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Author Topic: Scripting Languages - For Fun and Profit  (Read 809 times)

Black_Legion

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Scripting Languages - For Fun and Profit
« on: February 23, 2012, 11:40:38 pm »

I am currently a senior, undergraduate computer scientist about to try my hand in the real world (aka I needs a job).
Currently most of the positions I've taken interest in appear to prefer some experience with scripting languages of some sort. I've never had much experience with scripting languages so I would like to find one that is versatile enough to be able to develop some interesting side projects with a game-like bent, yet commercial enough that it will have be applicable to put on a resume.

As such I've been looking around and have found a few scripting languages that seem marketable, yet interesting enough to work in:
- Lua
- Python
- Javascript

Do any of you have have any recommendations, alternative suggestions, or resources I could use?
Also feel free to discuss them if you like, I'd like to hear others' opinions about the languages so I could get a better picture of them in addition to the research I've done on them.

If any of you are curious as to what my background is in as far as languages are I've listed them below:
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Hopefully that may clear up any questions as to my competence.
« Last Edit: February 23, 2012, 11:53:42 pm by Black_Legion »
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Levi

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Re: Scripting Languages - For Fun and Profit
« Reply #1 on: February 23, 2012, 11:43:25 pm »

RUBY OR PYTHON.

(seriously, ruby or python)

Okay, javascript is a good one to learn to in terms of "marketable".  You can do a surprising amount with it these days.

Python isn't bad at all for games and such, and ruby is fantastic as a "took kit" kind of language.  If you need something crazy done fast and dirty, ruby is amazing.
« Last Edit: February 23, 2012, 11:45:06 pm by Levi »
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Max White

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Re: Scripting Languages - For Fun and Profit
« Reply #2 on: February 23, 2012, 11:44:05 pm »

Hello friend! I would say try your hand at a little Python. It is very similar to C# and Java in function, just slightly different syntax. Very easu to get your head around though.

Don't worry, scripting languages are very similar to compiled ones, just a little more fast and loose, and by fast I don't mean in processing time.

Black_Legion

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Re: Scripting Languages - For Fun and Profit
« Reply #3 on: February 23, 2012, 11:53:03 pm »

Hello friend! I would say try your hand at a little Python. It is very similar to C# and Java in function, just slightly different syntax. Very easu to get your head around though.

Don't worry, scripting languages are very similar to compiled ones, just a little more fast and loose, and by fast I don't mean in processing time.

That's what I was hoping, with the being similar to languages I've had experience with. I know of of few projects that have been done in Python so I'm definitely curious as to what it can do.

As to Ruby, We only barely touched over it in my systems programming course a couple of years ago. The only thing I remember from it was that our professor told us it was one of the few languages where you could roll your face across the keyboard, hit compile, and it would do something. The Bioinformatic majors use it quite a bit though so I know its pretty powerful.
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Sunkwell

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Re: Scripting Languages - For Fun and Profit
« Reply #4 on: February 25, 2012, 04:01:13 am »

If you're into expanding your programming knowledge, better go with less familiar stuff so as to push yourself farther.
If it's about work, you should check which is more popular, and likely to get you more interviews.

They say PHP is a general-purpose server-side scripting language, and I count that as a must for every company(assuming they don't have any yet)
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nighzmarquls

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Re: Scripting Languages - For Fun and Profit
« Reply #5 on: February 25, 2012, 04:13:46 am »

If you're into expanding your programming knowledge, better go with less familiar stuff so as to push yourself farther.
If it's about work, you should check which is more popular, and likely to get you more interviews.

They say PHP is a general-purpose server-side scripting language, and I count that as a must for every company(assuming they don't have any yet)

I have a web developer/server architecture friend who would swear by ruby as a catch all solution for precisely what your proposing with PHP. Also something that I've found extremely relevant for professional fields that use computer science is SQL. Seriously, getting a good knowledge base on SQL syntax and applying even a smidgen of optimization techniques learned from programming languages can make you appear to be a wizard in corporate environments.
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