

Ask HN: What programming language is exciting to learn and to work? - t3rcio

Hey HN!
I am bored with the programming languages ( Java, PHP, Ruby ... ) =/ I try to make a project that be breathtaking, funny to work, to learn more about these programming languages; but at the same time, i tell to myself: "this already there is! Why make something that already there is?!"
So, someone can tell me a programming language that be exciting for learn and work in the web?
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Mikera
If you enjoy living at the cutting edge, then it would be well worth looking
at Clojure. I've had a great experience. For me the highlights have been: a
proper LISP macro system that lets you treat "code as data", fantastic Java
interoperability so you can use all the great Java libraries, great support
for concurrency and functional programming.

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drallison
Lua is very small, mature, stable, interesting, and implemeted with a small
footprint. There is a new JIT based system which improves performance.

For a video introduction by the creator, Roberto Ierusalimschy who is a
professor at the PontifÃ­cia Universidade CatÃ³lica do Rio de Janro , watch
the video: _Small is Beautiful: the Design of Lua_ at
<http://ee380.stanford.edu>.

Roberto has done several books on the language which are very helpful and
interesting.

~~~
oz
I'm going to learn Lua for FreeSWITCH scripting. Thanks.

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gte910h
I've found the things you do in python pretty fun.

You might want to try seaside/smalltalk for something completely different:
[http://www.seaside.st/?_s=XBRlPkWQFO4mUh21&_k=uMS3uuIb&#...</a><p>Smalltalk
is where the objective part of Objective-C came from. It is not at all a C
based language itself though.

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sanderjd
Hmmm, assuming since you posted an Ask HN that you read HN comments, it's
difficult to believe you haven't seen lots of people talking about the usual
subjects (at the moment) - node.js (javascript is the language), clojure,
haskell, OCaml, scala, erlang. All of these will give you a new perspective
coming from the three you mention, the first two are probably the most web-
focused (though perhaps people will disagree with that?). Also, plus one for
smalltalk/seaside, and minus one for python, which isn't mind-bending enough
coming from Ruby in my opinion.

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lleger
Of all the languages I've mastered over the years, by far my favorite one was
Ruby. It's a different experience than other languages such as C, PHP, or
Java. Also: python and, to some extent, perl. Some of the emerging languages,
such as scala and erlang and haskel, are fun as well, but if you're looking
for an easy and fun web language I'd definitely try out Ruby. And then, after
you know Ruby, take a look at the popular frameworks: Ruby on Rails and
Sinatra. They really make web development fun. Good luck!

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peterhi
Lets be honest here most languages are much of a muchness, religious wars
aside, and will probably all end up with pretty much the same set of features.

Sure I would like to have the time to play with OCaml / Erlang / Haskel but
what I really want is the time to work on an exciting application!

Thats where the fun is. If I had the time to play with robotics, telepresence
or virtual reality I would learn whatever language I would need to do it.

Languages, meh

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mhd

        ?- exciting(prolog).
        true.
    

Whether you'll actually use it for some bigger projects is questionable, but
it's certainly a challenging task, just because it's a very different
approach. And e.g. SWI-Prolog actually has a nice web package at
<http://www.swi-prolog.org/pldoc/package/http.html> .

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achew22
For the majority of people I don't think that it is the language that makes it
fun. I think that finding a project that makes you want to wake up at 4am and
go to sleep at 2am because it is so interesting is what makes it fun. Yes, I
am a coder but ultimately I think of myself as a puzzle solver. When you
approach the problem from the right direction you're already much better off
than you would've been before. Try a bunch of languages out for a month,
that's what I'm doing (OCaml starts tomorrow), and figure out which language
works with you, not against you (Java!), to help you solve your puzzle.

PS: There were articles on HN in January about the 12 languages in 12 months
but I don't want to look them up so I will provide you with the link I saved
from them [http://www.coderholic.com/12-new-programming-languages-
in-12...](http://www.coderholic.com/12-new-programming-languages-
in-12-months/)

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it0ny
I have been experimenting with clojure and I am impressed and very excited
every time I use it. I am planning to use it in a project with arduino since I
want to learn more about it too.

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TrevorBurnham
CoffeeScript!

It's got all the power of JavaScript (which, in addition to its monopoly on
browser scripting, is now a respectable server-side language thanks to Node.js
et al.), it's very new (first source push was in December), and the syntax is
just beautiful—even nicer than Python's, in my opinion. I've been totally
thrilled since I've started playing with it, and I'm using it for some serious
browser-based projects.

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nudge
"a programming language that be exciting" makes me want to recommend some
pirate-based language, but I don't know one unfortunately.

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ukdm
I'd suggest finding out for yourself as it's a personal choice. Try a few and
see what sticks.

This book would be a good start:

[http://pragprog.com/titles/btlang/seven-languages-in-
seven-w...](http://pragprog.com/titles/btlang/seven-languages-in-seven-weeks)

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pdrummond
clojure.

