Best programming language for today and tomorrow?

Question

I used to do a lot of programming in the olden days before the dinosaur and the internet. I did dBase, basic, foxpro, a lot of VB, and some others. In the past 10 to 15 years, I've gotten away from it and have done more programming management than anything else. I'd like to get back into coding, but there seems to be a lot of choices.

What is the general consensus for a good programming path? C?, Java?, Ajax?, Python?, Perl?, .Net?, something else?

Answer 1

They'll always need C and C++ programmers. Perl isn't going anywhere and neither is Python.



Basically, any language that has an Open Source implementation is worth learning. Languages that are specific to one vendor (Visual Basic, .net, C#) will go down the pan eventually.

Answer 2

1. Ruby on Rails: Well it is more than a programming language but will take you through all that you want in about 1 day to less than a week to be productive.. on a web based framework and langauge that is simple and easy



After that it is your passion and dedication to grind in day in and out.. with Ruby/ Web design/ Rails framework.. perhaps the first 3 months is smooth sailing on what others already have created and stabilized and you hit the rough seas of some unchartered or less written about works.. but by then you would be an expert to roll out on your own..



2. Smalltalk

If you are a smart programmer, or wish to be one long term, be productive with a language that has yet to be beaten in its sheer simplicity, ease of learning, productivity factor, cover an astonishing breadth in technical areas from cool desktop GUIs to web dev, distributed computing , SOA and all the jargon that has any real value..



What are the cons if you may ask: well to begin with the least visible language on the internet searches so to speak to copy - paste code..

Jobs availability, can be ranked at the bottom of the plate amongst the set of known alternatives..

Use as a freeware, well highly limited ..

Enterprise support, now limited to one but no where as big as Sun/ MS or the Big Blue.. ( that once did support it.)



But what you do here can easily lead you to do well in almost any language or platform.. if you are not ensnared so completely not to migrate...



Rest I guess there are umpteen sites that have had this flaming wars on the objective / subjective note on best language.. best is you should give it a spin one each day or two for the next one week to a fortnight.. and decide for your self.. It will surely be worth the time spent..

Answer 3

The Best programming language is like the best car. I am leaning ni the Aston Martin direction while a co-worker is heading towards Bugatti. It's a matter of preference.



Progamming Language-wise though, I personally lean towards Java. Each language has pros and cons, obviously. Seeing as you did BASIC and VB before, I would suggest .Net as it will be similar to stuff you already know (or used to know).



But up and coming languages I would say are Ajax, Java and PHP. You might want to check out Flex as we've just started using it here at work and it seems awesome!

Answer 4

It depends on what your objective is. Learn ASP, PHP, or Perl to do web (server-side) programming. ASP will remind you somewhat of VB. Ajax is really a way to use Javascript, not its own programming language. You should probably learn Javascript if you will be working much with web pages. C or C++ will enable you to write standalone desktop applications, operating systems, etc. Another thing to consider is the cost of the compiler. PHP and Perl are free and many web hosts have them installed. There are also free compilers for C and C++.

Answer 5

For today and tomorrow? well; lets see; Basic has changed a lot thru the years; notice the huge jump from VB6 to VB7!!



I used to write BASIC since 1987, I've been a big fan for BASIC and still are since then, but since .Net VS7 and later .. I start to realize that the true language for today and tomorrow that will continue not only to evolve but also to preserve a good nice familiar flavor is C--> C++, Java and now C#.



So my advise go for C#.

As one can see; in .Net (VS7) Basic have been changed to become more like C#!!

Now; both are complied to the same object code and both share almost the same libraries (data, froms, .. )

So it really does not make a big difference now to pick between either VB8 or C#.. however C# looks more structured!



:-)



Good luck.

Answer 6

I know most Microsoft shops are using alot of C# and ASP.NET - I don't see either one of those going away for a very long time.



Others are using PHP, Java, Ajax, and Python, so those too are very good choices.



And - as always - there is good old C (or C++). People may think they have gone away, but when you start looking under the hood of almost any API - there they are.



Oh - and we can't forget (for all the database people) SQL, and its variations, like T-SQL, and PL/SQL. I don't see those going away anytime in the near future.

Answer 7

I agree with the other answer. I use FOX, VB, and SQL.



I have also learned to read C# and prob could program in it but VB is just easier for me.



If you are looking for jobs consider PHP, C#, or JAVA as probably the top 3 money and jobs available langs.

Answer 8

depends on the project. But genreally, the C family seems to be pretty robust (in terms of lifespan). If you're looking to learn languages that will probably be around for a long time, then C and C++ are probably good bets, as they've already been around for a while (especially C).

Answer 9

Are you aiming for web or windows? & the main two are Java or .Net (with their corresponding databases) - python & perl are available in the .Net now as well as Cobol.