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Discussion on: Should I learn Go?

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olddutchcap profile image
Onorio Catenacci • Edited

When you ask this sort of question, you're likely to get two types of responses:

Developers for whom Go is a pet language. They'll love it; they'll go on and on about how wonderful it is. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure all the sterling qualities they tell you about will be totally 100% true. Thing is they won't mention the sharp edges and/or the places where the language isn't so great.

The other responses you're likely to get are those who despise Go for whatever reason. They'll point out all the weaknesses of the language--"No interfaces? Are you f***ing joking?"--stuff of that sort. I don't think they'll give you much of a balanced and considered response either.

In short while I understand the desire to figure out if it's worth your time to invest in Go, I think posting the question here is probably the least good way to figure out if it's worth your time. Play with Exercism.io. Look at the number (and quality) of questions asked about the language on Stack Overflow. Try to write something beyond the typical "Hello World" with it and see how it feels.

I have found over the years that chasing the new hotness when it comes to programming language is really a fool's errand. No one knows what will prosper, what will become a footnote and what we all wish would die off already (VB6 anyone?) Learning new stuff is definitely great and I totally agree with you on that. But trying to decide what you should learn based on what's "the next big thing" is sort of foolish. I can't tell you what I'll be working on six months from now. It takes years for a language to develop enough of a following for there to be good jobs writing it. Therefore I think trying to predict what's worth learning based on future job prospects dictates that <sarcasm> we keep on with C# and Java </sarcasm> unless we're really willing to play the long game.

Just my humble opinions of course.

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idoshamun profile image
Ido Shamun

Actually I was looking for the extremists to show up. This way you learn the most about the best and worse of the language.

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olddutchcap profile image
Onorio Catenacci

:) Then I suspect you're already getting what you wanted!

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rhymes profile image
rhymes • Edited

The language isn't going to change much from what it is now. They will add generics and improve error handling. They will finalize the packaging system. That's it. Don't expect it to change for many years.

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idanarye profile image
Idan Arye

+1. One of Go's main selling point is being very easy to get into - so just get into it and form your own opinion!