Best Programming Language to Learn

[PoundTheRock]

Quote from CalTrader:



If you want to learn the profession and actually understand how to do high performance and mission critical systems you are going to need to learn the details. You can start off fairly quickly doing object oriented work with modern languages and dig yourself deep into a hole.

Most of the modern tools have incorporated the technical details and abstracted them so that "programmers" dont need to be be concerned with them - and often dont know them.

use the tool that matches the problem and project goal - the latter is really what drives the implementation language choice.

Nope, you're stuck in the 80's mindset here, although I respect the true programmers who understand tight memory requirements and code for performance. I can't think of many instances where the project has driven the implementation language choice, unless you're writing a device driver or an embedded application. Programmers always want to use the latest and greatest language and development environment.

Regarding object-oriented design, you contradicted yourself. On one hand, you say that it's easy to learn, but then you say that you can "dig yourself deep into a hole." That's exactly my point - it ain't easy to do it right. I'll take a solid design over a slightly messy implementation any time. Hell, give 'em garbage collection. I don't want to see the programmers spending hours debugging stack dumps or corrupt pointers, especially if it's a trading application where one needs to see results quickly.

 

[omcate]

Quote from RusselHarvey:

One thing I never understand about is, why it is such a big deal of which language to use, to learn, people hate each other because advocating Java or C#, or C++.

IMHO:

People tend to turn the whole thing into a religious issue. There is no best programming lauguage. It depends on the project, the existing resources, the deadline, etc. Good programmers will adapt to make a project work. Bad ones tend to do the opposite. To a three-year old with a hammer, everything looks like a nail. A lot of time, there is nothing called right or wrong. Only whether you like it or not.

 

[CalTrader]

Quote from PoundTheRock:


...
Programmers always want to use the latest and greatest language and development environment.

....

Businesses run on profits and not the need for lowest level programmers to enhance their ability to leave your company by pushing the newest wiz-bang tool that some vendor assures them will lead to increased salary dollars. I have consulted to large software companies and fortune 50 companies for many years and the programming staff always want to use things for reasons that have little to do with the business. Also, its rarely the case that faster equals better - Except for the simplest problem soutions that can be automated. Expert software and database engineers know the details of several paltforms as well as the theory behind desiging optimal solutions from scratch. And yes, a projects business and performance requirements should - and do - drive the implementation language and platform choice - except in the simplest situations.

 

[mg_mg]

Best Programming Lanaguage? try Python out (www.python.org).

 

[RusselHarvey]

Quote from Bob111:



you funny..we talking about salary for programmers in some other tread..do you think that you can get 50-150K after 3 month fo training? or let turn it up side down and ask you-do you believe, that big companies will pay salary of at least 50K for something that everyone can easy learn in 3 month or less?

peace

How long do you think it takes for those .com kids or indian contractor to learn asp, vb and become proficient with it ("proficient" means that being able to brag some home made projects with these skills in a professional alike tongue during the interview )

There are way too many "professional" like this have got the 50K salary job, which also explains why IT industry in general has lost its fame so far in business people's mind.

 

[ramora]

Quote from RusselHarvey:



To become a guru of any programming language, it may take you up to 3 months hard working programming project work, but then you can walk on the water.
..... The new focus will be: get real.

After 3 months of learning to be a guru of any programming language, and then maybe another 2 or 3 months of learning this trading thingie, anyone could develop a trading system in only a few weeks that would generate more money that Grasso made last year....

You are right, I need to change my focus and "get real"!!!

ramora (an alias)

 

[RusselHarvey]

Quote from ramora:



After 3 months of learning to be a guru of any programming language, and them maybe another 2 or 3 months of learning this trading thingie, anyone could develop a trading system in a few weeks that would generate more money that Grasso made last year....

You are right, I need to change my focus and "get real"!!!

ramora (an alias)

3 months is good enough to get you started with any proramming language you favored. If you know how to "learn while doing it", it won't take long before you become a guru of any of these languages.

Who said 3 months to create an effective trading system, or any effective business system? That's where years of experience and knowledge culmulates and pays.

So, sorry if it confused you. But be rational is really what "get real" meant.

 

[Roscoe]

Quote from StockOperator:

I would like to hear opinions from Programmers,what they think the best language is to learn.If they were going to start out again learning how to program what would they choose.I have been recommended C++,Java,VB.NET.
I dont want to start studying and realize in 6 months time I should have choosen another Language,feedback appreciated

Of course it depends on what you intend to program, but for my money it has to be C++ - well supported, powerful and relatively easy to understand. I had previously spent time with VB but was guided towards C++ and I am very grateful for that guidance.

 

[RusselHarvey]

From a pure programming language point of view, c++ is the one.

The computing world is splitted between Java and .Net that is comprised of c# and vb. Campus of either world would not hire professionals from other campus. However, neither campus has ever intended to get rid of c++, they simply can't. Quite a contray, whey they heard you've been doing c++, both campus tend to treat you as a better reputed programmer than their own simply because both Java and .Net evolved from c++ yet still struggling to prove to be better.

 

[CalTrader]

Quote from RusselHarvey:

From a pure programming language point of view, c++ is the one.

The computing world is splitted between Java and .Net that is comprised of c# and vb. Campus of either world would not hire professionals from other campus. However, neither campus has ever intended to get rid of c++, they simply can't. Quite a contray, whey they heard you've been doing c++, both campus tend to treat you as a better reputed programmer than their own simply because both Java and .Net evolved from c++ yet still struggling to prove to be better.

C++ is not an economically viable choice for portions of many projects. The reason that the C# and Java camps exist is to reduce development and testing time and to reduce the amount of work necessary to produce development frameworks - and to standardize these.

In todays world a software engineer had better possess detailed knowledge of all three and understand the tradeoffs with respect to performance, testing, and development cost or they aren't much use to anyone - and really wont get hired in todays market.