Heyy, I’m learning programming and trying to choose a focus, I saw you can make web/backend w node, desktop (bloatware but discord uses it so if it works it works), games (not AAA and not optimized for performance but it shouldn’t matter for indie too much) Is there anything that compares? I wanna focus on one thing instead of spreading myself over a ton of languages, I do feel js is interesting for this, but I’m just starting out, so looking to hear some thoughts of people more familiar with programming.

  • one_old_coder@piefed.socialEnglish
    393·
    21 hours ago

    Python or C++ are way more suited to build all the applications you listed.

    And IMHO JavaScript is one of the worst language ever created. PHP is also a very bad language, it seems like the web attracts all the bad stuff.

    • i_stole_ur_taco@lemmy.ca
      13·
      19 hours ago

      There was this business analysis someone wrote about years ago trying to nail down which programming language was the most successful, which they measured by how many business problems it solved.

      The winner? Visual fucking Basic.

      Because it was so accessible that people in businesses the world over used it to implement simple and sometimes complex solutions to problems without reuquirkng a big dev team and all the complexity that comes with writing “real” software.

      I see JS in the same boat. It’s a mess. But it’s so widely deployed (free with a web browser!) and used for so many things that in reality it’s one of the top dogs, even though everyone who knows it well enough to understand its quirks thinks it’s a pile of shit.

      • agentTeiko@piefed.socialEnglish
        5·
        16 hours ago

        This is unfortunately true can’t tell you how many times I have found VB attached to filemaker pro and an access db with 1000s because the customer wanted one table per customer.

    • SlayersFan@lemmy.worldOP
      1·
      21 hours ago

      so python/c can be used for web/backend desktop gui apps, mobile apps and games? I’m not talking just about what’s the “best” language but the more versatile, also i haven’t included it, but speed of development (how long it takes to write the code for the programmer) is also a plus

      • one_old_coder@piefed.socialEnglish
        91·
        21 hours ago

        Most modern games are written in C++. If you need speed using a high-level language, there is only C++ (or maybe optimized C#).

        • gastroglizzy@piefed.socialEnglish
          11·
          4 hours ago

          optimized C#

          No. C# runs inside of the .NET common language runtime, which is Microsoft’s version of the Java Virtual Machine. It’s basically the layer that handles garbage collection and all the other conveniences people expect from modern languages. Because of the overhead associated with all that, C# will never have performance comparable to C or C++.

        • NotSteve_@lemmy.ca
          4·
          18 hours ago

          Most modern games are built on engines written in C++ but game development is usually done in languages like C# on top of those engines, no? Unless you’re doing engine development you probably won’t be touching C++

          I could be wrong since I’m in software and not games but that seems to be the way

          • gastroglizzy@piefed.socialEnglish
            1·
            4 hours ago

            It depends on the engine. Unity is based on C# so it isn’t as performant as Unreal Engine 4 and 5, which use C. Unreal Engine uses UnrealScript, which is an intermediary language based on Java, which is similar to C#. The Source/id/Quake engine also uses C.

          • boletus@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
            2·
            12 hours ago

            If you’re building a game from start to finish in a game engine written in c++ you’ll probably end up having to touch some c++ eventually. Better to learn that than only ever learn how to use a scripting language.

        • SlayersFan@lemmy.worldOP
          1·
          21 hours ago

          Mhmm, but to start out i feel its best to focus in one programming language only, if under those parameters python/c (whatever c variant) are better than javascript, while it might be better in theory to use the right tool for the job, that takes way more time than doing everything with a less optimal more generalized tool (i think)

          • CompactFlax@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
            12·
            21 hours ago

            If focusing on one language, learn one that is good because you’ll have to work in other languages eventually and a well structured language will make that a lot easier than a less well structured one.

            I’m not a swe but I learned fundamentals in C++ (probably wouldn’t recommend that), work frequently in PowerShell, have played in C# a bit, and I’ve worked in Python a bit as well. Python seems like a really good place to start, today.

            Another note - front end and back end isn’t usually the same skill set even if it is the same language.