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64 lines
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64 lines
4.0 KiB
It is wonderful that you have decided to undertake the hobby of computer programming, but which language should you choose: Python, PHP, Java, C\#,
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C/C++, VB, Ruby, Scala, Groovy, Javascript, or one of the thousands of others languages available to programmers.
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There are many factors to consider when choosing a programming language especially when getting into programming for the first time, some
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of which are the languages paradigm, syntax, platform and even the coolness factor of the language.
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\subsection{Paradigm}
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A languages paradigm refers to the languages overall style of development.
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For example the three mainly adobted paradigms are functional, object-oriented and multi-paradigm.
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A functional languages are based around around the concept of completing tasks using Mathematical functionals; C is an example of
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a functional language because rather than using classes or objects to complete it's tasks it used constructed functions.
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Object-oriented languages on the other hand use classes and objects to complete programming tasks;
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Java is an example of an object-oriented programming language because regardless of the type of program you develop you must use classes and objects.
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Multi-paradigm languages are usually a mix of more than one paradigm.
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For example Python is a multi-paradigm language because you can choose whether or not to use classes and objects when programming.
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\par
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There are many more types of paradigms that languages can follow but most languages you will come across today are either
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strictly functional, strictly object-oriented or they offer the best of both worlds by supporting both.
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\subsection{Syntax}
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The syntax of a language is very important when choosing a language.
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This is mainly going to be a personal preference.
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Personally, I like C style syntax languages like C, C++,Java, PHP, Javascript, etc.
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Other people might prefer other languages because their use of other syntax styles, like the almost sudo code style of Python.
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Your personal preference will come with time as you move from one language to another and develop your own personal styles and preferences.
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\subsection{Platform}
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This is a very important factor when choosing which programming language to use.
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What platforms do you have available to use?
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Do you only have a Windows computer at your disposal?
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That might remove some of your options as some languages might not support developing on your specific OS such as Windows or Mac OS.
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\par
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When starting out, try and choose a language that works on a platform that is readily available to you.
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Do not try and move to a new or different operating system in order to learn programming.
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Keep things simple.
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\subsection{Coolness}
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What seems cool to you?
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What is everyone else raving about right now?
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What is new and different?
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\par
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Some may think that coolness is a silly factor to introduce when trying to pick a programming language to use, but I can honestly
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say that it has effected my choices in the past.
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When I was learning programming in college we were being taught Java, but I taught myself PHP on the side
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mainly because my friend was using it and I wanted to impress him.
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This is not a bad thing.
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Let others help influence your decisions when programming. That is how you will grow and learn things you might not of
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experienced without the influence.
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\subsection{Conclusion}
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So, we have taken a quick look at how to go about picking a programming language.
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Some of you might say, "That was not really helpful. You did not tell me which language to use.", and your right, I didn't.It should not be my choice which language you learn first.
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I want to try and keep some bias out so that this resource is as lanuage agnostic as possible.
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\par
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\emph{Advice:}
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\\
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If after doing some research you are still unsure which lanauge you want to use, especially for going through this resource try out Python.
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Python is available for every platform, or at least all of the ones I can think of. It is interpreted so you will not
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have to wait for the program to compile. Lastly, its syntax is one of the closest to the sudo langauge which this resource
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uses extensively.
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