Coding for Kids

[Pelado]

So what's the best programming language for someone to know today?

[BigFatMeanie]

Man, that’s like asking what the best flavor of ice cream is. There is no one good answer.

For general broad employabilty, I would recommend Java. There are more jobs available for Java than any other language. There are also many JVM languages such as Scala and Kotlin and others that people dream up to scratch a syntactical itch but I generally eschew those. Good for their niche but too nichey overall for me to want to spend time on them.

JavaScript and various UI frameworks are a close second for general employability and utility. Some will argue that JavaScript should be first but I’ve never liked it that much so I’m biased against it. Fortunately JavaScript is also very relevant these days on the server side with node.

Python will get you far for a general purpose scripting language. Stay away from PHP and Perl because they both suck donkey balls and legitimate professionals would never willingly choose either for a project of any merit. I can’t remember who said it recently (Walter?) but all scripting languages leave a lot to be desired and the market is ripe for something much better, but Python is my preference for what’s out there now.

I love C/C++ but its general employability just isn’t there these days; however, if you’re going to do embedded systems or microcontrollers or other low-level things then it’s a must have. C will always be my favorite language.

Most experienced skilled software developers are fluent in multiple languages listed above.

[Mormon Red Death]

So what's the best programming language for someone to know today?

I'd suggest SQL for now.... But in all truth graphing databases are the future. Learning the basics of Neo4j would be amazing

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[beefytee]

If you want to be in high demand, learn Cobol. Tons of ancient systems use it especially in the banking sector and anyone who knows it is super old and retiring soon. Disclaimer, I don't know Cobol.

https://thenewstack.io/cobol-everywhere-will-maintain/

[beefytee]

I really like JavaScript. Most people's angst with it is how it interacts with the document object model (DOM) usually associated with webpages. I don't think it is the best language to learn first though.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Pelado, are you asking for you or one of your kids?

[BigFatMeanie]

If you want to be in high demand, learn Cobol. Tons of ancient systems use it especially in the banking sector and anyone who knows it is super old and retiring soon. Disclaimer, I don't know Cobol.

https://thenewstack.io/cobol-everywhere-will-maintain/

I know COBOL. More accurately, I used to know COBOL because I'm certainly pretty rusty by now. I did a bit of maintenance of some ancient COBOL code when I worked in the semiconductor industry. It's not that hard to learn. I was always amazed at how many companies, including tech companies like Intel, were still running significant parts of their business in 2004 on 1960s-era technology.

The CODASYL committee that promulgated COBOL also created a database called CODASYL (such a creative name), which is essentially a hierarchical set database. Oracle offered a CODASYL db that runs on OpenVMS. I'm not sure if they're still selling new licenses for it though. The latest version was released in 2011 and is supported until 2023.

When I was farting around with COBOL code back in 2004 we used to test that old-school stuff on a VAX that someone found at a garage sale. Good times. While you can still buy OpenVMS today, compatible hardware is harder to find. You can find old VAXes on eBay but they're expensive as crap, with sellers asking $15K or $20K for something with less computing power than your phone, and the power bill will match the price tag.

HP ported OpenVMS to Itanium hardware but Itanium is pretty much dead as HP is not accepting any more orders for Itanium servers after this year. The company that now owns and sells OpenVMS, which they bought from HP last year, is working on a port to X86 hardware. It's crazy how far businesses will go to perpetuate the life of this stuff.

[Pelado]

Pelado, are you asking for you or one of your kids?

I wouldn't mind knowing more about coding (the html tags I learned in my I Sys classes aren't doing much for me) but was asking for my 15-year-old son. He took a coding class in school a year or two ago and has been working through some of the Khan Academy courses Walter referenced earlier in the thread.

[mtnbiker]

Not really courses per se, but I like the tutorials at w3schools.com. They give simple, clear steps and examples for coding a variety of computer languages.

[Jeff Lebowski]

I wouldn't mind knowing more about coding (the html tags I learned in my I Sys classes aren't doing much for me) but was asking for my 15-year-old son. He took a coding class in school a year or two ago and has been working through some of the Khan Academy courses Walter referenced earlier in the thread.

OK, then forget all this stuff about COBOL, SQL, etc. Just find web-based resources and experiences that he enjoys. The language really doesn't matter. Best thing to do is find a coding project that really interests him. Once he creates a few apps/games/whatever, he will hopefully feel empowered and be off to the races. New languages are really easy to pick up once you learn the first one or two.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Not really courses per se, but I like the tutorials at w3schools.com. They give simple, clear steps and examples for coding a variety of computer languages.

Agreed. Very useful site.

[BigFatMeanie]

OK, then forget all this stuff about COBOL, SQL, etc. Just find web-based resources and experiences that he enjoys. The language really doesn't matter. Best thing to do is find a coding project that really interests him. Once he creates a few apps/games/whatever, he will hopefully feel empowered and be off to the races. New languages are really easy to pick up once you learn the first one or two.

I agree with this given the context that Pelado was asking for his 15 year old son. My response is much more applicable for someone, say, just finishing up their CS degree and wondering what the job market is going to be like.

For the record, I don't recommend learning COBOL from a career/employability standpoint. I do recommend learning SQL but it's not a programming language in my opinion (neither are HTML or CSS)

[Pelado]

We did the first lesson on Java at codeacademy together yesterday.

[beefytee]

We did the first lesson on Java at codeacademy together yesterday.

That's a great place to start.

I wasn't very serious about the Cobol suggestion. I'm glad I brought it up though because it was neat to hear BFM's experience with it.