Vote YES if it is worth learning CSS/PHP or NO if I should stick to C/Java?

Or just can the claim because it's lazy?

I have to choose where my time goes and I don't want to dedicate time to learn and perfect unworthy code.

Learn Perl.

Why Perl?

Asking whether you should learn CSS and PHP or stick with C and/or Java is silly. They're all useful, in different ways and different situations. Of the four, two are functional programming languages, one is a scripting lanaguage and one is a stylesheet language. Apples and oranges and hubcaps.

I think anyone interested in web stuff needs a working knowledge of CSS, regardless of whether they pick up PHP or any other scripting language.

C is a functional programming lanaguage according to K&R.

Dunno about Java though.

Note: lanaguages are obviously very different from languages. Hence the difference in the semantic for fp.

Oh Yeah! I only just noticed that. Must be a common typo. Ooops! I mean... err... must mean something else.

Michael: If you're doing web stuff, you need to learn CSS (to the extent that CSS is something you learn rather than look up the hacks in reference works every time you need em).

Do you mean this to be more a Web vs Desktop development thing?

Please forgive me my "lanaguage" typo.

I guess I should have said that one (C) is a procedural programming language, one (Java) is an object-oriented programming language, one (PHP) is a scripting language, while one (CSS) is a stylesheet language.

I'm sure I'm going to take some flak because PHP is actually a procedural language too.

Yeah... I don't really like "scripting language". Excel has a scripting language. m4 is a scripting language. bash even. But Python, PHP, Perl, Ruby, Lua? No. I don't think so.

I was probably revealing my tendency to be dismissive of PHP. :-)

In any case, it's still a case of apples/oranges/hubcaps, and a question of having as wide an array of tools as possible.

You know.. where apples, oranges and hubcaps are all tools. Perhaps I could have avoided mixing metaphors there.

I saw a hubcap tree fruit once, beautiful sight.

No question. Twas a silly claim.

how about WTF are you talking about?!

Yes. I suppose it was a silly claim. I am looking to learn more about creating web apps that actually function and I guess I feel a bit crippled with just C and some Java and some other tidbits of code here and there.

if you are looking to get into web-app, then learn your HTML/CSS/PHP and be done with it. if you are not looking to get into web-app, and just sticking to standalone programs, then feel free to stick with your C/Java.

IMO, though, knowing many languages only helps you in the long run...there are certain ways you can do things that I would have never thought of had I not seen it done in a different language. Not only that, but in the end, most of the languages are very close in basic syntax, thus knowing many of them and switching between is relatively easy.

If you want to develop web apps then c/java is NOT the route to go.

CSS is almost a universal requirement for working on the interweb.

PHP is a toss up. You could just use C# in the .NET framework then all of your c/java learning wouldn't go to waste.

JSP and servlets are not a bad choice if you want to use your java knowledge.

All these tools have different purposes, and I consider the claim itself a false dichotomy; you should learn all the tools you can so that you'll have a good one available as the need arises.

That said, there are a few strong candidates for web app development. If you're working by yourself, you're going to need CSS and HTML. If you can get a page design monkey, you don't need more than a passing familiarity.

PHP is garbage, but any programming language can provide the app logic. Which to learn first depends on your goals; Python is a pretty safe bet for readability and rapid-deployment purposes. C and offspring are likely poor choices; the processor speed benefits will tend to be overshadowed by the orders-of-magnitude increase in development time. Perl is hideous, and much more suitable to scripting tasks than programming tasks, but you can knock out a prototype pretty quickly with it.

Personally, I currently favor Python and Django as general-purpose web app dev languages. It's sort of a compromise choice, but it can get an app out the door pretty damn quick.

D'A

Nice.

I just started learning Perl and Ruby and dabbling in CSS when I started this Jyte. For some reason I feel drawn to Ruby and ROR products.

I am assuming that when I feel comfortable using basic Perl/Ruby I will move on to Python. CSS seems to be simple although I may be underestimating it.

For some reason the ROR stuff comes out so 'pretty' looking and just simple and clean which is super important in my idea of design although as I was learning it, there are obviously limitations.

I have heard the Python is great for rapid prototyping.

*Nic: better pic, you look less insane in that photo... (not to say I'm not insane) ;-) Its neat that the photos all update through Jyte as you update them which I assume means these posts are not static.

JJ

The is very little overlap between the programming langages/technologies you've listed. If you want to write web pages in C instead of PHP then by all means do so, but first tell me what your cool idea for a webpage is so I can implement it 6 months before you do.

PHP's good (I made my first web apps in it), but Ruby on Rails is better.

But we're not voting Yes or No...

learn php. get rid of java.

You should know php/css and java/c