Which programming language should I learn?

[Bwana]

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[administrator]

1. Download and install VMWare player.

2. Download an Ubuntu Image.

3. Follow this tutorial (or the one for the Ubuntu release you have downloaded:
The Perfect Server - Ubuntu 10.10 [ISPConfig 3] | HowtoForge - Linux Howtos and Tutorials You can skip the stuff to do with ispconfig though.

The above will give you a VM on a fixed IP. Now install samba so you can share the webroot of the VM server, learn a bit of Apache to give you virtual hosts so you can work on several sites and set ups at a time. Edit your Windows hosts files to route web requests from your Windows machine to the VM.

It does take time to get used to setting up Linux, configuring Apache etc but I don't think you can skip this stuff if you want to be a kick ass web dev

As for the language choices...

Perl is handy, a really good language to know but there aren't as many jobs around for it as there used to be so would not be looking to push too much effort that way if you want to make a career out of it.

Python is definitely growing in demand and worth a look.

C++ and Java are still widely used and worth learning.

PHP - massive demand for this. Still sneered upon as not being a proper programming language but it is very flexible now and is very powerful in the right hands.

Personally would look at PHP if you want to web dev due to the amount of jobs out there for it, then C++ or Java if you are more of a programmer than a web developer.

Happy learning

[DimPrawn]

Stick web developer + each of those languages into JobServe etc and see what comes up.

There's also C# and .NET which is what I'd recommend as a web dev route to IMMENSE riches.

[SueEllen]

You don't need to build a "linux" or "Unix" box so to speak. All you need to do is find a stable and easy to install distribution like Ubuntu and install it. You can either use a virtual machine or dual boot. There are plenty of tutorials on Google which are detailed enough to tell you how to do it.

You can also Google every single Linux/Unix command you would ever need and in fact in some cases it's actually easier to develop on a Linux box than Windows as the installation process of the compiler/interpreter plus other language tools is easier. Linux distributions normally are up-datable with packages for development in all the languages you have mentioned.

In regards to programming languages I couldn't say as it depends on your aptitude. Just pick one that takes your fancy and go from there. Most people who program know a few and can quickly pick up the syntax of another one. Again there are plenty of tutorials/guides in all the languages you mentioned which can be found via Google.

Edited to say: If you use Ubuntu you won't have to do very much configuring at all compared to some of the other distributions. Off course it depends on your hardware but I've recently done none on 3 different machines.

[administrator]

Stick web developer + each of those languages into JobServe etc and see what comes up.

There's also C# and .NET which is what I'd recommend as a web dev route to IMMENSE riches.

I reckon a lot of Gov stuff is going to go open source now to save cash, reckon the days of the .Net gravy train are coming to an end. All those public sector contractors and permies getting kicked out will cause a rate drop. The beard and sandal brigade will conquer all.

[Scotgal]

Career wise C#, for pure language interest Lisp, Haskell or Eiffel. To really understand Object Oriented Programming I would recommend Eiffel and read Object-Oriented Software Construction by Bertrand Meyer.

[DimPrawn]

I reckon a lot of Gov stuff is going to go open source now to save cash, reckon the days of the .Net gravy train are coming to an end. All those public sector contractors and permies getting kicked out will cause a rate drop. The beard and sandal brigade will conquer all.

You are making a couple of incorrect assumptions.

1. The govt want to save cash, cut spending. They don't and they have no intention of cutting anything.
2. .NET and C# costs money. It's all free and most servers come with Windows on included in the price anyway.

[Bwana]

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[Scotgal]

This reminds me of Visual Basic when I first started programming it in the mid 90's. It was in big demand, easy to learn, and very capable, but seemed to be looked-down-on by C/C++ programmers.

As for C# - I know it's become very popular, much like VB was in the late 90's (I mean VB4/5/6 before .NET came along). But will it go the same way as VB? - e.g. loads of people jump on the bandwagon, rates drop, then demand falls as it gets replaced with something newer.

C++ is not in as big demand, but it does seem to have stood the test of time. Isn't Windows itself written in C++? The fact that it is probably harder to learn than most other languages could be an advantage - because the market is less likely to be swamped with C++ programmers because only the real hardcore geeks would have the patience/determination to learn it.

Thanks for all of your comments guys & girls. :-)

Cheers,
Bwana

I don't think you can compare C# to VB just because it is popular. C# seems to learn from all the mistakes and take all the good bits from previous languages. It allows you to program in OO, functional and procedural paradigms.

[Olly]

for pure language interest Lisp, Haskell or Eiffel. To really understand Object Oriented Programming I would recommend Eiffel and read Object-Oriented Software Construction by Bertrand Meyer.

That sounds suspiciously like you're just reciting your Uni course