Re: Required Skills (was EGL)

Bradley V. Stone wrote:

I agree, Walden. when did HTML, CSS and JavaScript become "a chore" to
learn? I think I picked up the basics of HTML in about 20 minutes... that was a few years ago, though.

I am on record as saying that RPG programmers are some of the smartest people on the planet. I think programming an enterable subfile or an MRP generation requires programming skills that are beyond the scope of most of the so-called "applications" we see today.

And yet, I am pretty comfortable in saying that learning advanced JavaScript techniques - anything that touches the DOM, or requires AJAX, or needs cross-browser capability - is not something that an RPG programmer can casually pick up in their spare time. I am a very good RPG programmer, and also a very good JavaScript programmer, and I can tell you that the skill sets required for each are quite different.

If you're not familiar with Java or C, just the syntax is going to throw you off. It's not impossible; I've taught many RPG programmers Jva. But to demand that someone with a full-time job learn three or four new syntaxes is a bit over the top.

I am always telling people they need to learn to progress, but if by using a tool such as JSF can remove the requirement for learning the subtleties of JavaScript (a language that is deceptively simple to use but surprisingly complex to use *correctly*) then for some people it's a fair trade-off.

Anyway, this is REALLY an opinion thread now. You guys have weighed in with your opinions on what a "real programmer" should learn. I just want people to be as productive as possible, and JSF is a lot more productive than hand-coding JavaScript.

Joe