what programming language to learn, php, asp.net or jsp?

Question

Possible Duplicates:
Which Programming Language Should I Learn?
Best language to learn (for a solo web designer looking to program)

Is there a general guideline of which dynamic programming language to choose to start with?

Answer 1

You will find that people hold very strong opinions about languages they happen to work with.

In reality, there are strong similarities between PHP, Asp.net, JSP and other languages that fill a similar role (though there are also important differences).

I suggest you pick one and get decent at it, then try the others. If you know someone that can help you get started, just pick whatever they are best at.

Do be sure and try each environment one after the other so that you can form your own opinions, and so that you have a more well-rounded understanding of software development.

Answer 2

No, there's no guidelines. PHP would probably be the easiest to pick up and start learning. If you have the time, it's best to give each of them a try.

Answer 3

Many people come to StackOverflow and ask this sort of question. There are really a lot of choices, and everyone has their own opinion on what you should learn first.

Here is a quick list of similar questions that may be able to help guide you on your quest for code enlightenment :)

What is the Easiest Language to start with?

What is a good programming language for beginners?

Language for Non-Programmers to Start Learning?

Which Programming Language should I learn?

What Programming Language should be taught in Computer Science 101?

Which Programming Language to lean now?

I'll add some more as I find them. Personally, I suggest PHP, as it is fairly easy to use and has great documentation.

Answer 4

Firstly, it's worth understanding the difference between a programming language and a programming framework. PHP is a language (though one aimed at the Web) whereas ASP.NET and JSP are part of larger framework. You can, for instance, create ASP.NET applications in any of the .NET languages (C#, VB.NET, F#, IronPython etc). Generally people choose one they are most comfortable with. But once you know a .NET language you can then create Windows applications in it - the language and framework stay the same, but you target different parts of it. JSP is slightly different in that it a web-framework, but one aimed solely at the Java language.

As to which to choose, PHP is probably the easiest, but not (in my opinion) necessarily the best. As a first language PHP will likely lead you into bad habits that you may not be aware of it you'd learnt a strongly-typed language first (like C, C# or Java). And if you are aiming at developing for the Web, then make sure you first have a good grounding in XHTML, CSS and a little Javascript.

Answer 5

With ASP you limit yourself to Microsoft platform only. With PHP you learn some custom language useful in web development only. With JSP+Java you learn platform independent technology with object oriented programming in general purpose programming language (Java). JSP is intended for presentation only so you naturally divide your work between presentation and logic. It builds upon technologies like JSP EL, JSTL (couple tutorials) and other taglibs. Beware not to use JSP for logic, although it's possible. You're risking to make your code PHP-like mess :)

I would also recommend using JAX-RS which allow easier creation of RESTful applications. I've used Jersey implementation which is a reference implementation for JAX-RS with plenty of documentation.

The bottom line: with Java+JSP you acquire much valuable knowledge which will be beneficial in a long run even if it will take more time now.