What Should I Learn Next?

[youssarian]

Languages I currently have an excellent grip on: HTML/XHTML CSS JavaScript C++ Languages I'm good at but not excellent at: PHP Python Ajax (I know I know it's only a technique, don't shoot me.) XML (Not a language per se...) Things that I would find useful to learn: ASP Java C# .Net SQL Perl Ruby/Ruby on Rails What should I go for next? I'm thinking Java but I've had issues with trying to get my computer set up to do that and in general I have no idea how. As for what it is that I want to do, a simple question yet it often steers the path programmers take, is this: create stand-alone applications like - and these are only examples - Minesweeper or Microsoft Office. Gaming seems to be a hugely popular thing but I'm not necessarily looking to get into game development. Also with networking, I'm not very interested in that (although I was taught it in high school) but if it's a major thing - and it probably is - I can invest time into it. I could stick to my web development niche but to me it seems rather limited.

[khh]

I'd say there's no point in learning perl or ruby unless you've got some special reason to, since you already know one general purpose scripting language and two web-oriented scripting languages. Also .Net isn't a language, it's a framework or platform, kinda like Java virtual machine. C# code is compiled to a .Net program (though theoretically there's nothing stopping anyone from making a compiler that compiles to native code). I might suggest you work a bit with databases and SQL. It's a nice thing to know, and it's really needed for bigger web-applications, so maybe it'd be nice to have a fuller picture of that scene. Other than that, if you want to develop graphic applications or small games, you should probably go with Java or C#, as it's an easier place to start. However these won't be true stand-alone programs, as the person running them need the Java Virtual Machine or .Net framework to run them.

[ninja9578]

Java. You say you've got an excellent hold on C++? C++ is a huge language and STL is even bigger.

[The Invisible Man]

C#. It's almost the same as C++, so there isn't much to learn.

[ninja9578]

Not really, the syntax is similar, but the way that you use it is very different.

[youssarian]

Java. You say you've got an excellent hold on C++? C++ is a huge language and STL is even bigger. What is STL? And from the looks of it, I might be best off learning Java. Now, I've tried setting up a Java IDE (Eclipse) and for whatever reason it just could not identify the fact I had Java downloaded. But let me give it another shot. Plus, I have a Java manual I bought from a book sale a year back.

[ClouD]

French. J'aime le sexe et la technologie. Putain de robot. =D

[ninja9578]

What is STL?. O.o Standard Template Library I consider Java more of a learning programming language because it handles things for you that a real programmer doesn't want handled automatically. It hides things like allocation, cleanup, and polymorphism, which can add up to some serious optimization problems.

[khh]

You say you've got an excellent hold on C++? C++ is a huge language and STL is even bigger. C++ isn't really all that huge, though. It lacks (native) networking and multi-threading capabilities.

[ninja9578]

That's because those are platform specific and C++ won't ever do that. C++0x does have native multithreading though. Why would you want native networking though when there is libcurl?

[khh]

That's because those are platform specific and C++ won't ever do that. C++0x does have native multithreading though. Why would you want native networking though when there is libcurl? Everything about a program is really platform specific... That's why we have higher than machine level programming languages, so that we can use the same code on different hardware configurations and OSes. Yeah, I'm looking forward to C++0x, though I guess it will take some time for it to be supported by the big compilers. Also, libcurl uses C-style programming, not C++ style, unless you write a wrapper or something.

[Replicon]

Once you get in tune with the basics of Java, get yourself a copy of "Effective Java" by Joshua Bloch. It's one thing to learn the syntax of Java and be able to write simple programs, and it's something else to ACTUALLY have a grip on Java. Basically, you shouldn't be writing large amounts of Java code without having gone through this book and referring back to it when in doubt. It covers a wide variety of best practices that will save your ass. Likewise: Languages I currently have an excellent grip on: C++ You are not Scott Meyers, therefore you do not have an excellent grip on C++ Depending on what you're doing, you might be interested in Effective C++, More Effective C++ and Effective STL. It really changes the way you write C++. Just like for Java, I wouldn't let anyone who hasn't at least skimmed some of those books touch any C++ code I'd have to maintain later.

[ninja9578]

No one has an excellent grip on C++. Professional programmers have a good grip on it, but the language is too large and complex to know all of its aspects.

[Sornaensis]

I'd like to think I have a good grip on it

[Replicon]

I'd like to think I have a good grip on it Are you Scott Meyers?

[ClouD]

No one has an excellent grip on C++. Professional programmers have a good grip on it, but the language is too large and complex to know all of its aspects. I wouldn't think that having an excellent grip means knowing all aspects. There are some who have an excellent grip on the English language, similarly.