It actually uses a variation of LISP. I know old MIT college courses in Computer Science used to teach it.
The book, "How to Design Programs," is based on a variation of LISP, which I know used to be taught in college computer science courses.
I have zero programming experience, but I want to learn—not for a job, just to truly understand it.
A lot of modern advice says to start with Python because it’s easier or faster, but I’m not looking for shortcuts.
I want to go old-school. This book teaches programming with a 1990s-style approach. It may not use the latest tools, but I’ve heard it actually teaches how to think like a programmer and builds real logic skills.
Once I finish it, I plan to take the University of Helsinki’s Java MOOC. Again, sticking to fundamentals and learning the core ideas, not just trendy frameworks.
For context, I’m not naturally a math person either—I’m teaching myself beginning college algebra right now. That’s less about going old-school and more because I never had a college education, so I’m starting from scratch across the board.
So, does this sound like a solid strategy? My goal isn’t a career—just a deep, strong foundation to see if I can really do this.
What do you all think?
Great analogy! Even in this thread there are heaping amount of copium with people saying, "Meh, ai will never be able to do my job."
I fucking promise in 5 years, ai will be doing the job they have right now. lol