What language should I learn next?

Question

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Which Programming Language Should I Learn?

I'm sure you guys get a bunch of these Q's on stackoverflow, but perhaps you guys have some insight tailored to my needs.

I'm both a web programmer, and a desktop app programmer. I use PHP for the web, and C++ for performance-intensive desktop apps and games. As much as I love C++ though, I think I'm slowing myself down when I could be using a more modern/friendlier language. I use C# when I need a nice GUI. I've used Java for GUIs before too, but I'm a little more comfortable with Visual Studio and I like the way they do things. I tend to think Java is a bit slow, and the non-native feel really turned me off, but that doesn't seem to be the case anymore.

Anyway, I'd say I'm quite proficient with both C++ and PHP, I'm still learning C# but it's non-cross platformness concerns me (I hear mono isn't quite up to snuff yet), I'm a little bit rusty with Java, I've used Python for about 4 months and really didn't like how "loose" it was but people keep raving about it, so I'm starting to think I should take it a little more seriously. I've used MATLAB a bunch, but I think that's only really good for research. The D programming language intrigues me, but it's still in its infancy, I found there to be a lack of IDEs, and the split between Tango and Phobos is also concerning.

So, it looks like a toss up between Python and Ruby. Both can be used on or off the web, and both are widely supported on both Windows and Linux, AFAIK. Any thoughts?

Answer 1

Your question is quite similar to this popular one and probably belongs in the community wiki.

More specifically, here's a recent discussion of Ruby vs. Python that might prove helpful.

Answer 2

Between the two I'd personally suggest going with Python. Though there are a few flaws with the language, its big advantage is in the library support it has. Though Ruby can (and is) used for things other than web apps, you won't find nearly as many libraries for it.

However, if you're open to new experiences, I'd suggest learning a language with a whole different paradigm. My personal recommendation would be a Lisp like Scheme, Common Lisp, or Clojure, but Haskell, Prolog, and Erlang are also good. The reason behind learning one of these languages is to introduce you to different techniques for programming. With Lisp you have an incredibly simple, consistent syntax, first-class functions, and state maintained with closures. This enables a radically different style of programming than you'd get with PHP or C++ (and, to an extent, Python and Ruby).

Answer 3

x86 assembly programming

Answer 4

Instead of just looking at what different programming languages can and cannot do, take a look at what you need. You seem to have tried a number of different languages over the years, and you seem to have written code for a wide variety of situations. Thus, if you need something else in five years, you'll be able to learn that then.

Take a look at what you need right now - do you want to write code for the web or for desktop? Do you really need platform-independence? You get my point. When you have decided, then you can figure out which language suites your needs.

Answer 5

Between the fantastic community resources and the fact that Google uses it, it's hard to go wrong with Python. If nothing else, it looks great on a resume.

Answer 6

What's your next job/project? If you can influence the environment and/or language do a proper analysis and work out which one is most suitable and go with that.

I don't think that there's much mileage in learning anything - particularly a language (be it computer or real world!) if you're not going to apply it straight away. Also if you need it later you might be tempted to think you know the language when you don't - it could have moved on or you could have forgotten the important stuff.

Answer 7

Ask a hundred programmers what language you should learn next and you'll get a hundred answers, all of which are correct. Take anyone's advice and you might fall into the Blub Paradox.

You've indicated that you're primarily a web and desktop programmer and the languages you've selected to work with (C++, PHP, C#) address your needs nicely. The IDEs you use are well-suited for those languages, too. It's easy to, say, whip up a nice-looking GUI and hook it into a database.

When you start looking at other languages, your first instinct is to compare them to what you already know. And you may be dismayed. Can you build a database-backed web page with, say, Standard ML? Sure. Is it easy? Um, no. You might conclude that since there are no books titled Building Dynamic Web Sites With Standard ML in the bookstore, it's not a very powerful or worthwhile language.

On the other hand, if you dig around enough in that same bookstore, you might stumble across Modern Compiler Implementation in ML.

You've already dismissed MATLAB as a "research tool," and the lack of IDEs to support non-mainstream languages scares you. Unless you're willing to start from Square 1 with a new language, I don't think you'll find it beneficial to look very far outside your comfort zone. Explore languages that are just outside your bubble.

Of the two that you mentioned (Ruby and Python), my one-of-a-hundred suggestion is Ruby. It lies just outside your circle of languages, but not so far outside that you can't leverage what you already know. It's much more of an object-oriented language than C++, Java, or C#. You'll learn some new things -- like the number 12 is an object, with its own methods -- and you'll be able to build many of the same kinds of apps you're used to.

Answer 8

I like Ruby, perhaps more than Python. However, it only really shines with Rails.

Ruby is very slow, has poor library support, and is always a version number away from that feature that I'd love.

Right now Python is your best bet. Asking the same question again in a few years might yield completely different results.