Python and Linux

Will it be of any use for a linux newbie to start off by learning python or something else specific such that it might aid in any way?

 

What is your goal?

Python is certainly a good language to learn. That my language of choice for general scripting. I used to use perl but things got really out of hand with that language and I do find python more elegant than perl.

 

You don't need to know any programming language to use Linux. That being said, if you're looking at getting into Linux programming, I'd recommend C++. It'll make you more employable.

 

Is there anyway I can tinker around with c++ with assembly language in linux,specifically on ubuntu?

 

I agree that you won't need programming skills to successfully use Linux by any means..

However, my vote would be that Python makes a great starter language since the language is very readable as well as being severely simplified. Give yourself time to pick up the basics of proceedural and OOP before moving into another language. C++ will just give most newcomers headaches because pointers are normally introduced at poor times, and they are difficult enough to debug even when you know what you are doing.

If you are interested in a future in software development, or think you might be writing a lot you might also want to look into using Netbeans IDE and learning Java. It's a nice middle ground, and gives you access to Groovy (Similar to Python), which can help in a pinch and runs on any machine that already has Java support.

 

Yes, you can do that on Ubuntu. You just need to install the packages that allow you to develop in those languages. I don't have a list off the top of my head. Read the documentation.

Tinkering is fine. That's how a lot of engineers begin. Heck, that's how I began. (I was a software engineer before switching to a very different field.) In my opinion, tinkering is an activity that requires no justification. But if you have a more specific goal, you should tell us because a key part of good engineering is choosing the right tools. Writing software in C++ or assembly is not always the best choice.

 

If you have the technical inclination, I would suggest learning how to the use following:

console and bash shell usage
console based text editor - vi used to be the minimum for rescue scenerios, but probably something like pico is favoured by Ubuntu??
bash scripting
bash script one-liners
awk, sed

These could help you in system administration of your system, but there are many linux users who never touch this stuff.

 

I agree about bash scripting. It is incredibly useful. I often wish I knew it more than I do.

I think some Perl knowledge is also necessary for a true Linux system administrator. You'll see scripts in Perl, and it is very useful for things that are just beyond Bash. I do believe that Perl is absolute crap for complex projects though. Perl's object syntax is about as hideous as anything I've seen in a language.

Python shines in more complex projects, and is almost as good as Perl for simple things. In fact I think it's better than C++ for virtually all end-user GUI applications, excepting those that handle complex documents and must do so with good performance -- in that case use C++.

Java is also great, but I'd get Eclipse rather than Netbeans. Maybe just person preference, but Eclipse does seem to be going places fast. With gcj, java can be compiled to native Linux code.

 

Eclipse is a great platform, but way to much work when someone is trying to learn to program. Focus on the language first, then get and IDE that suites you.