this post was submitted on 30 Apr 2025
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As clichéd as it sounds, coding and related tech skills. It really is useful. And better to have comrades know how to do it rather than relying on the techbro chuds that infest that hobby space.
For someone who only has a very basic understanding of coding, what would you recommend learning that would be the most useful?
Javascript and Python are often suggested as good starter languages. I disagree with that. Javascript is useful and seems standard at first glance, but it has some major weirdnesses and will teach you some bad habits. Pick it up later. Python is a very good language but it is so wildly nonstandard in structure that you may find it hard down the road to learn non-Python languages.
I'd suggest a language called Lua to start. It's an easy to learn basic language that's used in a surprising number of places, like game scripting. It's similar enough in structure to a lot of other languages that what you learn can carry over into them. It also teaches some good habits.
Also, install VS Code. As insane as it sounds, it's a high-quality open-source cross-platform development program from Microsoft. I know, that sounds nuts. But it really is good. VS Codium is an alternative with all the Microsoft stuff pulled out.
But that's my own biased take. Others will have their own recommendations. I'm no pro, just a hobbyist.