If you were to learn / teach someone a programming language?

Discussion in 'Automated Trading' started by TSGannGalt, Nov 21, 2009.

  1. The title says enough...

    If you were to learn a programming language for automation, research/testing or other stuff what language would you want to learn?

    Excel(VBA), Python, OCaml, C#, C++, Java, Ruby, etc. etc.

    Equally, if you were to teach someone which language would you use? (We all have our own set of favorite languages, C# for me, but if you consider the usage within a trader, every language has it's pros/cons... like C# is great for developing a automation package with easy WinForms/WPF dev., but Python, Ruby, and OCaml are great for prototyping and development... Java and C++ being compatible with UNIX = development for high end stuff... and the list goes on...)

    Plus... if there were to be an "un-official" programming language in ET to post codes and share sources, what would be a good language? (Of course, ET has the 1MB limit so it's not the ideal forum to post stuff but I'm only asking...)
     
  2. Excel is not a programming language. VB, .NET, VB script and Java are the core languages for Windows-based applications. With VB and SQL, one can write their own platform.
     
  3. Thanks. You replied right in time for me to add the "(VBA)"...
     
  4. re: unofficial language to share.

    VBA, as that ensures the maximum number of participants can 1) follow the language
    2) have access to the programming environment.

    That being said, I've heard there were some changes on the most recent vba? someone can chime in as I am still on 97 or something version (maybe they were referring to vb?).

    Those who don't follow the lang, can at least see the results on a spreadsheet and understand them.
     
  5. C#
     
  6. jasonc

    jasonc

    not to hijack the thread but what would people recommend as the best way to learn a programming language?
     
  7. nitro

    nitro

    Erlang
     
  8. Thank you for your reply dtrader...

    Considering the past few interactions in other threads, I think we're on the same page.

    In terms of VBA... I think what you had in mind is VSTA/O.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_Studio_Tools_for_Office
     
  9. :eek: :eek: :eek:
     
  10. I learned VBA by myself
    simply doing macros By recording them then
    understood much more
    I now make add-in for excel
    the math, stats functions come handy...well written in excel ready functions
    Plus the download from the internet is easy using import data
    GL
     
    #10     Nov 22, 2009