

Ex C++ coder seeks young & vibrant web language for adventures and good times - andru

My background spans a legal career, computer programming and server ops/management. Combining these fields I have an idea for a web services that I'd like to develop. My question is, what language or framework should I use?<p>My programming experience is mainly with C++ (Visual C++ &#38; under linux) and scripting with BASH and perl. I recently built a website with ExpressionEngine which was good but I felt restricted (eg passing variables required odd syntax and didn't work in all cases) and hated having to edit via their back-end. I'm happy to learn a new language but want to learn the "right one" and also have reservations about starting a project while still being new to a language.<p>Finally, the choice is quite overwhelming (Python, PHP, Drupal, Plone, Java, GAE, ruby.. and then there's the frontend!) so I would be grateful for some pointers from some of the web hackers out there on possible languages, how to easily migrate given a mainly C++ background, and how to go about creating a new web app while still learning a language.
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huwshimi
> I'm happy to learn a new language but want to learn the "right one" and also
> have reservations about starting a project while still being new to a
> language.

There really is no such thing as the right language, but you can find a
language (and framework) that suits you well.

For me the language and framework that I work the best with is Python and
Django (with jQuery for frontend).

I would recommend picking a couple of languages and frameworks and try
building a small project (or even a prototype of your app) in each one. That
way you'll probably figure out what works for you and if the framework is
going to meet your needs.

You seem hesitant to just pick something and go for it, so this way at least
you can try a few thing out before you launch into it and find out halfway
through that you don't like the way things work. It might seem like it will
take a bit longer this way, but buy jumping in with one language and framework
it'll only be quicker if you fluke it and happen to pick something you really
like.

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fractallyte
Since you have a C++ background, you may be interested in Seaside
(<http://seaside.st>). It's a web application framework based on a true OO
language (Smalltalk). Very easy to get started, and surprisingly different
than most other offerings.

The official guide takes you through the creation of several small
applications (<http://book.seaside.st>).

Also search the web for articles and comparisons: Seaside has several immense
advantages over other frameworks...

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andre
PHP, Javascript (jquery) and mysql

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sleepdev
I like python + Tornado web server because I am a minimalist. If you want to
learn how the web works from the top down & bottom up, this is a great
framework to start and end with.

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dougireton
I'd recommend Rails 3 and jQuery. <http://railstutorial.org/book> is an
excellent resource to learn Rails 3.

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greenlblue
You can't go wrong with PHP and Javascript. Those two are basically universal
and later on you can transition to other frameworks if the need arises.

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melling
Wouldn't it be better to use a Python or Ruby framework? That way one can use
either language for writing other non-web apps? PHP is very popular on the web
but Ruby and Python are used for much more. Python and Ruby both run on the
JVM, for example.

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andru
Thanks all. I'll have a bash with a couple small ideas and then go from there!

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yawniek
i can recommend padrinorb.com, it is both young and vibrant. its pretty
lightweight but still has a lot of the helpful shortcuts you find in bigger
frameworks.

