7th program: HTTP Compiled

I’ve had the pleasure of using a web-oriented approach when I took the Programming Language Course last semester and I can say that it is a very interesting way of learning about different languages and paradigms while also looking at how to implement the characteristics and features that make them unique in web servers. While it is true that it adds a layer of complexity, most of the class took it as a challenge I think. It certainly is very interesting to think about asynchronous calls while also grasping the use of a functional knowledge such as Clojure. 

The use of web development that the author proposes allows for integration of knowledge while also practicing for a very important skill for professional use, that is, carrying a project through its entire lifecycle, whether it is by starting from scratch or taking an already started project like a kernel. When the aforementioned course was over, I was really impressed by what my classmates and I had created for “Semestre I”.  However, I think there is also a downside to this approach.

This comes in the form of compressing what could be several courses into one. A student might judge certain contents as not as important as others. For example, if a project deals specifically with the syllabus of web programming and some other minor activities for functional programming, he or she might brush those lectures to concentrate on what will give a better score by the end of the semester. Cases like this show the importance of combining all topics and show their relationships. 

A funny case of doing language processors through a server-side web application is how it can light a passion not seen in students since the first semesters of Computer Science/Engineering. When first learning to program, I was completely impressed and almost felt like a god when I created a small buggish version of the game snake.  That same feeling was a bit normalized as I spent more and more time programming. When I began working on the compiler project, I once again felt like that. After all, I was creating a program to create programs. It would be very interesting to see what the next level would be like.