[Tfug] Seeking advice: Language choice

[Zack Breckenridge]

I would say it depends on your background as a programmer in general
and the scope of your project. If you're a fan of dynamic languages, I
would recommend Python first of the three you just mentioned. And if
you are the type of person who likes to write things from scratch --
by which I mean you don't mind writing some boilerplate because you
feel it helps you know your code better, I would recommend web.py as a
lightweight framework (as compared with say, Django).

Speaking of which, this is a good point: you can choose any of the
above languages and they are all pretty feature complete and for any
small to medium sized web application or site -- it really doesn't
matter all that much. BUT - then you can choose a framework. And I
think the framework choice can be just as important as the language
choice -- it's hard to know how it will affect your development
process until you've gotten well into your project. You will be taking
on the mindset the authors of the framework had when they created it.
This can make it feel like you're not even using the language you
chose to use in the first place :) Of course, you can work around the
oddities of Someone Else's Abstraction, but I've been in situations
where writing something from scratch often seemed more palatable.

In summary, my recommendation is:

1. Pick the language you're most interested in learning or using
(Again, I recommend Python based on your list of choices)
2. Pick a minimalist framework if you must pick a framework at all
3. Take into consideration how this code will fit into your chosen web
server / request model
4. If the client side code is heavy, try to nail down exactly how it
should work ASAP, and again keep the framework-isms minimal in that
space too.

Hope this helps :)

Zack B

On Thu, Aug 7, 2014 at 3:52 AM, John Gruenenfelder
<jetpackjohn at gmail.com> wrote:
> Greetings TFUG,
>
> This is the first in a short-ish series of emails where I wish to seek the
> advice of the learned group (I got a lot of problems...).
>
> I'm still pursuing my adventure in learning/re-learning the basics of web
> development as they've changed so dramatically since the last time I did
> anything in this area.  I already know enough PHP that I could continue to use
> that, but I'm interested in expanding my horizons, as it were.
>
> My first impulse was Ruby and, by extension, Ruby on Rails.  One of my friends
> swears by it and there is certainly plenty of chatter online about Rails.  The
> alternative would be Python.  From reading and digging around the Debian
> repository, it looks like Django and maybe Twisted are the Python equivalents
> to Rails.
>
> So, what would your choice be any why?  Right now I'm leaning towards Python
> for a couple of reasons.  The language and syntax, to me, reads and writes a
> bit easier than Ruby's.  Also, while there are some noted exceptions, Ruby
> seems almost entirely focused on Internet related programs whereas Python is
> much more widely used with libraries for all sorts of tasks.
>
>
> As a random aside, I just started using 'apt-cacher-ng', a caching proxy for
> apt related tools (aptitude, apt-get, etc.).  I've got three machines that are
> all using the amd64 version of Debian so it made sense to have some way of
> sharing their apt downloads.  It works really well, and the default setup
> didn't need any tweaking for my uncomplicated usage.  Which is a good thing
> because the documentation is terrible.  I don't have a problem with
> not-so-good English, but this manual had that in spades *and* was really
> confusing, too.  A special cache program like this is necessary, or at least
> more efficient, because it understands the whole updating process including
> the index files, the incremental index updates, and the actual package files.
> It also builds a functional partial mirror from the indices and packages (that
> is, it creates the proper directory structure for a Debian repository).
>
>
> --
> --John Gruenenfelder    Systems Manager, MKS Imaging Technology, LLC.
> Try Weasel Reader for PalmOS  --  http://weaselreader.org
> "This is the most fun I've had without being drenched in the blood
> of my enemies!"
>         --Sam of Sam & Max
>
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