Hi people, I'm having trouble figuring out what language I should learn next and I could really use some help. As of right now, I already know XHTML and CSS on an expert level, PHP I'd say pretty good (not an expert but I'm getting there), Javascript I'm ok with (not good but not bad either), and I know Wordpress. My choices are between JSP, Ruby, or J2EE. Can anyone tell me which ones would be good to learn? I know what ruby and jsp are, but I'm not too familiar with J2EE. Or is there another langauge I should learn instead of those? I'm basically learning another language for my career. Something that would help me out in my job. I was thinking of J2EE because that seems to be a pretty high demand right now. Thanks for the help.
j2ee mainly used by apps servers in companies so if u developing little applications for sales then it may not suits to u.
I would recommend Ruby, given the list. Once you have Ruby down, learn "Groovy". With that you can write "pure java" using the same syntax that you learned from groovy.
I would recommend PHP for you. Because PHP is used open source. You can also learn AJAX. It's essential for modern web programming.
php first off then go for ruby on rails it just takes a week to get to know other languages if you know any one
It really depends whats your aim if you wana do freelancing then php. If you wana enjoy and move to large scale apps then go for java or ruby. I really enjoyed ruby on rails even for small scale apps so its your choice...
Ruby is great, it acts like a language should--sacrificing a bit of speed to get there, but it's worth it. Of the options you listed, I'd say go for ruby. Also, give python a try since you've already done PHP. It's similar in syntax, and you can do a lot with it and it's huge library of add-on modules.
If you are not planning creating enterprise level applications then develop your PHP skills. PHP has rich libraries etc. So with PHP you may develop almost any site you want. Regarding JSP and J2EE. J2EE is now called JEE. And JSP (that stands for Java Server Pages) is a part of JEE (Java Enterprise Edition). JEE basically consists of several components (containers in terms of application server). Web container includes technologies like Servlets, JSP, JSF (Java Server Faces) . EJB (Enterprise Java Bean) container includes technologies like EJB3, JPA and may others. Read more on Sun's site. Here the link to JEE introduction http://java.sun.com/javaee/5/docs/tutorial/doc/bnaay.html. To start with JEE you have to gain understanding of Java programming language first. And also OOP (Object Oriented Programming) basics. JEE is a huuuuge technology to know. But if you anytime decide to learn a tool that will allow you to create the application of ANY complexity - the JEE is right for you. Regarding Ruby. Besides a nice name there is nothing really innovative, except they where one of the first using MVC design pattern. I'd better stay with PHP than switch to Ruby. Hope this helps to decide .
Well, Then you could suggest him to try a Perl, because the syntax is similar to PHP and NOT Python who's syntax has nothing similar with PHP, right?
Very true. Nothing against Perl, I just think Python is filling the gap Perl used to. It's kinda sad. Perl was my first language.
My first language was Perl as well . Actually it was bash, but I don't consider it to be a real programming language, more like unix automation tool. Python is a great language and there are such great frameworks (very similar to RoR) for web like Django, Turbo Gears and Pylons (my favorite). I'm now completely in Java, but am instantly dealing with Perl when I need to parse large amount of text or get some glue code on Unix boxes. Also addressing Python to maintain my sites developed in Python web frameworks mentioned above.