If you could learn one programming language what would it be?

pcgizzmopcgizzmo Member Posts: 127
in Off-Topic
If you could learn one language that would scale to multiple platforms and operating systems what would it be? Java?
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  • Asif DaslAsif Dasl Member Posts: 2,116 ■■■■■■■■□□
    None of them - they all drive me to Seppuku.

    Scripting is OK but full blown programming no.
    You can tell whether a man is clever by his answers. You can tell whether a man is wise by his questions. - Naguib Mahfouz

    The mind is the limit. As long as the mind can envision the fact that you can do something, you can do it, as long as you really believe 100 percent. - Arnold Schwarzenegger
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  • erpadminerpadmin Member Posts: 4,165 ■■■■■■■■■■
    It would be Java or C because if you know either one of those, any other language can be learned hands down.
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  • cyberguyprcyberguypr Mod Posts: 6,928 Mod
    Asif Dasl wrote: »
    None of them - they all drive me to Seppuku.

    Scripting is OK but full blown programming no.

    Amen bro.
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  • the_Grinchthe_Grinch Member Posts: 4,165 ■■■■■■■■■■
    Assembly.
    WIP:
    PHP
    Kotlin
    Intro to Discrete Math
    Programming Languages
    Work stuff
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  • NetworkVeteranNetworkVeteran Member Posts: 2,338 ■■■■■■■■□□
    pcgizzmo wrote: »
    If you could learn one language that would scale to multiple platforms and operating systems what would it be? Java?

    I'll vote, that's a silly question! What you want to learn are programming concepts--how to utilize conditionals, loops, arrays and other common data structures, object-oriented programming, design patterns, reasons to modularize, how to document your code, etc. Then, you can be a strong programmer in almost every language. Learning a language, without learning those concepts, will make you a weak and generally undesireable programmer in one language.
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  • DevilWAHDevilWAH Member Posts: 2,997 ■■■■■■■■□□
    erpadmin wrote: »
    It would be Java or C because if you know either one of those, any other language can be learned hands down.

    I agree lean any programming you know them all, expicaly if you go down the .net route.


    Personal I would love to have the time to really get in to c++. I think its still the standard to measure other languages against. Its not the "best" for every thing but is a very robust and broad language. If you understand it well you would have no trouble picking up other more specialised Languages . And you are also not tide to a single platform, like with other languages, c++ gives you access to pretty much any os and hardware. .
    • If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough. Albert Einstein
    • An arrow can only be shot by pulling it backward. So when life is dragging you back with difficulties. It means that its going to launch you into something great. So just focus and keep aiming.
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  • DevilWAHDevilWAH Member Posts: 2,997 ■■■■■■■■□□
    NetworkVeteran wrote: »
    I'll vote, that's a silly question! What you want to learn are programming concepts--how to utilize conditionals, loops, arrays and other common data structures, object-oriented programming, design patterns, reasons to modularize, how to document your code, etc. Then, you can be a strong programmer in almost every language. Learning a language, without learning those concepts, will make you a weak and generally undesireable programmer in one language.

    I vote that's a silly answer ;)

    to learn the concepts you need to practice and experiment it, so its a fair question to ask what language will give you the widest experience of concepts and areas to explore. for example you could start by learning a scalar language, but you will miss out many of the fundamental consents that are used in the more mainstream languages.

    A good language to learn is one that gives a wide and in-depth coverage of all the main concepts.
    • If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough. Albert Einstein
    • An arrow can only be shot by pulling it backward. So when life is dragging you back with difficulties. It means that its going to launch you into something great. So just focus and keep aiming.
    Linkin Profile - Blog: http://Devilwah.com
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  • SponxSponx Member Posts: 161
    I would want to learn one code, to rule them all.

    <insert evil laugh>
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  • N2ITN2IT Inactive Imported Users Posts: 7,483 ■■■■■■■■■■
    I edited this

    ABAP SAP development
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  • AkaricloudAkaricloud Member Posts: 938
    I'd say C++. It's fairly straightforward compared to some of the other languges but yet is complex enough to build all your skills upon. Once you know C++ most other languges come easy but that doesn't necessarily go the other way.
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  • swildswild Member Posts: 828
    be a Cobol warrior.



    On a more serious note, C++ or Java will get you the skills needed. Java seems to be more and more popular so I would probably swing that way a bit, but I agree that C++ is probably the toughest to master.

    I personally want to learn Python, but that's a totally different animal.
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  • SteveLordSteveLord Member Posts: 1,717
    Java or better at SQL.
    WGU B.S.IT - 9/1/2015 >>> ???
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  • N2ITN2IT Inactive Imported Users Posts: 7,483 ■■■■■■■■■■
    @swild

    My mother is a DB2/COBOL warrior! :)
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  • ptilsenptilsen Member Posts: 2,835 ■■■■■■■■■■
    Network Veteran hits the nail on the head. Syntax and implementation methodology differences between languages range from slightly annoying to completely trivial.

    A lot of the experts out there agree that C or C++ should be the foundation. They are the most versatile overall, and once you've learned them, pretty much everything else is trivial. This is a good write-up by Eric S. Raymond:
    How To Become A Hacker

    I followed ESR's advice when I was a teenager, and taught myself Python (very easy, but provides a good foundation), then a bit of C++ (not as easy, but largely completes the foundation). While I am not a programmer and have largely forgotten every C-specific I learned, even the foundation I got from those experiences has made the administrative scripting I am occasionally tasked with pretty trivial.
    Working B.S., Computer Science
    Complete: 55/120 credits SPAN 201, LIT 100, ETHS 200, AP Lang, MATH 120, WRIT 231, ICS 140, MATH 215, ECON 202, ECON 201, ICS 141, MATH 210, LING 111, ICS 240
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    Next up: MATH 211, ECON 352, ICS 340
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  • Asif DaslAsif Dasl Member Posts: 2,116 ■■■■■■■■□□
    the_Grinch wrote: »
    Assembly.
    I have to say, if I ever meet someone who does Assembly I'll have to shake their hand and congratulate them and wonder how they stop themselves going postal... lovely example code here.
    You can tell whether a man is clever by his answers. You can tell whether a man is wise by his questions. - Naguib Mahfouz

    The mind is the limit. As long as the mind can envision the fact that you can do something, you can do it, as long as you really believe 100 percent. - Arnold Schwarzenegger
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  • kurosaki00kurosaki00 Member Posts: 973
    Visual Basic
    :yaoming:
    meh
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  • DevilWAHDevilWAH Member Posts: 2,997 ■■■■■■■■□□
    or if you want to start with the real basic stuff, try good old "BASIC" :)
    • If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough. Albert Einstein
    • An arrow can only be shot by pulling it backward. So when life is dragging you back with difficulties. It means that its going to launch you into something great. So just focus and keep aiming.
    Linkin Profile - Blog: http://Devilwah.com
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  • erpadminerpadmin Member Posts: 4,165 ■■■■■■■■■■
    SteveLord wrote: »
    Java or better at SQL.


    SQL really isn't a programming language. When you look at what SQL is, you'll find that it's really not as a complex as Java or any other Object-Oriented Language.

    SQL is terribly easy, believe it or not.
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  • Asif DaslAsif Dasl Member Posts: 2,116 ■■■■■■■■□□
    DevilWAH wrote: »
    or if you want to start with the real basic stuff, try good old "BASIC" :)
    Break out that Commodore 64!
    You can tell whether a man is clever by his answers. You can tell whether a man is wise by his questions. - Naguib Mahfouz

    The mind is the limit. As long as the mind can envision the fact that you can do something, you can do it, as long as you really believe 100 percent. - Arnold Schwarzenegger
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  • DevilWAHDevilWAH Member Posts: 2,997 ■■■■■■■■□□
    Asif Dasl wrote: »
    Break out that Commodore 64!

    It around here some where ;)

    seriously though "BASIC" would teach a newcomer a lot about loops and logic of programming.
    • If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough. Albert Einstein
    • An arrow can only be shot by pulling it backward. So when life is dragging you back with difficulties. It means that its going to launch you into something great. So just focus and keep aiming.
    Linkin Profile - Blog: http://Devilwah.com
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  • petedudepetedude Member Posts: 1,510
    Perl. The "one that's gotten away", even though I did read a bit on it last summer.

    I also wouldn't mind getting heavily into Pascal, adding to what I've already had exposure to. Strangely enough, I'd like to learn the old Borland Windows Library, even though no one uses it any more. I just think it'd give me a good foundation for GUI programming.
    Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there.
    --Will Rogers
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  • ptilsenptilsen Member Posts: 2,835 ■■■■■■■■■■
    erpadmin wrote: »
    SQL really isn't a programming language. When you look at what SQL is, you'll find that it's really not as a complex as Java or any other Object-Oriented Language.

    SQL is terribly easy, believe it or not.
    In fact, SQL is a query language. It's built into the acronym.
    Working B.S., Computer Science
    Complete: 55/120 credits SPAN 201, LIT 100, ETHS 200, AP Lang, MATH 120, WRIT 231, ICS 140, MATH 215, ECON 202, ECON 201, ICS 141, MATH 210, LING 111, ICS 240
    In progress: CLEP US GOV,
    Next up: MATH 211, ECON 352, ICS 340
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  • techdudeheretechdudehere Member Posts: 164
    My courses were mostly in C/C++ so I am biased but I feel it's an a good language to learn on. There are a ton of resources to choose from and code snippets and so on, so you're never really stuck. I took one assembly course and I enjoyed it for the interesting perspective, but can't say I'd consider using it outside of an academic exercise. For random things I need scripted, I've found Python is pretty easy to use. It's been a long time since I found anything I couldn't do with scripting and if I did, I'd probably only use a compiled code as a library of code to add in to my interpreted script.
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  • HypntickHypntick Member Posts: 1,451 ■■■■■■□□□□
    I spent a couple of years working with C++, while I really haven't had occasion to use it, it sure as heck helped on the javascript test I had to do for WGU. However I have been looking at Python and Perl more and more lately.
    WGU BS:IT Completed June 30th 2012.
    WGU MS:ISA Completed October 30th 2013.
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  • paul78paul78 Member Posts: 3,016 ■■■■■■■■■■
    It all kinda depends on what you want to use it for and why. Different languages have different strengths and applications.

    The first language I ever learned was Applesoft Basic, followed by Pascal, and then Fortran.

    I have a software engineering background working low-level OS utilities and software so I learned C and Assembly. I never really cared for learning object-based languages like C++. I also have the snobbish believe that all programs written in intepreted languages are scripts icon_smile.gif - yes I know that's a ridiculous statement.

    For myself - I have always wanted to learn a non-von neumann language like APL or FP. Or improve on what little I know of Lisp. @AsifDasl - if you thought that Assembly made you dizzy - check out the APL examples. icon_smile.gif Assembly is very intuitive by comparison.

    From a practical perspective - I am planning to learn Python.

    As a side note - A classic paper called the 'The Humble Programmer' by famed computer scientist Edsger Dijkstra can be found here - http://www.cs.utexas.edu/~EWD/ewd03xx/EWD340.PDF - it contains some of the most memorable quotes that I can remember on various languages.
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  • ptilsenptilsen Member Posts: 2,835 ■■■■■■■■■■
    paul78 wrote: »
    I also have the snobbish believe that all programs written in intepreted languages are scripts icon_smile.gif - yes I know that's a ridiculous statement.
    Snobbish? It just seems accurate, to me. The understanding I have had for the last ten years is that this is essentially part of the definition of scripting. Scripting languages and interpreted languages are one in the same, while compiled languages and programming languages are one in the same.

    Perhaps it's not that absolute. I mean, technically you can "compile" some "interpreted" languages, but at the end of the day the code is still interpreted and it is still a script. E.g. a "program" based entirely in .pyc files is still a script.

    On the other hand, VisualBasic and Java are not to be confused with vbscript and jscript or Javascript, respectively. The former are compiled, programming languages and the latter are interpreted, scripting languages with similar syntax to their programming counterparts. A Java or VB.net program is still a program.
    Wikipedia, the free, 100% authoritative and, in fact, infallible encyclopedia: wrote:
    A scripting language is usually interpreted from source code or bytecode.[2] By contrast, the software environment the scripts are written for is typically written in a compiled language and distributed in machine code form; the user may not have access to its source code, let alone be able to modify it.
    Working B.S., Computer Science
    Complete: 55/120 credits SPAN 201, LIT 100, ETHS 200, AP Lang, MATH 120, WRIT 231, ICS 140, MATH 215, ECON 202, ECON 201, ICS 141, MATH 210, LING 111, ICS 240
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  • paul78paul78 Member Posts: 3,016 ■■■■■■■■■■
    ptilsen wrote: »
    Snobbish? It just seems accurate, to me.
    Whew... glad I'm not the only one.
    ptilsen wrote: »
    On the other hand, VisualBasic and Java are not to be confused with vbscript and jscript or Javascript, respectively. The former are compiled, programming languages and the latter are interpreted, scripting languages with similar syntax to their programming counterparts. A Java or VB.net program is still a program.
    I consider Java, c#, and VB.net scripting languages too icon_lol.gif
    They are technically intepreted languages. I also think that any language with a garbage collector which is pretty much most intepreted languages is a scripting language.
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  • ptilsenptilsen Member Posts: 2,835 ■■■■■■■■■■
    paul78 wrote: »
    They are technically intepreted languages.
    How so? All three are compiled languages.
    Working B.S., Computer Science
    Complete: 55/120 credits SPAN 201, LIT 100, ETHS 200, AP Lang, MATH 120, WRIT 231, ICS 140, MATH 215, ECON 202, ECON 201, ICS 141, MATH 210, LING 111, ICS 240
    In progress: CLEP US GOV,
    Next up: MATH 211, ECON 352, ICS 340
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  • erpadminerpadmin Member Posts: 4,165 ■■■■■■■■■■
    ptilsen wrote: »
    In fact, SQL is a query language. It's built into the acronym.

    In terms of programming languages where you compile something into an executable (which I believe this thread is about) then no, SQL does not qualify. Yes it is a "language," smarty-pants [smile], but if all you knew was SQL, then you'd have a hard time printing "Hello World" if you were not familiar with any other OOL languages.

    At least with Java, you could perform coding with any other other language as the structure is very similar...it's just the syntax that changes. SQL won't help with that.

    (Plus, Structured Query Language by itself is very easy to pick up.)
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  • SteveLordSteveLord Member Posts: 1,717
    Yeah yeah....Java and SQL are the only languages period...that I would be interested in. Know some SQL, just don't deal with it daily.
    WGU B.S.IT - 9/1/2015 >>> ???
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