Which language to learn to make apps?

[Rotterdams]

For Ios you have Swift but what about Android? I googled but I see so many names going by  idk which one is good to start with for beginners.

[King_of_Oz]

1 minute ago, Lacrimas said:

The official language for Android development is Java.

Unless you want to make games, then you need to learn a game engine like Unity and the game engines language (Unity's is C# and JavaScript).

[King_of_Oz]

1 minute ago, Lacrimas said:

Why are you talking about Unity.

In case he wants to make games.

[King_of_Oz]

1 minute ago, Lacrimas said:

Then quote him, not me. He asked "what about android" and I told him.

True, sorry. My bad.

[vorticalbox]

8 minutes ago, King_of_Oz said:

Unless you want to make games, then you need to learn a game engine like Unity and the game engines language (Unity's is C# and JavaScript).

unity doesn't actually use JavaScript.

[King_of_Oz]

2 minutes ago, vorticalbox said:

unity doesn't actually use JavaScript.

Oh. Really! I thought it did. I have always used C#, so I haven't really checked lately. I just seemed to recall it allowing you to script in JavaScript (Or java, I'm not sure.)

[King_of_Oz]

2 minutes ago, Lacrimas said:

It's okay, I'm just being triggered right now by the guy who ran a batch file and deleted like half of his registry and he doesn't even have a backup or a system restore point.

 

Script kiddies...

You are forgiven. 

[King_of_Oz]

2 minutes ago, Lacrimas said:

You can write Unity scripts in either C# or JavaScript.

I knew it!

[Rotterdams]

2 minutes ago, King_of_Oz said:

You are forgiven. 

 

2 minutes ago, Lacrimas said:

You can write Unity scripts in either C# or JavaScript.

Apple only has "Swift" right? So you can make ALL apps including games on IOS with Swift? It sounds easier then learning +10 languages for android lol

[PocketNerd]

20 minutes ago, Rotterdams said:

For Ios you have Swift but what about Android? I googled but I see so many names going by  idk which one is good to start with for beginners.

The primary language for Android is Java for making Apps, with plenty of "App Maker" platforms using other languages. I'd recommend sticking to Java for learning to do basic Android apps, as that should have the best support/tutorials. Plus Java itself can be used for other applications outside of Android.

For Games, it's best to use either Unity (C#, Javascript, Boo) or Unreal Engine 4 (C++ or Blueprints (There proprietary scripting language)). That said, it's also possible to use Java for that as well, just more difficult.

[King_of_Oz]

2 minutes ago, Rotterdams said:

 

Apple only has "Swift" right? So you can make ALL apps including games on IOS with Swift? It sounds easier then learning +10 languages for android lol

I'm not entirely sure you can use it to make games. One again, you would have to learn a game engine. Also, you can make an app for IOS with another language that would work on android.

[PocketNerd]

6 minutes ago, Rotterdams said:

 

Apple only has "Swift" right? So you can make ALL apps including games on IOS with Swift? It sounds easier then learning +10 languages for android lol

Yes, and you can do the same for Android and Java.

What you're getting confused with is platforms. You can develop apps and games in multiple different API Platforms that target both iOS and Android that use different languages. Xamarin, Unity, UE4, <insert generic App Maker here>.

All these do though is compile their project in either Swift, Java, or Native C++ (not sure if iOS has this, I know Android does).

[Rotterdams]

2 minutes ago, King_of_Oz said:

I'm not entirely sure you can use it to make games. One again, you would have to learn a game engine. Also, you can make an app for IOS with another language that would work on android.

So if I learned Java it woudnt be a total time loss if i switch to a different language? I am a total noob at this. I know litterly nothing  and im not sure yet what I want to do. I dont want to learn software which im never going to use.

[PocketNerd]

4 minutes ago, Rotterdams said:

So if I learned Java it woudnt be a total time loss if i switch to a different language? I am a total noob at this. I know litterly nothing  and im not sure yet what I want to do. I dont want to learn software which im never going to use.

Nope. That's the fun part about languages, both spoken or programming, what you're trying to convey is the exact same just the syntax. Or in more Programmer speak, so long as you understand Object Oriented Programming concepts, switching languages is simple.

What would you like to make? Maybe narrowing your scope (pun entirely intended) will help.

[Guest Kloaked]

To add to the above, you can make cross-platform apps with Xamarin but it's limited from my understanding, so it depends on what you wanna do all in C#. I don't currently work in mobile app development so I haven't had to touch Xamarin so I couldn't personally tell you what those limitations are.

[King_of_Oz]

5 hours ago, Rotterdams said:

So if I learned Java it woudnt be a total time loss if i switch to a different language? I am a total noob at this. I know litterly nothing  and im not sure yet what I want to do. I dont want to learn software which im never going to use.

Yes. you can use java to make IOS apps, but you get more benefits on IOS if you use swift. I would recommend you choose a platform, and then work from there. Here is a website that will provide you some really nice tutorials at low cost:

 

https://www.udemy.com/

[Rotterdams]

3 minutes ago, PocketNerd said:

Nope. That's the fun part about languages, both spoken or programming, what you're trying to convey is the exact same just the syntax. Or in more Programmer speak, so long as you understand Object Oriented Programming concepts, switching languages is simple.

What would you like to make? Maybe narrowing your scope (pun entirely intended) will help.

 

2 minutes ago, Lacrimas said:

Don't focus on learn the language too much. Instead focus on concepts. They tend to carry over throughout languages. And learn Java will definitely not be a waste of time.

 

What kind of apps are you looking to make?

 

1 minute ago, King_of_Oz said:

Yes. you can use java to make IOS apps, but you get more benefits on IOS if you use swift. I would recommend you choose a platform, and then work from there. Here is a website that will provide you some really nice tutorials at low cost:

 

https://www.udemy.com/

I have no idea what I would want to make  If I start with learning a language i dont want to be able just to make a pacman alike game, i would like to be able to make something which looks good aswel. Im not sure if this is possible to do solo in my spare time.

 

Making simple apps would be start

[babadoctor]

22 minutes ago, vorticalbox said:

unity doesn't actually use JavaScript.

It supports it.

But it is really not recommended

it compiles scripts really slowly

[King_of_Oz]

5 hours ago, Rotterdams said:

 

 

I have no idea what I would want to make  If I start with learning a language i dont want to be able just to make a pacman alike game, i would like to be able to make something which looks good aswel. Im not sure if this is possible to do solo in my spare time.

 

Making simple apps would be start

in the end do you want to learn to make games or apps

[Rotterdams]

2 minutes ago, King_of_Oz said:

in the end do you want to learn to make games or apps

apps it is! 

 

and how do i download Java? is it named javascript? java.com i guess?

 

I will start with tutorials on youtube

[PocketNerd]

4 minutes ago, Rotterdams said:

 

 

I have no idea what I would want to make  If I start with learning a language i dont want to be able just to make a pacman alike game, i would like to be able to make something which looks good aswel. Im not sure if this is possible to do solo in my spare time.

 

Making simple apps would be start

If you're just starting out, definitely keep the scope small and simple. There's nothing wrong with making small apps that you'll never publish and just need to demonstrate a concept you're learning.

The language isn't going to be the thing limiting you to "just make a pacman games." What WILL limit you is platform though, the most popular platforms right now are Unity and UE4 for making anything from simple "pacman" games to Final Fantasy 15.

[PocketNerd]

3 minutes ago, Rotterdams said:

apps it is! 

 

and how do i download Java? is it named javascript? java.com i guess?

 

I will start with tutorials on youtube

You'll want the Java JDK. Do note that Java and Javascript are NOT the same thing.

You can get the JDK here, just pick the one for your Operating System.

[King_of_Oz]

5 hours ago, Rotterdams said:

apps it is! 

 

and how do i download Java? is it named javascript? java.com i guess?

 

I will start with tutorials on youtube

Java and JavaScript are 2 different languages. You need to learn 2 things to make apps. A language to code you app and an IDE ( like Android Studio for android) to make you app in. To find out more, here is a link to android studio:

 

https://developer.android.com/studio/index.html

[Rotterdams]

6 minutes ago, Lacrimas said:

I recommend this. Great free course.

 

And Java and JavaScript are different things.

 

5 minutes ago, PocketNerd said:

You'll want the Java JDK. Do note that Java and Javascript are NOT the same thing.

You can get the JDK here, just pick the one for your Operating System.

 

4 minutes ago, King_of_Oz said:

Java and JavaScript are 2 different languages. You need to learn 2 things to make apps. A language to code you app and an IDE ( like Android Studio for android) to make you app in. To find out more, here is a link to android studio:

 

https://developer.android.com/studio/index.html

See how confusing this is for a beginner. Everyone gives a different link and name

[King_of_Oz]

5 hours ago, Rotterdams said:

 

 

See how confusing this is for a beginner. Everyone gives a different link and name

I would actually recommend using the course @Lacrimas suggested.