a much more fundamental level, and writing something from scratch requires that you start with the entire application in mind before you begin.

With some languages, mere syntax is not enough.
GeneralRe: Aren't most languages really the same? Pin
Rama Krishna Vavilala16-Aug-11 4:27
Rama Krishna Vavilala16-Aug-11 4:27 
GeneralRe: Aren't most languages really the same? Pin
milkplus16-Aug-11 5:56
milkplus16-Aug-11 5:56 
GeneralRe: Aren't most languages really the same? Pin
Rama Krishna Vavilala16-Aug-11 8:51
Rama Krishna Vavilala16-Aug-11 8:51 
GeneralRe: Aren't most languages really the same? Pin
Kevin McFarlane19-Aug-11 12:22
Kevin McFarlane19-Aug-11 12:22 
GeneralRe: Aren't most languages really the same? Pin
BoxyBrown18-Aug-11 4:40
BoxyBrown18-Aug-11 4:40 
GeneralHad to learn COBOL once Pin
Mike Hankey15-Aug-11 16:47
mveMike Hankey15-Aug-11 16:47 
GeneralHow can you answer if it never happened to you? Pin
wizardzz15-Aug-11 9:41
wizardzz15-Aug-11 9:41 
GeneralRe: How can you answer if it never happened to you? Pin
StarNamer@work15-Aug-11 12:58
professionalStarNamer@work15-Aug-11 12:58 
GeneralRe: How can you answer if it never happened to you? Pin
wizardzz15-Aug-11 13:05
wizardzz15-Aug-11 13:05 
GeneralRe: How can you answer if it never happened to you? Pin
StarNamer@work15-Aug-11 22:30
professionalStarNamer@work15-Aug-11 22:30 
GeneralRe: How can you answer if it never happened to you? Pin
Philipp Kratzer15-Aug-11 20:27
Philipp Kratzer15-Aug-11 20:27 
GeneralFor those who voted "I dive in and learn the language"... Pin
ed welch15-Aug-11 3:35
ed welch15-Aug-11 3:35 
GeneralRe: For those who voted "I dive in and learn the language"... Pin
Gregory Gadow15-Aug-11 3:51
Gregory Gadow15-Aug-11 3:51 
GeneralRe: For those who voted "I dive in and learn the language"... Pin
Steve Mayfield15-Aug-11 11:18
Steve Mayfield15-Aug-11 11:18 
GeneralRe: For those who voted "I dive in and learn the language"... Pin
PIEBALDconsult15-Aug-11 18:26
mvePIEBALDconsult15-Aug-11 18:26 
GeneralRe: For those who voted "I dive in and learn the language"... Pin
Jun Du16-Aug-11 3:57
Jun Du16-Aug-11 3:57 
GeneralRe: For those who voted "I dive in and learn the language"... Pin
AnnieMacD18-Aug-11 3:55
AnnieMacD18-Aug-11 3:55 

General General    News News    Suggestion Suggestion    Question Question    Bug Bug    Answer Answer    Joke Joke    Praise Praise    Rant Rant    Admin Admin   

Use Ctrl+Left/Right to switch messages, Ctrl+Up/Down to switch threads, Ctrl+Shift+Left/Right to switch pages.