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Ask HN: Are non-JavaScript languages obsolete?

2 points by pwernersbach ↗ HN
The majority of job postings that I see these days are for Javascript developers, for working with things like Node.js, AngularJS, etc. In today's job market, are competencies in languages other than Javascript useful?

4 comments

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therealidiot
When I look for software engineering jobs there's a fairly healthy distribution of languages.

...but I'm over here in the UK. Where are you looking?

BinaryIdiot
As someone who primarily works in JavaScript and has for the past 4 years...I still see a majority of jobs wanting .Net or Java experience in the MD / VA / DC area.

Naturally this is anecdotal for myself or yourself; I'm not convinced the majority are but maybe it depends on your area, services you're using to find job posts, etc.

gregjor
There's no reason to learn any other language. The Ecma International association announced last year that all languages except for JavaScript would be discontinued as of Dec 31, 2015. Any code that hasn't been rewritten in JS by then will have 60 days grace period to finish a rewrite. After that the non-JavaScript code has to deleted.
greybox
Limiting yourself to one language however wide spread it is, is damaging. It limits you way of thinking about problems and narrows your vision when designing solutions.

Don't get into the "It CAN be done in JS therefore it SHOULD be done in JS" mindset that many people on HN seem to share. Teach yourself to use different tools and always choose the most appropriate one for the task at hand.

I am a software developer in the UK and I have used C++, Python, Java, Lua and JS (all in the last 2 years) and all of them have their place.