Does learning C++ teach you programming in a more effective way?
There are a lot of things changing out there in the world, but the more it changes…well, the more it stays the same. One of the (arguably) big time, general purpose languages: C++ while still a very usable language in it’s own right, is not necessarily the first choice for teaching programming anymore… Now, in the interest of transparency, “I don’t think that any particular language is necessarily better for teaching than any other language…”, that being said however, “…I would lean towards teaching with a language like a Python, like a JavaScript over a C++, simply because it’s easier to get stuff going [with those languages], meaning it’d be easier to show the students something they can see once they start programming…we’re visual creatures, humans are…”.
Now, if you know the kind of environment we try foster around here, you know we’re not saying that C++ is dead and nothing can be gained by learning it. Quite the opposite, especially if you’re more of a hardcore, ‘devil in the details’ kinda learner. And as far as ‘run’ time (the speed at which the language processes information when completed) vs ‘write’ time (how long it takes to actually program it), “If you write an app in C++ , it’s gonna run circles around Java, JavaScript, PHP, Python, especially Ruby<Boom!>, it’s gonna run circles around all those languages in terms of run time speed, your C++ application is going to be blazing fast! The problem is that by the time you’re done writing your C++ applications, the person who’s writing a similar application in Python or Java, JavaScript, etc, they’ve already moved on to 10 other projects: maybe they’re already tired at this point in time…”.
Now, as much as we say there are no inferior languages out there, we also say that you have to follow what the market dictates (especially as a freelancer), and let us tell you, it’s not looking good for C++ out there. “…The industry moves towards faster write time languages. The speed [run time] advantage that you saw in languages like C++ over the others is becoming a moot point, as computer hardware gets faster and faster, you don’t even see the speed difference in practical application.”
So there it is. Please checkout the VLOG for more info and check out our new newsletter (link below): NEED2NERD. Shameless, we know. Sign up and get exclusive video content that would otherwise not be published on the channel, plus more cool stuff to come! Enjoy!
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Getting into game programming with C# or C++ and talking about the realities…
So, should you learn C++ and C# to get into game programming? Well, as we’ve explained many times on this BLOG and the VLOG, “learning programming and how to code, regardless of the language, makes no difference really in the end, because if you learn language “A” and you realize there no jobs there, you have the opportunity to quickly and easily go to language “B”, “C”, “D”, or “E” -it isn’t a big deal. The only time you shouldn’t be concentrating on a programming language of course, is RUBY…” <BOOM!!> RUBY joke [gotta have at least one, where we can]. “…yeah, even RUBY, there’s lots of work out there for RUBY developers: Rails. And even if you end up not using RUBY, you’ll probably end up learning Python, and knowing RUBY will make learning Python pretty easy.”
But with that out of the way, let’s talk about ‘fun’ and what is ‘perceived as fun‘. “Any industry -any type of job that people perceive as fun- it will drive up competition -because a lot more people are going to be involved, and then employers know that it’s perceived as fun, so they’re going to be able to adjust their work environment -meaning it could be tougher and lower to pay- this is not uncommon, it’s not just with programming, it’s with any industry. If you look at the film industry for example: actors will be in there 10 hour days, 18 hour days and unless you’re a star you’re not making anything -it could be rough. On the flip side, you look at professions like plumber, which is perceived as ‘dirty work‘, because it’s not perceived as glamorous and fun plumbers make a ton of money.” If you don’t believe us (the game industry thing, not the plumbing), google ‘EA workers’, or even just general ‘video game industry workers horror stories’. We’re not trying to steer you away from the video game industry, far from it (someone is going to need to make Borderlands 10: the border-lands-ening, and it’s not going to be me), but like anything else, do your research and ask yourself if this is what you really want to get into. The extreme stories are not the norm by any stretch, but they’re not far off and you should prepare yourself for their eventuality…
The VLOG is worth a little ‘eye validation’, and there’s some sweet MTL scenery at the end. Whatever your dream, keep it alive but don’t get taken advantage of for having it! -Enjoy!
What are the top 10 programming (and coding) languages do employers want?
According to job listings on indeed.com as of may 16, 2019, we have the top 10 programming and coding languages that will get you hired. That’s right, sometimes the languages you enjoy and frequently use or swear by may not necessarily get you hired, but if you have experience with any of these top ten, you’ll have a job…at least until the end of 2019.
So what are the top ten, you ask? Well, if you’ve been following the VLOG, it’s not really a surprise… 1. Java 2. SQL 3. JavaScript 4. Python 5. HTML 6. CSS 7. C# 8. C++ 9. Ruby 10. PHP Bonus tip: While Java is at the top and you’ll have work for decades with it, Google has announced that they will be using Kotlin (while still offering support for Java) going forward. So, if app development for Android is your thing, ya might wanna look into that.
The VLOG goes into way better detail regarding the rankings, and of course, what would a VLOG be without some nice shots at Ruby for the #9 ranking! -Enjoy!
GitHub is a good indicator of how popular programming languages are.
GitHub is an American company that provides hosting for software development version control using Git and it is a subsidiary of Microsoft. The article we got this list from is here and it’s pretty much the usual suspects…
Check out the VLOG for our take on the list and a little bit of info on the entries. -Enjoy!
What Programming Languages do the Most Popular Websites Use? The results may surprise you!
So, I was on what the kids call wiki-wiki-pedia the other day and I thought I’d look up what programming languages the most popular websites use. I know, most people look for civil war factoids or if their favorite band from their teenage years is still around but I guess I’m just weird like that…
Now, I’ll be honest with you, it’s better to watch this vid to see firsthand what I’m talking about but, quick spoiler, on the front end (that’s to say “code that lives in the web browser”.) it’s all JavaScript. But what’s most surprising is the back end where it’s almost all JAVA, PYTHON, C, C++, PHP, etc. Yup, pretty surprising (or not, if you’re pretending to be one of those “I’ve seen it all” programmers). The reason I bring this to your attention is that I want to “give you some insight into how effective a programming language is; how ‘serious’ a programming language is…Some people look at a programming language and say ‘it’s not serious, it can’t work on big projects’.” Well when you consider what these giants of the industry are doing (and you’re assuming they know their onions), you start to see that these languages are still very capable of doing the “heavy lifting”.
But seriously, check out the vid to put it all into context.
Also, blink and you might miss it: another quick dig at RUBY (mwahaha). Enjoy!
C# is probably Microsoft’s flagship language … is it worth learning 2019?
Well, is it worth learning? “If you want to interact with the Microsoft(MS) stack: …building web-based apps that are going to be interfacing with back-end MS technologies…AND you learn C# if you want to get into game programming with UNITY as an example”
Based around JAVA, this modern language was built by MS to function like JAVA but with some “robust” differences… But enough about that, let’s talk jobs!
There are lot of job opportunities working on .Net architecture (ie: web apps), mostly with big corporations…however most of them will require certification in C#. The good news, if you try it out and decide that C# is not for you, you haven’t wasted your time at all, because “all these modern languages(C#, JAVA, Dart, ,etc.) are based on the same principles [more or less]”. If you’ve learned C#, it’s like 80% transferable, “…you cannot lose when you learn a programming language…”
Check out the VLOG for a more in depth explanation, some wisdom about the game developer experience and a little heart2heart…awww. Enjoy!
Is Python really that much better than C#, Java or JavaScript, when it comes to jobs and what you can create as a python developer?
I think you really need to watch the vlog to put this into proper context…
We received an email that pointed out an interesting idiosyncrasy when it comes to learning programming languages. Long story short, it was pointed out that while python was a great language to learn, there are not many jobs (outside of AI) that actually use python today, thus making it harder to enter the job market. With so many other languages being used for other purposes, for example, games: C++/C# for games, and for native app development there’s swift/java/kotlin, to name a few, it doesn’t seem to be worthwhile to learn python if you want to get right into work…
Okay, now before we go any further, I strongly urge you to watch the video for context, I don’t want to start a nerd war; there are far better uses of our time…
That being said, for the most part, “there’s a lot of truth to that. Python is the go-to language in AI/machine learning and it’s the second [or] tertiary language…in many other areas.” The email goes on to conclude that “learning webstack is the best way to getting employed quickly.” I can’t argue with that, but where does that leave us with python?
“Python is a great language, it’s a language that glues everything together. If you’re working in large organizations, you might find the need for python. …A lot of schools teach with python now…because it is an easier language to teach people how to program with. …It’s accessible…Productivity of the language, in terms of how long it takes you to write things is a huge factor today, when you’re looking at programming languages…” But if you’re out to get employed right away then maybe webstack is the best thing for you. However, if you find yourself struggling and maybe you’ve had problems with other languages, python could be a great way to connect the missing pieces and streamline it all. The job opportunities will be less, not zero but less, unless you have a relevant university degree. Full transparency, yes, I do offer Python course but they teach foundations, modules, programming, etc. “…it’s just a vehicle to teach certain programming concepts and mechanisms.” I feel like the best way explain this is to watch the vlog, it really puts the things I’m saying here into perspective. Plus, at the end of the vlog, I look outside only to find February hasn’t left yet…jeez, get a clue, man! Enjoy!
In the age of fast CPU’s and mature development platforms, will C++ see its’ use slowly diminish over time…
Oh, how the mighty have fallen…
C++: a programming language of immense speed and power has always been the poster child for learning to be a programmer. It’s still used in video games (for it’s processing speed) and other programs (and some apps), but all that power/speed does come at a price. Well, more of trade-off, really… the programming language is notoriously difficult and time consuming to write out [program], and paying programmers to write out such a time-consuming language can be expensive to a fledgling company or even a huge corporation in the red.
Now credit where credit’s due: C++ Is. A. Beast (in every way), and it’s not going anywhere any time soon but, “…it was created 30 years, 40 years ago; something like that… it was created at a time when computers were far far less powerful. The hardware was far less powerful so we needed to design programming languages that really took advantage of the limited resources in terms of memory and it terms of CPU.” With hardware becoming more and more powerful, other less…hardcore, let’s call it…languages have emerged that take advantage of those capabilities that come standard (compare the standard hardware setup of a computer in 1995 and 2010? Heck, 2005 even!) and in turn offer more flexibility with time and framework.
This video goes way more in depth about it (it also starts off trippy in a “Little Big Planet” kinda way). Enjoy the effects, the content and the GoPro magic…
