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I'd start with what you already know. Depending on the project, different languages will be a better fit. If you are just starting out and are focusing on web

I'd start with what you already know. Depending on the project, different languages will be a better fit. If you are just starting out and are focusing on web development, I'd recommend JavaScript since all you need to get going is a browser and a text editor.

behnamoh 10y ago
I hear all this hype about clojure/haskell being a better fit for web apps. Esp. ClojureScript which compiles to JS. Is it sane to ditch JS (and node.js, angular.js, bootstrap.js, ...) and go with clojure? (maybe even ruby?)
- kudokatz 10y ago
  If you want webapps, it's good to understand Javascript. I love clojure to death so much I write it in my spare time as a developer working on other stuff. But the reality is that its surrounding community is tiny, and that makes the hurdles faced when starting much, much larger. Clojure/clojurescript will get you a single language on front-end and back-end, but I think that from a monetization standpoint you really want a Javascript front-end and Java or Ruby back-end. Keep in mind that if you use "more standard" technologies, you'll also have a more likely chance of cashing out on whatever you build if you decide to sell because the buyer will be able to hire people to fix it. If you choose something obscure without a developed community, any price offered to you will be much, much lower or even just never come. I'd personally skip the node.js hype for now.
  - behnamoh 10y ago
    Thanks, so I guess clojure is not suitable for a beginner now. On one hand, I like using something that makes me think and also gets the job done (clojure). On the other hand, it feels good to be a member of a huge community (JS, ruby, python developers) and know what many others know. I had not thought about your points about selling a software in a "less standard" lang. I think you're right.
  - Scarbutt 10y ago
    Agree with everything you said about Clojure[script], but isn't nodejs past the hype already? sure, articles are written for it everyday but is a technology that is used heavily in the industry, that has a large community and library ecosystem.
    - kudokatz 10y ago
      It's true I haven't used NodeJS for actual projects, but writing entire apps in Javascript where other languages are available does not appeal to my personal aesthetics or technical sense on many levels. Simple namespacing in JS is a burden. A lot (not all) of what I hear about NodeJS being a great tool is from people that both accept callback hell as a way-of-life, and who decline to understand anything past the headlines of great performance. Guess how that great performance comes about - C++ and non-blocking I/O! There's also the aspect of the community that makes packages for single functions and can't develop a useable package manager (last time I checked). I'm not against it as pure infrastructure for running clojurescript, though =P.
pbhjpbhj 10y ago
Depending what you're doing then you can do lots of languages to some level with a browser, eg https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=repl https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=repl.

behnamoh 10y ago

I hear all this hype about clojure/haskell being a better fit for web apps. Esp. ClojureScript which compiles to JS. Is it sane to ditch JS (and node.js, angular.js, bootstrap.js, ...) and go with clojure? (maybe even ruby?)

kudokatz 10y ago
If you want webapps, it's good to understand Javascript. I love clojure to death so much I write it in my spare time as a developer working on other stuff. But the reality is that its surrounding community is tiny, and that makes the hurdles faced when starting much, much larger. Clojure/clojurescript will get you a single language on front-end and back-end, but I think that from a monetization standpoint you really want a Javascript front-end and Java or Ruby back-end. Keep in mind that if you use "more standard" technologies, you'll also have a more likely chance of cashing out on whatever you build if you decide to sell because the buyer will be able to hire people to fix it. If you choose something obscure without a developed community, any price offered to you will be much, much lower or even just never come. I'd personally skip the node.js hype for now.
- behnamoh 10y ago
  Thanks, so I guess clojure is not suitable for a beginner now. On one hand, I like using something that makes me think and also gets the job done (clojure). On the other hand, it feels good to be a member of a huge community (JS, ruby, python developers) and know what many others know. I had not thought about your points about selling a software in a "less standard" lang. I think you're right.
- Scarbutt 10y ago
  Agree with everything you said about Clojure[script], but isn't nodejs past the hype already? sure, articles are written for it everyday but is a technology that is used heavily in the industry, that has a large community and library ecosystem.
  - kudokatz 10y ago
    It's true I haven't used NodeJS for actual projects, but writing entire apps in Javascript where other languages are available does not appeal to my personal aesthetics or technical sense on many levels. Simple namespacing in JS is a burden. A lot (not all) of what I hear about NodeJS being a great tool is from people that both accept callback hell as a way-of-life, and who decline to understand anything past the headlines of great performance. Guess how that great performance comes about - C++ and non-blocking I/O! There's also the aspect of the community that makes packages for single functions and can't develop a useable package manager (last time I checked). I'm not against it as pure infrastructure for running clojurescript, though =P.

pbhjpbhj 10y ago

Depending what you're doing then you can do lots of languages to some level with a browser, eg https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=repl https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=repl.