What programming language?

I am going to start using unity and would like to know which programming language I should start to learn. Any suggestions?

Javascript.

yes javascript

C# is better for Unity, but Javascript has more applications outside of unity, whereas C# has none.

Hey now, what about using it for Windows Forms Applications and XNA development?

Which is easier to get the hang of, C# or Javascript?

They’re similar, but javascript is simpler.

TheKaveMan: Don’t do it is the simple answer. The more complex answer is C# and some other shit MS created, but I don’t remember the name.

C# is a more “classic” programming language, while JavaScript is a bit more on the wild side in it’s design. Some people find JavaScript easier to get into due to lack of strict typing, and it’s very convenient that it runs everywhere. You can just make a html file on your computer and start writing JavaScript now if you’d like to test it.

Originally posted by lSWATLLAMA:

C# is better for Unity, but Javascript has more applications outside of unity, whereas C# has none.

Uh, what? That’s just nonsense. C# is one of the main professional programming languages in use today. I work for a contracting firm and probably over half of our work is C#. C# is far more widely useful than JavaScript.

I generally code games in an outdated language. Such as Action Script 2.

Originally posted by BobJanova:

Uh, what? That’s just nonsense. C# is one of the main professional programming languages in use today. I work for a contracting firm and probably over half of our work is C#. C# is far more widely useful than JavaScript.

The whole web is built on JavaScript. Every single interactive site you use is JavaScript, be it facebook, gmail or even kong (chat and achievements are 100% JavaScript and html). Furthermore, it’s generally accepted that web-apps are becoming the future, as it’s convenient to be able to access your stuff anywhere, even with a tiny net-book or a mobile phone.

It’s not that C# isn’t popular, but it’s just one of many options for native applications, and it’s not even the most popular language within it’s area (C++ beating it easily). C# and JavaScript doesn’t have that much overlap since they are target for different things, but pretending that C# is more widely used than JavaScript is utter crap. It’s usage can’t even be one tenth of that of JavaScript.

Originally posted by Drakim:

Originally posted by BobJanova:

Uh, what? That’s just nonsense. C# is one of the main professional programming languages in use today. I work for a contracting firm and probably over half of our work is C#. C# is far more widely useful than JavaScript.

The whole web is built on JavaScript. Every single interactive site you use is JavaScript, be it facebook, gmail or even kong (chat and achievements are 100% JavaScript and html). Furthermore, it’s generally accepted that web-apps are becoming the future, as it’s convenient to be able to access your stuff anywhere, even with a tiny net-book or a mobile phone.

It’s not that C# isn’t popular, but it’s just one of many options for native applications, and it’s not even the most popular language within it’s area (C++ beating it easily). C# and JavaScript doesn’t have that much overlap since they are target for different things, but pretending that C# is more widely used than JavaScript is utter crap. It’s usage can’t even be one tenth of that of JavaScript.

But all those things you said about Javascript are simply JS being used to perform simple visual effects on the webpage. The whole logic behind the badges and everything else could be written it C#.

If you need to compare languages, there are rankings.

The fact that JS will make you want to shoot yourself leads me to recommend C#.

Wut, it’s not merely visual effects, the very foundation of interactive webpages is JavaScript. Without JavaScript you could not have badges the way we have them now. C# could be used to write the server side code (server-side you can run pretty much ANY language you feel like) but you can’t use C# on the client, so the way kongregate communicates with the .swf to know when a badge has been earned wouldn’t work. Without JavaScript there would be no badges. So it’s definitely not merely a visual effect.

Stuff like google maps would be out the window, as would google’s nifty instant search, and the whole freaking modern web while we are at it. You wouldn’t be able to star-rate a game without refreshing the page!

But nevermind that, that’s a debate for another topic. My argument was never that JavaScript was better than C#, as they operate in different worlds entirely. I was merely responding to BobJanova’s claim that C# was larger than JavaScript, which is certainly not true. Replying to me saying that C# could do a few JavaScript things in horribly crippled and reduced form does not change the fact that JavaScript is a much more used language. :)

If one really dislikes writing JavaScript, it’s possible to write HaXe (which looks and feels nearly identical to AS3), because HaXe can output it’s code as JavaScript (with no performance penalty from what I can see).

If you are wondering why I’m arguing so passionately for JavaScript, it’s the fact that it runs in the browser. A lot of developers fail to see how incredibly useful this is at so many levels. I realize this forum is mostly occupied by AS3 users, so I guess I could draw a comparison like this: Imagine making light of flash’s ability to run in the browser. Imagine if instead of running it in the browser window the user had to download each game and run it from his desktop.

BobJanova/CoolGuy, C# only runs on MS products right? Phone, OS, xBox? Whereas javascript runs on everything. And it can be used to make windows 8 applications for the idiots who will get it. :D

I don’t know much about javascript many years ago when I was a wee llama (I think it crashed a lot, but remember, this was before firefox got popular and we were stuck with IE!), but I know that now it runs fine for me.

Originally posted by lSWATLLAMA:

C# only runs on MS products right?

It can also be used in Unity, and it’s the best of the three available languages.

(By “best,” I mean most stable and type-safe.)

I know, and I said that earlier. But that’s a good point – through Unity, it can run on Mac OSX. But for learning practical programming, javascript.

I was merely responding to BobJanova’s claim that C# was larger than JavaScript …

Actually that’s not what I claimed, I was mostly rebutting “C# has no [applications outside Unity]”, which is first class rubbish.

A very large number of those interactive websites are HTML+Javascript at one end and ASP.net (i.e. C#) at the other, though. You can’t have an interactive Web 2.0 site without server-side backing, and that is usually in C#, so even in JS’s domain (pun intended) C# is right there too. And that’s not to mention that a lot of those interactive sites are simply plugging bricks (i.e. jQuery) together, not ‘real coding’.

Javascript has precisely one use outside Unity: interactive websites (and even there it’s only one of three players, you need the HTML and the server-side C#/PHP/etc as well). C# has several (desktop apps, server-side web, Silverlight and server-side custom apps). So I definitely call shens on this: “It’s usage can’t even be one tenth of that of JavaScript”.

BobJanova/CoolGuy, C# only runs on MS products right?

The Mono project (link) permits its use on Unix, Linux and Mac platforms.

Now don’t get me wrong, I value JavaScript and interactive websites. I only waded into this thread to correct a clear untruth. But if you want to start out programming, it’s a good idea to use a type-safe language to learn the discipline needed to write good code, so I recommend learning C# in preference to the overly flexible (i.e. easy to write rubbish in) JavaScript where there’s a direct choice between the two. And there’s certainly enough uses of C# in professional application development that it won’t be wasted effort.

Your last paragraph is good advice, Janova. However, ASP.net for web is almost never used, and when it is, it’s very slow.
I’m familiar with Mono, but I didn’t think that it can actually run C# on Linux.
Most server-side languages are not C#. No way.PHP. I don’t know what your work does, but you mentioned something about C#.

Originally posted by BobJanova:

Actually that’s not what I claimed, I was mostly rebutting “C# has no [applications outside Unity]”, which is first class rubbish.

That I agree with. C# is a fully mature and usable language.

A very large number of those interactive websites are HTML+Javascript at one end and ASP.net (i.e. C#) at the other, though. You can’t have an interactive Web 2.0 site without server-side backing, and that is usually in C#, so even in JS’s domain (pun intended) C# is right there too. And that’s not to mention that a lot of those interactive sites are simply plugging bricks (i.e. jQuery) together, not ‘real coding’.

I thought the most popular language server side was PHP? It might be C# on windows-based servers though.

Javascript has precisely one use outside Unity: interactive websites (and even there it’s only one of three players, you need the HTML and the server-side C#/PHP/etc as well). C# has several (desktop apps, server-side web, Silverlight and server-side custom apps).

In case you didn’t get the memo, even Microsoft has given up on Silverlight :p

So I definitely call shens on this: “It’s usage can’t even be one tenth of that of JavaScript”.

Although it has a lot of trivial usage, you have to realize that pretty much every website (366 848 493 sites in existance 2011 according to source) on the web has some JavaScript on it. JavaScript is most likely the most deployed language in existence at this point of time. It wouldn’t surprise me if the amount of code outnumbered C# 1:100 or even 1:1000.

Obvious a lot of this usage is trivial, but trivial things are important too. If you know JavaScript you have a very useful skill because it’s so widely used. JavaScript is gaining traction for more serious usage now that people are writing web-apps in it. And there is even node.js which allows you to run JavaScript server side.

The Mono project (link) permits its use on Unix, Linux and Mac platforms.

Sadly the mono project isn’t quite up to par. A friend of mine has used it for a long time and keeps running into some serious issues. I hope they fix it, because it really seems nifty.

Now don’t get me wrong, I value JavaScript and interactive websites. I only waded into this thread to correct a clear untruth. But if you want to start out programming, it’s a good idea to use a type-safe language to learn the discipline needed to write good code, so I recommend learning C# in preference to the overly flexible (i.e. easy to write rubbish in) JavaScript where there’s a direct choice between the two. And there’s certainly enough uses of C# in professional application development that it won’t be wasted effort.

I agree that a typesafe language is a good start since it instills good practices, but I’m not sure I would recommend C# to everybody. It’s a bit heavy on the “get up and running” side and is troublesome if you don’t run windows.

For those of you complaining that C# doesn’t work on macs… it’s your own fault for being dumb enough to purchase a mac.

Originally posted by Tman813:

For those of you complaining that C# doesn’t work on macs… it’s your own fault for being dumb enough to purchase a mac.

Considering you can install windows on modern mac hardware that’s a hard claim to swallow.

I think he meant Mac OSX. Not working on OSX is a good thing, not a bad thing.

Originally posted by lSWATLLAMA:

I think he meant Mac OSX. Not working on OSX is a good thing, not a bad thing.

Nah, pretty sure he means a mac, since you can’t purchase OSX freely (from what I know), and he is mocking somebody making a dumb purchase.

You can’t purchase a copy? Didn’t know that. I just assumed that it was like with Windows, but maybe not.
If it doesn’t work on Linux, don’t use it. :D