Dear Oksanen:
> You are comfortable with C and perl and you still want to learn
> something else! Why?
Bioinformatics softwares can be classified into two types- one, those
handles sequences (text strings), the other type being visualization
softwares, those that handles graphics. Perl and C (particularly, Perl) is
very good at handling the former projects but when it comes handling
visualization softwares it fails miserably. In this case you need to take
advantage of Java or C++. There is no doubt if you intend to handle both
these two types of softwares you need to learn either Java or C++. I am not
very competent person to comment on any other language I can only say about
Java or C++.
>Why not just deepen your knowledge in perl and C
> and you will outsmart anybody trying to do the same in C++ or Java (at
> least in terms of time used in programming, the speed of your programs,
> the size of your code, the efficiency of resource use, and the power of
> your programs).
Yes, when it come to sequence analysis I can outsmart them but when it comes
to overall software competency they will beat me!
>If you just want to add OO, you can have that in perl
> now -- or then you can migrate from perl to Python and keep C in any
> case.
As I told that Perl is good for handling text. And that was mostly all what
bioinformatics was few years back. But slowly things are changing and
bioinformatics is reaching out beyond Unix into other OS and nobody can deny
the importance of GUI anymore. Data visualization, distributed computing
and graphics are becoming very important and I think two most important
languages that are very good in handing all that is Java and C++.
Malay
Malay Kumar Basu
Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology
Hyderabad 500007
I N D I A
Fax: (00-91)40-7171195
Phone: (00-91)40-7172241
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Cataholic: Can't stop bringing cats home.
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curiouser at ccmb.ap.nic.in
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