CHOOSING THE BEST PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE

Sometimes, there are arguments about which programming language is best, based on lines of code (LoC) needed to write specific example programs, the speed of compiling those programs, how fast they run, and how small their memory footprints are. These are mostly useless comparisons because the programs are typically too small to be meaningfully useful, and they don't account for ease of use or programmer friendliness.

For example, something might require only one LoC to accomplish what would require 10 LoC in another language. But which one runs faster? Does everyone know that one line to write? How complex are those 10 lines, do they make sense? These kinds of questions make deciding the "best" programming language next to impossible because the question is too vague.

To be more precise I’m going to take a look at it here based on an individual’s perspective.

1.         WHAT'S THE BEST PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE FOR A

BEGINNER?

It depends somewhat, on what the beginner is trying to accomplish. Java is among the most popular languages overall, and one of the most popular languages for beginners to learn. However, Python is generally highly regarded, but not terribly popular.

Both are good choices. Java is great because it's so popular. If you really know your stuff, there's plenty of work as a Java developer. If I were starting over again from scratch, I'd want to learn Python first. Python is one of the most elegantly designed languages. It's easy to learn, fast to program in (generally), and is object-oriented (so is Java).

2.         WHAT'S THE BEST LANGUAGE FOR WEB DEVELOPMENT?

This is like asking what the best religion is! Everyone has their favorites, and they're all good choices with their own strengths and weaknesses. If your target is web programming, here are some of the most popular choices.

PHP - Not necessarily a language, PHP is a parser that outputs an HTML page in a dynamic way. It's extremely popular; Wikipedia, Facebook, Digg, Wordpress, and millions of other sites are built on it. It's used on the server side of things, so it's not really designed to be interactive.

Javascript - If you're going to do web programming, this is probably the best language to learn. It is used for client-side interactions, Ajax, and plug-in development. All the most popular browsers have support for it, and if you intend to write plug-ins or extensions, this is the language you'll need.

Ruby (on Rails) - If you want to start programming for the Web quickly and easily, Ruby on Rails is probably the best programming language to learn. It makes a lot of things simple and easy to implement. But once you need more functionality or flexibility, once things get complicated, it can become difficult to use. It's still very popular, and there's no shortage of work for good Ruby programmers.

PERL - PERL is the duct tape that holds the Internet together. It's the Swiss Army chainsaw of programming languages. These are common things said about PERL. It's best to learn for more advanced web programming, but not when starting out because it's awesome for very specific things, but not for everything.

3.         WHAT'S THE BEST LANGUAGE FOR GAME DEVELOPMENT?

This is an impossible question to ask because most platforms have specific language requirement! The best language for game development is simply whatever works best on the target platform.

If you're want to develop iPhone, iPod, iPad games? You're going to want to use Objective-C. That's the language Steve Jobs brought with him from NextStep when he came back to Apple. It's the language for development on all things Apple, so if you want to write Apple apps, you're going to want to learn Objective-C.

For anything Microsoft, your best bet is going to be C#; the language Microsoft invented that's based on the best of the Java and C programming languages. It's what's used for Xbox, Windows Phone 7, and of course, Windows. Although you can work with other languages on all of these platforms, Microsoft has really gone out of their way to make things easier on you if you use the tools they provide.

Android devices are easiest to program with Java, as that's the underlying technology. If you're going to do Android game programming, you're going to need to learn Java. Which is fine, since it's a very popular language and considered one of the better languages to learn when starting out.

For Windows PC games, C or C++ are undoubtedly the most popular choices. Other languages are possible, but nowhere near as popular.

For 3D, you're going to need to learn a graphics programming language like Direct3D (for Microsoft platforms) or OpenGL (for all other platforms).

Game programming is extremely complex, and you're not likely to start completely from scratch. There are so many different tools for every platform, that it'd be a monster task to write about them all. You're going to need level design, graphic design, sound, etc... There's a lot more to game programming than simply choosing a language to learn!

3.                  WHAT'S THE BEST PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE FOR MAKING MONEY?

This is a very popular question. Some languages are a bit crowded because they're so popular. Java, for instance. Yes, you can get a job, and yes, you can make a great living with Java, but you'll have to compete against a lot of other developers.

Right now, there is a huge demand for Objective C. What's that? It's the language iPhone and iPad apps are written in! And also Mac apps, but they aren't as popular. It doesn't look like the iPhone is getting any less popular, and there are always new apps being developed. There aren't nearly enough programmers who know Objective C, so you can easily make a very good living with it.

Other languages that are great to learn to make money are Javascript and C#. Javascript is the language that runs the web. If you want to be a web developer, it's the best language to learn. C# is a language developed by Microsoft for use on Windows and Windows Phones. If you want to develop on Windows or Windows Phone 7, you're going to need to learn C#. There's simply too much demand for it to ignore.