Thread: Language of choice after C++

I know you guyz all love C++ very much. Me too. But to depend only for one language is not wise. So I started to learn another language. I learn C#, Java, Python. I learn just a little. I know ideally it would be good to master all language so you can choose the most suitable language for project. But 24 hours / day is not enough to learn all the things. So you have to choose to master only one language more.

It is hard to decide which language I should learn. I have try them all and still I cann't choose the perfect one for me.

Java
The documentation is very good. Multiplatform. You don't have to pay fee to learn this language. There are some in-depth tutorials in internet like from Sun website and Bruce Eckel. But I never like the GUI.

C#
Not really multiplatform. I know there is project called Mono but it is still not mature. But the language is cool. To master this language, you have to buy book because I cann't find free in-depth tutorial in internet.

Python
Cool but.... I have not test this language very much. There are good tutorials outthere in internet so you don't have to pay fee to learn this language.

They are all good. Right now I want to buy C# programming book because I choose C#. I don't have really good reason to choose C#. I just choose because I have to choose. Before I started learning this language, maybe you guyz could change my mind. Maybe there are suggestion from you guyz..... Before I dig in C# programming world, maybe you have some advice.... ( maybe " Don't choose C# because bla bla bla" or "That is the best language..., babe! YOu have done right thing" )

It is hard to decide.....

Originally Posted by Thantos

How about a language that is not derived from C? Branch out into something completely different.

LIke what? Fortran? Perl? Lisp?
Well, I think it is good to choose popular language than less-popular language.

C# and Java draw a tie with me

C# - excellent language. I love it. However, like it has already been said, it is not really multiplatform. Microsoft is focusing on C# for Windows only and it doesnt look like they plan to port it anywhere else.

Java - also a good language, and easier to write code in with the new language options now being put in. I think Java is not very ideal for desktop applications, and that other languages are much better for that, but I think Java is very ideal for embedded programs. Like in cell phones and such. That is the good thing about Java, it can be used on almost any platform you can think of.

>I know you guyz all love C++ very much.
I don't.

>But to depend only for one language is not wise.
How wise of you to say so.

>I know ideally it would be good to master all language so you can choose the most suitable language for project.
Even in an ideal world, mastering all languages would be a little much. A popular subset and vigilant watch on what's popular will do nicely.

>I just choose because I have to choose.
You don't have to choose. You can work toward a better understanding of C++. That would help you learn other languages. You can learn general programming techniques and concepts that can be used in any language and implement them in C++. You can see what the C-ites are up to.

At the very least I feel that you should be competent in C, C++, Java and at least one scripting language such as Perl or Python. Learning a language like Lisp provides valuable lessons as well as pulls you away from the Algol-like syntax of C, C++ and Java. Once you have that base, meaning you don't have to master these languages, just be able to use them without copying out of a beginners manual, branch out based on what you see being used in the marketplace and what interests you.

Or you could do what I did and just do what's most interesting. When something more interesting pops up, do that too.

I used to work for a company called Bath Iron Works (I believe now a part of a company called General Dynamics since I've left). Although my job there was not design, I was able to see various "simulation" programs in the design phase of various ships. Surprisingly, the most commonly used language at the time to write and control the in-house simulations that I saw was ada (which I don't have any experience with by the way). I don't know if ada is a language designed for simulations (like list programming language is evidently designed for artificial intelligence).

Another neat 'language' that I've seen is the Adaptive Modeling Language
http://www.technosoft.com/aml.php
it basically is an API for engineering design. This, and some other software (tecpilot), is how I got into graphics and programming (although I have done no professional work with AML).

Learn Python. it is an ubelievable language. easy to use and productive as c/c++. download from here and start programming and becoming productive in less than half an hour guranteed. here are some tutorials . With python you can do pretty much anything you can with the "other" languages. you have a plethora of gui toolkits to choose from, you can do games ,web programming. Nokia even loves python so much they are adding it as a developer tool , so you can start coding for their phones. Think of the possibilities!!!!!

You even get to go away from the "C" type language becuase of its unique syntax. You code in python almost like your talking. Unbelievable.

IMHO

PYTHON OWNS!!
'nuff said.

Originally Posted by gandalf_bar

LIke what? Fortran? Perl? Lisp?
Well, I think it is good to choose popular language than less-popular language.

This mademe kekle because Perl is derived from c.


Prolog, or Lisp are good ones to learn.

But, I would pick assembly to learn and master. Theres always use for assembly programmers (if only for driver production :P)

Originally Posted by caroundw5h

With processors today. performence issues aren't what they once were.

It is saying those kind of things that make you a bad programmer.

Originally Posted by caroundw5h

'PYTHON OWNS
' PYTHON IS THE FUTURE!!!!

Hardly at all. C++ is the future of intense perfomance applications and games. Java is the future of multiplatform applications and embedded applications. C#....who knows where that will go....Python? It might be used, but it aint going to ever be the flagship of anything. Sorry, bud.

Originally Posted by caroundw5h

by the way the majority of languages are an abstraction on other languages. Thats what makes them better. C a better Asm if you will, C++ a better C, Java a better C++. Python a better

It is true that languages are made to abstract to a certain point such that it is convenient for the programmer to develop an application that is meant to be developed by that language. It is also true in many cases that abstraction can be a very good tool. However, we cannot go crazy about abstraction. Anything used too much can turn out to be a very bad thing. Such is the case with BASIC. BASIC is a very simple programming language to learn, mainly because it abstracts so much. However, you dont see it being used in any high end, top of the market applications out there, do you? The most BASIC ever gets used is in the case of Visual Basic, in which a company will hire a few programmers to develop some private databasing software for them, and that is about all.

Therefore, like you do in your little saying above, do NOT equate "abstraction" with the word "better." C is not necessarily a better Asm, C++ not necessarily a better C, Java not necessarily a better C++. And Python no better than ANY of the previously mentioned languages.

C is meant for low down systems development. That's what it was created for. It is meant for development of operating systems. It can also be used to make applications. C++ has many of the same purposes as C, only it is used less in operating systems and more in applications and games. Java is used in cross-platform tools and embedded applications, such as cell phone software and cell phone games. Python...who knows?

Like the saying goes, "One who tries to be the jack of all trades masters none."

By the way caroundw5h, how old are you?

Originally Posted by DavidP

It is saying those kind of things that make you a bad programmer.

That doen't make him a bad programmer at all. Many good programmers say the same thing (albeit a little bit more nuanced)
Here's one example. (Note that I don't know any Python whatsoever)

I said I wasn't gonna get caught up in this redundant and ridiculous verbal shove of "my language is better", but:

Originally Posted by DavidP

It is saying those kind of things that make you a bad programmer.

Hardly. Are you serious?

C++ is the future of intense perfomance applications and games. Java is the future of multiplatform applications and embedded applications. C#....who knows where that will go

I wish I had the crystal ball you have. I"d love to see the future. too. Can you tell me where the latest algorithm for optimizing the net is gonna come from? or maybe what the next best language is gonna be. I"m sure you know about the ones that are in development now. Using new programming techniques. Tell me please.

....Python? It might be used, but it aint going to ever be the flagship of anything. Sorry, bud.

what does being a flagship have anything to do with the language. You use whichever language is best for the task at hand. If you want ease of use, little learnign curve, high productivity. Python is the way to go. I don't think Eric raymond said python was his favorite language for sh**s and giggles. You might also wanna check out who uses python.


sang-drax yeah, python is object oriented: check out some random code

DavidP. honestly, this argument is redundant. I can't imagine how many times it blazes across boards on the net. If you want more info about the relevance of python, do a search
, ask NASA, check out the popular file sharing tool that corporations are trying to cash in on now, you might have heard of it its called bittorent. Or better yet, if you wanna know about python just ask google
they'll tell you exactly how relevant python is. And while your at it read this little article.

as to how old i am. Check my profile. and WTF about that quote: jack of all trades master of none?? whats the relevance.

[???]no offence but anyone who l lists herbert schildt amoung s/he's recommended reads. I wouldn't take language advice from. sorry[/???]

I was thinking more in an ASM direction... You have alot more control over the machine, and it's very multiplatform... Even though I don't know it, it's what I would choose if I decided to learn another language, which I wont.