Finally, if you still don’t know what language to pick, choose Ruby on Rails because it is the best. If you don’t agree, get ready for a public stoning.
Clearly, some very sound thinking! I like this guy already!
More seriously, the article is spot on. I have one caveat though: don't settle for what you know if you really want to know something else.
For example, if you've been doing PHP programming for years, and know it really well, but are really keen to learn Python and Django, give it a try! My advice would be to try the new language/framework for 2 weeks. It sounds long, but actually 2 weeks is almost nothing.
After those two weeks you might go back to your previous language, satisfied that you know it's the right choice since you've tried the grass on the other side and it didn't taste any better. Or perhaps you'll switch to the new language, safe in the knowledge that yes, it is a lot better and you can probably do a better job in this new language.
I developed in ASP.Net on Windows for years but got tired of having to code in Windows and do everything else in OSX. I picked up a copy of Agile Web Development with Rails and gave myself a "2 week challenge". It's been a few months and I haven't looked back. I can't imagine going back to .NET.
Finally, if you still don’t know what language to pick, choose Ruby on Rails because it is the best. If you don’t agree, get ready for a public stoning.
Clearly, some very sound thinking! I like this guy already!
More seriously, the article is spot on. I have one caveat though: don't settle for what you know if you really want to know something else.
For example, if you've been doing PHP programming for years, and know it really well, but are really keen to learn Python and Django, give it a try! My advice would be to try the new language/framework for 2 weeks. It sounds long, but actually 2 weeks is almost nothing.
After those two weeks you might go back to your previous language, satisfied that you know it's the right choice since you've tried the grass on the other side and it didn't taste any better. Or perhaps you'll switch to the new language, safe in the knowledge that yes, it is a lot better and you can probably do a better job in this new language.