Ruby is the best choice as a “learning” PL in 2024
For many reasons.
Next okayish choice is js/ts or python
Ask HN: What is one programming language you would recommend to a new learner?
11–18 of 18 posts
Re: Ask HN: What is one programming language you would recommend to a new learner?
#12The best advice anyone can give you on this is to “just pick one”. Analysis paralysis is death and is going to waste your valuable learning time. Understanding programming concepts, which you can do with most languages, is paramount and will make you equipped to switch to something else later on. That said, some languages can be friendlier or more useful than others. Start with a scripting language, not a compiled on…
The thing I like about Python over Ruby is the one way to do a thing mentality. Ruby reverses this and has multiple ways from keywords if/unless and standard library filter/select, find/detect, etc--this drives me batty. The other infuriating is the subjectively surprising uses of the ! suffix on method names. `compact!` is a double whammy which mutates in-place (as expected) but also the return value is sometimes self and other times nil.
Re: Ask HN: What is one programming language you would recommend to a new learner?
#13> could only recommend one
TypeScript since everyone ends up learning js anyway. Only need to be warned about the js warts and foot-guns in advance to be less tripped up or shocked by them.
It might be better for some to learn javascript first, then later transition to TypeScript after experiencing runtime errors to appreciate static types which avoids them.
Other languages that allow addition of static typing falls far short of the standard that TypeScript has achieved, both in it its type system and ecosystem.
Re: Ask HN: What is one programming language you would recommend to a new learner?
#141) First learn a compiled/low-level language, so you can see how things work at a low level and have an appreciation for things like variable sized arrays, strings, and memory - things that are given for "free" in higher level languages (like JavaScript/Python)
- C is my recommendation
C is a very small, simple language. You can build anything in C, and you have to manually manage memory in some cases. You have to build many data structures from scratch.
2) After playing with C, learn a high-level, interpreted language with a large ecosystem.
- I recommend either JavaScript, or Python
Re: Ask HN: What is one programming language you would recommend to a new learner?
#15The best advice anyone can give you on this is to “just pick one”. Analysis paralysis is death and is going to waste your valuable learning time. Understanding programming concepts, which you can do with most languages, is paramount and will make you equipped to switch to something else later on. That said, some languages can be friendlier or more useful than others. Start with a scripting language, not a compiled on…
The thing I like about Python over Ruby is the one way to do a thing mentality. Ruby reverses this and has multiple ways from keywords if/unless and standard library filter/select, find/detect, etc--this drives me batty. The other infuriating is the subjectively surprising uses of the ! suffix on method names. `compact!` is a double whammy which mutates in-place (as expected) but also the return value is sometimes se…
> The thing I like about Python over Ruby is the one way to do a thing mentality.
In my experience, Python utterly fails at that goal. I wrote about that in another comment years ago:
Re: Ask HN: What is one programming language you would recommend to a new learner?
#16Java. It's old school enough that it gives you a sense of real programming, while also shielding you from the lower level elements of C++ and C. It's also still widely used.
Re: Ask HN: What is one programming language you would recommend to a new learner?
#17Python is a good first language. Big community. Easy to start, can start without OOP or even functions - just a script. Large ecosystem from web to AI. Automating the boring stuff type work has real world application and is a decent glide path from learning programming to actually enjoying it.
I want new programmers to learn to enjoy it before trudging through theory and patterns. "Read what you love until you love to read" sings true here.
Re: Ask HN: What is one programming language you would recommend to a new learner?
#18Python for the fundamentals, then C for the details.