Should I learn Lua or C++?
C++ is used almost everywhere.
It is getting supplanted by newer languages,
even Objective C.
Objective C is a version of C. And it is limited
to the iOS.
The Apple ecosystem is still pretty big.
If you know C++, you can still write apps
for the Apple App Store.
Lua, though, is a problem.
Lua is an increasingly popular programming
language.
It has a simple syntax, limited vocabulary
and quick to pick up.
How many conversations do you have in Caterpillar
English?
What is that?
It is a version of English with about a thousand
words Caterpillar tractors and trucks developed
for their international work force and consumer
base.
They try to use that dialect for lectures,
manuals, presentations and instructions.
It may be a pared down language, but it only
works in that particular subset.
Lua is similar in that regard.
I’ve heard of it being used a lot of places.
Sure, to replace those addictive Flash games
as Adobe Flash is phased out.
Gaming is a big deal.
I’m sure it has commercial and technical
uses, too.
Yeah, the Foldit protein folding game.
That’s technically scientific.
You think I should learn C++.
It is used in everything from server side
applications to web apps to everything in
between.
Everything in between in those cases is the
internet.
C++ runs apps on your device, through an internet
connection and virtual desktop apps that deliver
software via a Citrix environment.
It’s literally everywhere.
Gaming?
There are games in C++, but plenty of other
work, too.
And if you want to make money in computer
science, you need to be able to do more than
invent the next Bejeweled.
As long as it pays well, I don’t care which
language I learn.
Learn C++.
You’ll be able to find work with groups
other than startups that hope you can live
off a wing, prayer and stock options.
