

Ruby java python or lisp - yearsinrock

I have shortlisted the following languages to learn .
which one should I learn first.And which are the best sources books,videos for learning them.
i have previously done c and c++
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saurabh
Try every one of them. I saw your submissions and comments. The time you spend
asking these type of questions here at HN would be better spent learning. My
guess is you are procrastinating.

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yearsinrock
ok i'll start but which book should i refer for ruby

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dazzawazza
For python I can't recommend a book. Dive in to Python is available online but
to be honest the best thing to do is just start using it. It's just not hard.

DIP: <http://www.diveintopython.org/toc/index.html>

Tutorial: <http://docs.python.org/tut/tut.html>

Std Modules: <http://docs.python.org/modindex.html>

Std Library Reference: <http://docs.python.org/lib/lib.html>

good luck

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arockwell
I'll second dive into python. I thought it was an excellent read. The book
does a good job of teaching the language while showing a lot of practical
examples.

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wlievens
Consider starting with Scheme and reading SICP.

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aurora72
I've started recently with LISP and it's been a rewarding experience. I've
noticed that it's just more flexible than the C-like languages. For example, I
have been able to get the factorial of a number as big as 3000 in a very short
time! That was simply not possible with a C-like program. I've used Emacs with
the "Superior Lisp Interaction Mode" preloaded, upon the suggestion I got from
useful book "Practical Common Lisp by Peter Seibel" (It's available on line at
gigamonkeys.com)

I have also acquired the book "ANSI Common Lisp by Paul Graham", which is a
classic and no-nonsense book. I personally find Paul Graham's approach quite
refreshing.

Having seen Ruby being employed in various environments, I've also started to
learn Ruby. It's a multi-paradigm and dynamic language and hope to use it in a
RoR application development. It kind of forces you to think dynamically and
that helps you to write more efficient code, I guess.

So far, I couldn't find enough time for either Java or Python.

And oh, lastly I must say: C++ with templates (STL) is quite indispensable. If
you master C++ with all its features like STL, you'll find that it can handle
a whole lot of things quite elegantly.

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Hexstream
Since you already know C++, learning Java really won't expand your mind at all
so I wouldn't waste time on it. My personal recommendation would be Lisp...

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swombat
Learning to spell "python" would be a good start.

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entelarust
python

