I’ve been working with a Javascript (+ TypeScript) + Java + SQL stack for the last 10 years.
For 2024 I’d like to learn a new programming language, just for fun. I don’t have any particular goals in mind, I just want to learn something new. If I can use it later professionally that’d be cool, but if not that’s okay too.
Requirements:
- Runs on linux
- Not interested in languages created by Google or Apple
- No “joke languages”, please
Thank you very much!
EDIT: I ended up ordering the paperback version of the Rust book. Maybe one day I’ll contribute to the Lemmy code base or something :P Thank you all for the replies!!!
Since you already know Java, you could jump straight to C++ with Bjarne’s book “Programming - Principles and Practice Using C++”: https://www.stroustrup.com/programming.html
You can then move to more modern C++ with his other book “A Tour of C++”: https://www.stroustrup.com/tour3.html
And then if you’re curious to know how software design is done in modern C++, even if you already know classical design patterns from your Java experience, you should get Klaus Iglberger’s book: https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/c-software-design/9781098113155/
In parallel also watch the “Back to Basics” video series by CppCon (see their YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@CppCon , just type “back to basics” in that channel’s search bar).
Learning proper C++ should give you a much better understanding of the hardware while the syntax still remains elegant, and you get to add a new skill that’s in very high demand.
C
IMO Zig obsoletes C in the way that go and rust tried to do. Personally, I would advise anyone to not learn C; or even start a new project in C, for that matter.
Python seems to be a staple for as long as I can remember and it looks like it’s still gonna be going strong for a good while yet!
I’m thinking of taking the dive and finally learning it myself soon.
Python is especially great for quick scripts or PoCs. I’ve been using it a lot lately to prototype some things and it just makes it a breeze
Main complaint is the snake_casing convention. By far my least favorite
Hah I love snake case.
I also love python for distributed micro tasks and data pipelining
I am the only person that feels like snake casing belongs in declarative stuff, data serialization etc. (SQL, protobuf, JSON, YAML…) while camel case elsewhere?
I don’t hold any of that, I just find it the most readable for me.
Rust, haskell, python, c++ are all interesting choices. I would argue that c# is too close to what you already know to be interesting.
If I were you though, I’d pick a project first, then decide what language makes sense for it.
I’m a huge fan of Haskell and (for pragmatic purposes) Purescript. Purescript is hard to find much in the way of documentation but it is so similar to Haskell in that the steep learning curve is worth it, IMO. I rarely find a project that I couldn’t accomplish with one or the other or both.
Nothing I have done in my career has given me even close to the benefit I got from learning Haskell. I don’t get to use it professionally, but the patterns I learned to recognize in Haskell are everywhere.
