

What is the best scripting language to learn? - zengr
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/213048/what-is-the-best-scripting-language-to-learn

======
wccrawford
Wow, where is 'Bash' on that list? While I choose Ruby or (don't laugh) PHP
for more complicated things, Bash is what I use for any really easy scripting
I have to do.

I haven't taken the time to learn Python, or I'd probably use that over PHP
for many things, judging by what I've heard. I'm still learning Ruby as well,
or I'd probably use that more, too.

~~~
bradleyland
I know this sounds a little crazy, but don't be afraid to pick up Python at
the same time you're learning Ruby. I find Python and Ruby to be complementary
languages. I fill more of a manager and sysadmin role in our organization
(we're a RoR shop) than a developer, so I do a lot of scripting and less
application writing. I write all of our server setup (bash), deployment
automation (Ruby), and end-user automation scripts (Ruby/Python) for
developers and staff members. My go-to language is Ruby, but mostly because I
know it best. When I take the time to sit down with Python, I find its brevity
(no end statements, braces, etc) to be a big productivity boost for times when
you need to bang out some quick scripts. Even with an IDE that completes end
statements for you, you have to manage those lines when you need to move
things around. Python uses the same kind of natural language structure that
makes writing code comfortable and very readable when you come back to it
later.

