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Colton Colcleasure
2,454 PointsWhat back-end language is the easiest? Not in terms of readability, but usability instead?
I know that Ruby and Python are extremely easy to read and understand, but I also know that there's not a lot you can do with the basics. (For example, you could write a program that used conditionals, loops, etc but it wouldn't run in a browser, so you couldn't actually start using it right away. From what I understand, you couldn't really start implementing it until you moved on to Django or Rails.)
Furthermore; I know that PHP allows you to begin creating websites without a framework. You can start using the basics on your project right away. Same goes for JavaScript, and whereas it is a front-end language, it's kind of like Ruby to Rails. You have to learn it before you can jump into the real back-end web work. (Ruby is to Rails as JavaScript is to Node.js.)
What language is the quickest to implement and begin seeing real results and being able to create things? I'm well on my way in the JavaScript track, but it's boring me to death and although I've covered jQuery basics which allow me to manipulate front-end stuff, I am focused on getting to the back end.
3 Answers
Shawn Gregory
Courses Plus Student 40,672 PointsColton,
I favor towards PHP. It's an easy language to get accustom to and very powerful. You can create almost anything with PHP. There are tons of documentation out there and a great community if you get stuck. Of course, I program using PHP so i am partial to it. In the end, learn and use whatever language you are comfortable with since all of them have their strengths and weaknesses. I say this because you want to be programming with a language you enjoy using for your projects.
Cheers!
Ken Alger
Treehouse TeacherColton;
This is always an interesting, and sometimes heated, topic of discussion. In an effort to not be blatantly biased about my own personal favorite language, what are you attempting to do with your development skills?
Ruby, PHP, Python, Java, JavaScript, and many others can all be used to "create things". What "things" are you wanting to create? If you are wanting to create a back-end website for a large financial or insurance institution, you may find that PHP is not as sought after as Java, for example. If you want to create websites that run on many popular hosting services, PHP is a great option. If you want to concentrate on websites that operate primarily on embedded devices your choice may be different than if you will be utilizing cloud based hosting for deployment.
I find this question, which seems to be asked quite often, akin to asking what the best automotive vehicle is. If you have a family of four that you need to be able to take to and from school or the store, you will likely think that the "best" vehicle is different than someone with a family of eight or someone that needs the ability to haul multiple tons of equipment around. See my point? Without knowing what you want to do in development, it becomes hard to state what language you should concentrate on learning.
You can do multiple things with many languages, it really depends on how much you want or need to be able to do.
Does that make any sense?
Happy coding,
Ken
Colton Colcleasure
2,454 PointsIt does, but the answer I'm looking for is not so much based on my bias. I'm just looking to find out which language lets you start creating things on the web the quickest.
Nonetheless; I did enjoy reading your answer and appreciate your input.
Ken Alger
Treehouse TeacherColton;
What are you looking to create on the web? Just because you can quickly produce something does not necessarily mean that it is the best option, right? Going back to the automotive analogy, one can fit lots of people into a small car, but that does not mean that it is the best option to do so. PHP is great for the web, not doubt about it, but it has some limitations. Java is great for the web, but it has a different learning curve. You can make the front end look the same in both, but from a back-end standpoint there is much to consider over just "how can I get to programming a web site the fastest."
However, if that is your only consideration, what is the easiest to learn, fastest to implement, back-end language in which a framework is not required, then you might find PHP to be a good fit. Just be aware that there are things to consider for which PHP may not be the easiest or best application.
Just my thoughts. Happy coding,
Ken
Colton Colcleasure
2,454 PointsVery well put, sir.
Personally, I am an entrepreneur with endless ideas for different websites. Whereas I would like to pursue a career in web development (because being an entrepreneur ultimately means unemployed and broke, in my case), at this point I just want to be able to build my ideas into realities.
The project I am most concerned with at this time is a simple few page site that has users log in or sign up on page one, and on page two presents X amount of mini-posts, allows the user to view each one independently using a JavaScript lightbox (adding 1 read to their account stats), and SMS the post string to themselves. Obviously there will be one other page for an admin to add/delete/edit/archive the posts. Simple idea, out of my league with what I know about HTML, CSS, and the basics of each, Ruby, Python, PHP, and JavaScript. (Yeah, I've spent time to learn the basics of all of them, haha.)
Ken Alger
Treehouse TeacherColton;
Okay, if that is your project, PHP would work, but so would the rest of them. You could use Python and the Flask framework to build it. Certainly could be done in JavaScript with Node.js, Express, and a NoSQL database like MongoDB. I'm not a big Ruby person but I am sure there is a solution for your project without having to go all the way to Rails.
Here's a thought though. If this is kind of a portfolio piece, build it out using what you know best and are comfortable with the most to start with. Then do it again using a different language. Then do it again with something else. I have found that doing so provides me with a good understanding of the differences of the various languages on a project of my own design.
Post back with links to your projects. I'm excited to see what you come up with.
Happy coding,
Ken