Very useful for an intermediate programmer who appreciates the craft and wants to extend their skills by becoming a true polyglot.
As for total beginners, it can be demeaning to explain why asking which language of the ALGOL descendants to learn is a pointless question. For their case, I don't bury the lead: I tell them "They all have the same lineage and are fundamentally similar, so just pick the one you'll learn the most robustly with. Most everything else is learning libraries."
As for total beginners, it can be demeaning to explain why asking which language of the ALGOL descendants to learn is a pointless question. For their case, I don't bury the lead: I tell them "They all have the same lineage and are fundamentally similar, so just pick the one you'll learn the most robustly with. Most everything else is learning libraries."