From: Emlyn (emlyn@one.net.au)
Date: Fri Jan 19 2001 - 19:55:19 MST
> >From: Adrian Tymes <wingcat@pacbell.net>
> >
> >Randy Smith wrote:
> > >
> [SNIP]
> >
> >First, ASP/MS Access isn't your best choice. If you need something
> >simple, try MySQL for the database, Perl CGI scripts to display the
> >content, and DBI to connect them.
> [SNIP]
>
> I envy you taking up your first language, if it is
> indeed your first. I've worked in about a half dozen
> languages, and would now argue against Perl. If it's
> your first language, consider checking out Python:
> http://www.python.com/. I work in it almost exclusively
> now.
>
> Consider PostgreSQL instead of MySQL (unless you don't
> find the lack of transactions in MySQL a hindrance).
>
> Russell
My personal few cents....
Don't choose languages/platforms/OSes etc based on what you like; choose
what people are using, and are going to be using more in the future. In real
world coding, you very rarely get to choose your tools; they are part of the
initial parameter set.
I highly recommend ASP, on IIS, with SQL Server backend, as a good starting
set of employable skills. I'm currently working using this set of products,
with the caveat that the same products must also support Oracle, and the
caveat that javascript is used for ASP programming rather than VBScript, a
very sound choice.
Some of the purists will come out of the woodwork and attack me for this
viewpoint. It does sound like a banal and colourless life. Don't be fooled;
the mainstream technology is not only rewarding in a financial sense, it's
fun. It's fun because it keeps changing at a crazy pace. When you've got
most of the coders, and most of the install base, you can afford to put a
lot of effort into development. This means things are rarely ever the same,
which is damned hard, but always interesting.
Note also; I've had a lot of jobs, and never used even similar sets of
skills/languages from one job to the next; the primary language to use, for
instance, has always been entirely new to me. That's not uncommon. So
there's no need to get cut up on becoming a specialist in language X or
database Y. Just get really good at learning.
Emlyn
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