Simple excercises for learning a new language.

Question

I remember stumbling onto a list of basic algorithms to implement in a new language to get your head around how the language does thing, but I seem to have lost the link to it.

What simple tasks/code snippets would you recomend one undertakes to pick get a good feeling of a language?

I'm not talking developing large applications or anything the kind of things I'm thinking about are writing a linked list then extending it to a doubly linked list. Implementing various sort/search algorithms, etc.

Excercises that would help somone who knows how to program in one language get up to speed as quickly as possible in a new language.

Answer 1

I like the exercises from CodeKata. They are not too easy and not too difficult. Strech your mind with them!

Answer 2

I usually take a couple of random problems from Project Euler: http://projecteuler.net/

Answer 3

I read somewhere that creating a Blog is the HelloWorld 2.0, I saw you don't want big applications but I found worth to share this

Answer 4

You might try this list from JobSnake to familiarize yourself with a new programming language.

Answer 5

I really do like the problems at spoj.pl. Can be done in quite some lanuages. Yours may be one of those.

Answer 6

Attempting to write compiler/interpreter for it. This opens up many obscure corners of the language and also makes you understand the reasons behind features of the language.