

Ask HN: Is it worth learning a new language for your startup?  - thakobyan


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btilly
I assume you mean programming language.

If you're a programmer, it is good to periodically learn the basics of new
languages. You won't be expert in them, but it is less work than you probably
fear, you'll know how to find your way around, and you'll come back to your
main languages with greater perspective.

Whether it makes sense to learn one for your startup is a different question.
Beware of the fact that while working on a startup there will always be plenty
of opportunities to engage in yak shaving. (See
[http://projects.csail.mit.edu/gsb/old-archive/gsb-
archive/gs...](http://projects.csail.mit.edu/gsb/old-archive/gsb-
archive/gsb2000-02-11.html) if you don't know what yak shaving is.) Letting
yourself get consistently sidetracked is a quick way to fail to produce
anything.

 _However_ it is also true that there are many technologies that your startup
might benefit from which require you to know specific languages. For example
you might want to use Puppet, but that requires you to know some Ruby, which
you might not know. (Ditto Chef and Python in the same problem space - so you
get a choice of new languages to learn!)

With all of that said, here is my answer. Ask yourself why you want to learn
the language, what the benefit will be, and how long you'd give yourself to do
so or pull the plug. Decide that up front. If you decide that it is a
worthwhile investment of your time, then plunge in, but DON'T TRY TO MASTER
IT! Instead recognize that for whatever you need to do you likely only need to
understand some _subset_ of the language. Try to identify that subset, learn
that, and then get done what you need to get done. (A reasonable way to learn
that subset is to focus on learning what seems necessary to start working on
your problem, then learn everything that you encounter as a blocker while
trying to solve said problem.)

But put boxes and limits around this task. Because your goal should be to get
something out there and iterate. Anything that distracts you from that goal
needs to be removed for that goal.

------
FrancisFrank
If you are not a programmer, then get one for your startup but if you are,
then stick to the language you already know because thats the best way you can
express yourself (provided a startup is concerned). You can learn a new
language later but not during startup. Starting a startup is a journey you can
only go with familiar tools

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kissmd
for a real startup no. a startup must start up fast. for that the best tools
are what you already known.

but for side projects a new language is absolutely a must!

~~~
thakobyan
Yes, that's what I thought but wasn't sure!

~~~
dawson
I don't agree with the 'real startup' comment. For howareyou.com I learn't
Ruby, and chicly.co.uk I learnt Objective-C and I would say, although maybe
bias, both are 'real startups' :) Choose the right language for the job and be
prepared for that language to change as you encounter different challenges.

------
relaunched
In most cases, no. If you are very early, you can achieve product market fit
for almost anything, with any language. Then, you can change the language
later or develop tools to make the language better fit your needs.

------
robodale
I would say it's worth learning a new language if that language will achieve
whatever goal(s) you have for your startup.

------
a_alakkad
It depends!

If you can afford to hire a programmer to code for you it'd be fine, so you
can focus on other things.

------
benologist
Is your goal to build something or to learn how to build something?

~~~
thakobyan
I have an idea and want to implement it myself. I'm confused between web and
mobile prototypes of my future product! to make it on mobile I have to learn a
new programming language such us Objective-C.

~~~
benologist
Learning a new language _for a new platform_ is a little bit different.

Learning a new language when you have an existing skillset that can do the
same job [eg switching from ruby to python for fun] is a costly investment
that probably won't pay off.

------
ChrisAntaki
Do _you_ want to learn a new language? Then go for it!

------
orangethirty
Depends on what you are building.

