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What OBSCURE programming language to learn

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  • 23-07-2013 11:39pm
    #1
    oneshot2shots
    Registered Users Posts: 37 ✭


    Hi guys

    I'm doing a conversion masters in computer science which finishes up this December.

    I'm just looking for advice on what to focus on for for the remainder of my time in college. At the moment I am focusing on the "lighter" side of things, mainly web development including php,javascript, json, CSS,html,python etc. I am just wondering are there any obscure languages out there that which could gain me a job in future - if everyone is doing the usual C and php as obvious choices I thought it might be a good idea to do an alternative language in the next 7 months to perhaps gain employment or even just to gain a new coding perspective. So at the moment i am kind of torn between (a) learning all web development technologies(js,json,php,ajax,jquery etc) (b)focusing on php and just getting good at it (c) Doing all java modules for the final 4 months this september.

    Alternatively if i anyone can suggest a good, valued,non-mainstream language I might just focus on that, but atm I'm afraid if i keep mucking around I'll miis the boat. I want to be right off the blocks when i finish this course.

    Any suggestions or advice?
    Tagged:


Comments

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    #2
    Tom Dunne
    Registered Users Posts: 23,212 ✭✭✭✭Tom Dunne


    COBOL.

    Assembly Language (x86).

    Respect.


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    #3
    Feathers
    Registered Users Posts: 1,082 ✭✭✭Feathers


    Ook!


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    #4
    ozmo
    Registered Users Posts: 3,842 ✭✭✭ozmo


    oneshot2shots wrote: »
    Hi guys

    I'm doing a conversion masters in computer science which finishes up this December.

    I'm just looking for advice on what to focus on for for the remainder of my time in college. At the moment I am focusing on the "lighter" side of things, mainly web development including php,javascript, json, CSS,html,python etc. I am just wondering are there any obscure languages out there that which could gain me a job in future - if everyone is doing the usual C and php as obvious choices I thought it might be a good idea to do an alternative language in the next 7 months to perhaps gain employment or even just to gain a new coding perspective. So at the moment i am kind of torn between (a) learning all web development technologies(js,json,php,ajax,jquery etc) (b)focusing on php and just getting good at it (c) Doing all java modules for the final 4 months this september.

    Alternatively if i anyone can suggest a good, valued,non-mainstream language I might just focus on that, but atm I'm afraid if i keep mucking around I'll miis the boat. I want to be right off the blocks when i finish this course.

    Any suggestions or advice?

    Cuda

    All programming will have to be massively parallel in the future to be any faster. Plus talking about using gaming things for serious work would be a good topic in an interview...

    “Roll it back”



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    #5
    GreenWolfe
    Registered Users Posts: 1,731 ✭✭✭GreenWolfe


    How about Scala or Groovy?

    Not languages per se, but you could also try out some server-side JS (Node.js) if you're interested in that kind of thing. Maybe you could look at a NoSQL database, like MongoDB as well.


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    #6
    SalteeDog
    Registered Users Posts: 450 ✭✭SalteeDog


    If you haven't covered functional programming already then I suggest Clojure or one of the other Lisp dialects.

    Also R is very handy for particular types of problems.


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    #7
    fergalr
    Registered Users Posts: 1,922 ✭✭✭fergalr


    oneshot2shots wrote: »
    Hi guys

    I'm doing a conversion masters in computer science which finishes up this December.

    I'm just looking for advice on what to focus on for for the remainder of my time in college. At the moment I am focusing on the "lighter" side of things, mainly web development including php,javascript, json, CSS,html,python etc. I am just wondering are there any obscure languages out there that which could gain me a job in future - if everyone is doing the usual C and php as obvious choices I thought it might be a good idea to do an alternative language in the next 7 months to perhaps gain employment or even just to gain a new coding perspective. So at the moment i am kind of torn between (a) learning all web development technologies(js,json,php,ajax,jquery etc) (b)focusing on php and just getting good at it (c) Doing all java modules for the final 4 months this september.

    Alternatively if i anyone can suggest a good, valued,non-mainstream language I might just focus on that, but atm I'm afraid if i keep mucking around I'll miis the boat. I want to be right off the blocks when i finish this course.

    Any suggestions or advice?

    You don't learn an obscure language in order to maximise your chances of getting employment in the short term.

    You pick something thats in demand and that you like doing, and you get good at it.



    If you want to learn a language to broaden your horizons, that's a completely different question.

    Maybe clojure as a maybe up-and-coming future sort of functional language, as previously suggested.

    Or scala as a gaining-some-traction-but-still-has-some-exotic-functional-bits language.


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    #8
    ChRoMe
    Registered Users Posts: 2,021 ✭✭✭ChRoMe


    F#


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    #9
    srsly78
    Registered Users Posts: 7,157 ✭✭✭srsly78


    Yeah OP they are obscure coz there are no jobs :)


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    #10
    PrzemoF
    Registered Users Posts: 1,931 ✭✭✭PrzemoF


    fergalr hit the nail on the head: pick something that you like or you won't be able to keep yourself motivated to learn new things.

    P.S. obscure, not mainstream language : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain**** ;)


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    #11
    Skrynesaver
    Registered Users Posts: 1,109 ✭✭✭Skrynesaver


    Lua is an interesting functional language designed specifically for multi-threaded message passing functions, it is a niche area, but there are jobs in it and paradigm(learn(you)) which may prove useful in thinking about other languages.

    Failing that, there will be work in Java for years to come...


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    #12
    Sparks
    Registered Users Posts: 40,055 ✭✭✭✭Sparks


    I am so tempted to say "English"...


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    #13
    COYW
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,930 ✭✭✭COYW


    srsly78 wrote: »
    Yeah OP they are obscure coz there are no jobs :)

    I was just going to post that. I would advise you to focus in on and expand your knowledge on the areas of computing that you would like to work in when you graduate. You are doing a conversion Masters with the goal of finding work, i'm guessing.


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    #14
    Procasinator
    Registered Users Posts: 1,311 ✭✭✭Procasinator


    Yeah, obscurity would usually not be a good idea for employment. Sure, it's possible you could be in demand by being a big fish in a small pond; but the pond could also just dry up.

    You are probably better off putting the majority of effort into in-demand skills, and learn other languages on the side.

    As for "obscure" languages...

    You could look at languages that are typically used in specialised areas, such as Erlang, R, APL, e.t.c.

    You could look at functional languages like Haskell, Lisp (Clojure already mentioned) and ML (OCaml for instance) variants.

    Languages that target the JVM (Scala, Clojure, Groovy) might be an idea.

    You could look at some relatively new languages like Go, Julia or Rust. Go seems to be building interest with stories of production use coming out (mostly in startups, small companies and of course Google).


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    #15
    amen
    Registered Users Posts: 2,781 ✭✭✭amen


    PL1


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    #16
    GoodBridge
    Closed Accounts Posts: 201 ✭✭GoodBridge


    oneshot2shots wrote: »
    I am just wondering are there any obscure languages out there that which could gain me a job in future

    To answer your question: sure there is - but the more obscure it is the less likely you are to land a job out of it!

    I'd agree with fergalr on this too.

    To add: if I were you, I'd checkout recruitment agency sites for the type of job you want and draw up a short list/word-cloud from the various job requirements/preferences and go from there.

    Something's bound to jump out at you, be it a demand for more experience with some DB, SQL, some server or another, frameworks like Spring, libraries like JQuery, etc etc.


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    #17
    Colonel Panic
    Registered Users Posts: 2,015 ✭✭✭Colonel Panic


    Skrynesaver wrote: »
    Lua is an interesting functional language designed specifically for multi-threaded message passing functions, it is a niche area, but there are jobs in it and paradigm(learn(you)) which may prove useful in thinking about other languages.

    Failing that, there will be work in Java for years to come...

    Eh? That's not what Lua is. It's a scripting language that is typically embedded in other application like games. It has support for coroutines but multithreaded it ain't.

    Anyway, in terms of an interesting, niche (but with actual jobs) language, something like Erlang is worth a look. I almost suspect that the poster I quoted was thinking of Erlang in the first place.


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    #18
    ChRoMe
    Registered Users Posts: 2,021 ✭✭✭ChRoMe


    I find it bizzare that someone who is doing a conversion course, is looking for obscure languages. Talk about the cart before the horse.

    OP concentrate on getting some commercial experience in a language you know already, branching out in to the obscure should really be left until you have a solid footing in the mainstream languages.


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    #19
    jgh_
    Registered Users Posts: 92 ✭✭jgh_


    Obscure languages will just make your life harder... Find something you're passionate about and work on that with the languages and tools typically used.


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    #20
    Freddio
    Registered Users Posts: 644 ✭✭✭Freddio


    Objective C


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    #21
    ChRoMe
    Registered Users Posts: 2,021 ✭✭✭ChRoMe


    Freddio wrote: »
    Objective C

    Thats hardly obscure lol! :)


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    #22
    Freddio
    Registered Users Posts: 644 ✭✭✭Freddio


    ChRoMe wrote: »
    Thats hardly obscure lol! :)

    It is when you consider, few people are doing it, and fewer are doing it properly (in Ireland anyway)


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    #23
    Manach
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 9,663 Mod ✭✭✭✭Manach


    G2 - a realtime language, used by Nasa and practically no one else.


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    #24
    Aswerty
    Registered Users Posts: 586 ✭✭✭Aswerty


    Colonel Panic wrote: »
    Eh? That's not what Lua is. It's a scripting language that is typically embedded in other application like games. It has support for coroutines but multithreaded it ain't.

    Anyway, in terms of an interesting, niche (but with actual jobs) language, something like Erlang is worth a look. I almost suspect that the poster I quoted was thinking of Erlang in the first place.
    The description sounded more like Erlang. Maybe a slip of the tongue fingers?

    My own recommendation would be to expand your horizons with something that looks fun. Some good examples already given are functional programming and concurrent programming. You don't neccesarily have to learn a new language for either of these. You can do concurrent programming in Python and start discovering the functional aspects of JavaScript. This will allow you to compound your understanding of languages you already know and improve your employability.

    Other fun things to do could be to learn some tools for parsing text such as Regular Expressions or AWK (super useful tools). If you're not familiar with Linux maybe install Ubuntu/Mint and learn how to function in an MS free world. Or if you havn't been indoctrinated into Vi/Vim, Emacs or Sublime Text maybe give one of them a shot and enjoy a massively configurable IDE.

    And my personal favourite recommendation, if you're not a touch typist this is something that can really boost your productivity and confidence as a programmer (lots of fun online games to help you with this too).


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    #25
    RealistSpy
    Registered Users Posts: 1,686 ✭✭✭RealistSpy


    Erlang and Elixir :)


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    #26
    oneshot2shots
    Registered Users Posts: 37 ✭oneshot2shots


    Thanks for all the info.

    In september get stuck into all java for 4 months and then 'hopefully' get a corporate job. Suppose getting a job and commercial experience is the first priority, and a soul isin't necessary to survival.

    Would like to look into Erlang or Cuda(which seems ridiculously cool) but have to be realistic, maybe sometime in the future on the side.

    So many choices, it's like being in a candy store.


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    #27
    jmcc
    Registered Users Posts: 7,291 ✭✭✭jmcc


    Tcl

    Regards...jmcc


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