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28 Comments

What programming language should i start learn?

I want to build web applications and i am bit confused with which language should i chose to start and build a product in couple of months.

I found Ruby is a less complex and good for web apps. Any thoughts on this?

  1. 5

    Honestly go with whatever is easiest to work with. Devs are incredibly opinionated so just whatever you like best.

  2. 3

    If your objective is to ship a web app ASAP then I will recommend going with Ruby + Rails. There are tons of great tutorials like RailsCast, GoRails, DriftingRuby, RubyTapas, etc.
    If you want to get into the jobs market or do freelancing gigs then Rails is not a good choice. In that case, I will recommend JS.
    If you want to develop many more apps again I will recommend JS. Advantage of JS is that you can also use it to develop mobile phone apps using a framework called React Native. Knowledge of JS will also allow you to create desktop apps using a framework called Electron.
    I code in Rails, but if I were to choose a programming language today I will go with JS.
    Agreed, JS is difficult than Ruby but it is more versatile but it will also give you more job/freelancer opportunities.

    1. 1

      Well said, 100% support your opinion on ruby-on-rails vs javascript. I would add JS also has ton of resources thanks to its popularity and new frameworks like Gatsby or Next.js are extremely productive.

      There's a 3rd option though @Acheilies, do you really need to code? Hanging on Product hunt will give you powerful things like https://webflow.com/. Or even partnering up with a tech fellow so you get more time deploying your marketing magic.

      Just some thoughts. Learning to code is as hard as rewarding, good luck whatever you choose!

    2. 1

      Understood! Thanks for the detailed explanation. I will sure do little more research and choose a path.

  3. 3

    Well, you can't build a good app in 2 months if you don't know how to code...
    I would suggest you learning some programming languages, spend 1-2 weeks just to understand how they work.
    Then use some ready, out-of-box solutions, research the code, adjust them and add your own code on top. As an example, a free app template
    Backend: Python, frontend: Vue (JavaScript).
    Python is a very simple language to learn, Vuejs has a little bit steeper curve but still great.
    This app template has not only the code itself but all the project structure set up.

  4. 3

    I'm assuming this is your first language?

    In that case I would recommend Ruby. It's one of the easiest languages to learn, and it's what I started with. Huge supportive community for when you need help. Tons of resources and tutorials around.

    I know it can be confusing but honestly don't worry about it too much.

    1. 1

      Thank you! it gives me more confident to learn. Which one is your favorite place to learn programming (ruby in this case)?

  5. 2

    Javascript is a good language. If you want to focus on shipping then you can just build the front end and use firebase and cloud functions (also javascript) for the back end

  6. 2

    You should focus on dynamically typed languages like Python/PHP/Ruby. Python is the easiest one and the most consistent one. With a microframework like Flask, you should be able to start from zero in a few days. Also if you become in interested in machine learning, then the python is properly powered with libraries to do this kind of work. Basically Python is applicable to great range of problems, and practically almost any type of software you can write in python.

    Ruby has a good framework Ruby on rails, and is also a very good choice. ( but only if you want to build websites for your-self, as on the dev market isn't the most popular language )

    Javascript isn't easy as a first language. It's async nature might be not so easy to grasp for beginners. On the other hand, you can use javascript on the frontend and on the backend. With Python or Ruby, you will need to learn javascript anyway at some point. If you want to become a developer, the javascript is a very good choice. However, for the first website, you don't need javascript, or any other related complex lib like Vue, Angular or React, just try to keep it simple and stupid and use css and html.

    1. 1

      Ha ha thanks! Loved the last part!

  7. 2

    JavaScript .. you can use it for both frontend (browser) and backend (server/database).

  8. 2

    Ruby/Rails is great. I like Python/Django personally. In any case, the best idea to start programming and build a product in a couple months is to take an existing open-source project that almost does what you want and start editing around, see what happens.

    1. 2

      Sinatra in place of Rails can be great for simplicity. Flask would be the Python equivalent.

    2. 1

      Thanks! Open source projects? Where i can find them?

      1. 3

        I know someone just made https://www.sourcesort.com where you can find projects to work on.

      2. 2

        GitHub, Google, etc. Start with keywords that describe your product idea and append "open source" in the search box.

  9. 1

    I would recommend PHP and Laravel. Laravel’s community is huge and such websites like laracasts.com can teach you how to build web applications from zero. Also, PHP is quite simple and you can see your first results in an hour!

    1. 1

      Thanks ! Will sure check it out!

  10. 1

    Javascript is easy to learn. Frontend & Backend. Play with https://codesandbox.io.

    Trending programming language (other alternative):

    Go: https://gobyexample.com/
    Rust: https://doc.rust-lang.org/rust-by-example/

    1. 1

      Thanks for the resource! Definitely will check it out!

  11. 1

    Unpopular opinion: Clojure. It runs on the server and its counterpart ClojureScript compiles to JavaScript on the front. It's a Lisp, so to some with prior experience in C-like languages or Java it's hard to convert, but for someone new to programming it might actually be easier to reason with.

  12. 2

    This comment was deleted 4 years ago.

    1. 1

      Thanks! Sure will try it out!

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