If you were to pick one language to learn... | Hacker News Reader

If you were to pick one language to learn...

1 pointSuperString12 comments

Say you were an aspiring programmer considering starting his own little start-up in next 3-4 years time; and say you could pick one new programming language to learn in that time frame. What would be the most useful language, according to you, and why?

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Obviously it depends a little on what your startup will be doing. If you'll be doing web based software, then Ruby or Python are the best choices. If you'll be doing iPhone/iOS software, then you'll need to learn Objective-C. Other platforms have their own requirements.

I would figure out which language is best suited toward your startup, and learn that, instead of trying to figure out what language is best, then trying to make your startup fit that language.

Hi,

We're in agreement on the issue - I'm currently weighing some ideas for a web-based app so that's where I'm looking to expand my proficiency.

I see. I have a bias towards Ruby and Rails because that's what I do. I've never used Python or Django, but I've heard that they're comparable.

That being said, I would recommend you learn Ruby 1.9.2 and Rails 3.1. The community is great, the framework is amazing, and there are a lot of resources freely available, like Railscasts, to help you along your way.

I would stay away from PHP and Java.

Thanks a million - you're actually not the first person to mention staying away from Java and PHP - why is that, I wonder?

Well, Java is just a pain in the arse to setup and configure. And PHP lacks the same sorts of tools you can get with the Ruby community.

Not to mention PHP only really started making an attempt at OOP with PHP 5, and Ruby was designed from the onset to be OOP. Everything in Ruby is an object, so you can do some really neat stuff like 1.to_s to turn an Integer into a String. Add Ruby's cleanliness and readability to the mix, and it's a standout winner over PHP.

Great stuff, thanks for taking the time to respond! I found what looks to be a good book on Ruby on Amazon (by it's creator and another co-writer)

I'm a book-learner myself, and I highly recommend the Ruby and RoR books from Pragmatic Programmers (http://www.pragprog.com)

Wonderful - I've looked at the titles, there's a lot of interesting stuff by the looks of it. Is there a particular Ruby title you'd recommend to a beginner Ruby programmer?

Sorry for the late response. I would look at Agile Web Development With Rails (4th Ed), Programming Ruby (2nd Ed), and The RSpec Book.

I stand by my previous categorization of languages:

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2459042

And based on it, C# if you're a Windows person, otherwise Python or Ruby. Between Python and Ruby, there's almost no difference that matters to an aspiring programmer.

Thanks for the link. I've been looking to expand my programming experience since I've found myself going back into programming after having been out of it for the last 7 or so years. I used to work in Pascal/Delphi and had some exposure to C++ but since nowadays I mostly just code SQL, I feel I need to make my knowledge more current.

Clojure.org

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