Ask HN: What web based language should we learn nowadays?

#1

Post by user48 » Thu, Mar 21, 2013, 8:20 PM UTC

Hey, I am currently studying applied computer science (B.Sc.). Before this I've done a school job training which was in a very similiar field, but broader and obviously not as deep. During my job training and also now at university we're getting taught about web programming. Both times with PHP as the server side scripting language. Now, the other day I've got an invite from koding.com (I've signed up for their beta when it was posted on HN a while ago) and in the feed for latest messages I found a commenter saying that PHP is old and should be abandoned.

I will have to get deeper into PHP now anyway, as I obviously want to pass the semester with a good grade, but:

Should PHP actually be replaced entirely? Also, which language would be useful to learn for the future?

Re: Ask HN: What web based language should we learn nowadays?

#2

Post by saiko-chriskun » Thu, Mar 21, 2013, 8:41 PM UTC

The four big web languages off the top of my head today would be: php, ruby, python, and javascript. You still see java in parts, or other jvm-based languages such as scala.

Personally I wouldn't worry much about which language you should learn. A lot of skill in programming and development is being able to conceptualize abstract problems, and learn new things on the go. I actually promote learning languages like haskell because, although you'll rarely use it professionally, it gets you thinking about things in different ways and, in turn, makes you a better programmer.

Just learn what you want for now (php?), and when you need or want to expand in the future, do so :).

Re: Ask HN: What web based language should we learn nowadays?

#3

Post by lsiebert » Thu, Mar 21, 2013, 8:51 PM UTC

Php is still used and developed. Perl is still used and actively developed (both 5, which is the stable version with backports occasionally, and 6 which is a complete rewrite, but still very much in development).

You can get a job as a php coder. Plenty of companies use it.

People like to give their first languages love, and lots of people learned to program in something like ruby or python, so they keep programming in them. But that doesn't mean that older languages or legacy code go away.

That doesn't mean you should stop learning. Learning more than one language or framework can help you become a better programmer. But don't let people tell you php is over.

There are languages that are pretty much gone, except for legacy code. Practically nobody learns pascal anymore, from what I can tell.

Php, however has held up surprisingly well, compared to a lot of languages/frameworks. You might try picking up another language, like java script.

Re: Ask HN: What web based language should we learn nowadays?

#4

Post by rudimk » Thu, Mar 21, 2013, 8:54 PM UTC

saiko-chriskun wrote: post #2

The four big web languages off the top of my head today would be: php, ruby, python, and javascript. You still see java in parts, or other jvm-based languages such as scala. Personally I wouldn't worry much about which language you should learn. A lot of skill in programming and development is being able to conceptualize abstract problems, and learn new things on the go. I actually promote learning languages like has…

I'd go with you. Just go with PHP for now, and once you feel you've got a good grasp of it, go in for Ruby or Python, as well as Javascript and a functional language like Haskell - Clojure's a great bet too.

Re: Ask HN: What web based language should we learn nowadays?

#5

Post by canatan01 » Thu, Mar 21, 2013, 9:47 PM UTC

Besides PHP, I would go for Python. Many startups ask for Python coders, so that would be handy. As for PHP: many big websites still use it (FB) and PHP is still being developed. And some say that PHP is made fun again because of the framework Laravel.

Re: Ask HN: What web based language should we learn nowadays?

#6

Post by lazylodr » Fri, Mar 22, 2013, 5:06 AM UTC

I started with PHP and ran with it for several years. It was my entry language for web development. Currently I'm using Ruby almost exclusively. Each has their strengths, but after spending a lot of time in Ruby, it's difficult to enjoy writing code in PHP. Ruby was deigned with developer happiness in mind, after all.

For me, the most interesting thing about programming are language agnostic principles and design. Learning the fundamentals will translate to any language.

Re: Ask HN: What web based language should we learn nowadays?

#7

Post by anonfunction » Fri, Mar 22, 2013, 8:36 AM UTC

Javascript! It's the future. Learn basic client side JS and then move onto node or vice versa.

Re: Ask HN: What web based language should we learn nowadays?

#8

Post by chris_dcosta » Fri, Mar 22, 2013, 10:46 AM UTC

anonfunction wrote: post #7

Javascript! It's the future. Learn basic client side JS and then move onto node or vice versa.

Seconded. Have you seen the freelance rates?

Re: Ask HN: What web based language should we learn nowadays?

#9

Post by chris_dcosta » Fri, Mar 22, 2013, 10:48 AM UTC

I think I should add that it's not just about the language, it's also about the architecture. You need to know what's going on and where, and why.

Re: Ask HN: What web based language should we learn nowadays?

#10

Post by curiouslearn » Fri, Mar 22, 2013, 9:38 PM UTC

I think Python would be a very good choice. With it you will be able to do a lot more than programming web applications. For example, it has excellent libraries for scientific work. At the same time, it is very good for creating web applications (although probably not so much for real time web-applications, but I doubt Php is very good for that either). It has many very good web frameworks. I have used web2py, which makes it easy to create websites, and equally important, to deploy websites on various PAAS platforms.