If you would, tell everyone what language(s) you program in; if you work for yourself, a company, or both; and what your experience is like in your work environment...

what you like about it, and how it could be better.

Originally Posted by edesimusic

most popular languages are .Net / ASP.NET and Java. now depends on you which one you find easy to work with

That doesn't even answer the question, and besides, is totally incorrect. ASP.NET, besides not even being a language (it's a framework), does not have its associated technologies at the top of the popularity list.

Take a look at the Tiobe Index: http://www.tiobe.com/index.php/conte...pci/index.html

The most popular langauges are Java (#1), C(#2), and PHP(#3).

Visual Basic is in spot #5 right after C++, and C# does not appear until spot #7

As far as the answer to the actual question, I am proficient in PHP and JavaScript, while also studying Python, though I haven't used that professionally yet. I'll continue studying programming languages until I know 4-5 of them really well.

I'm also proficient in a number of non-programming languages which I use professionally, such as HTML, CSS, and SQL.

I work for myself and make a decent living.

I program in PHP for several years, and I love this programming language because of its simplicity. I don't say other programming languages are bad, but I strongly believe PHP is the best option for web-based platforms.

Sure, there is ASP, but PHP works on more hosting servers and it's more popular, that's why I prefer PHP.

Originally Posted by wayfarer07

...

I work for myself and make a decent living...

I like your "How I became a fulltime freelancer" article from your site.

Originally Posted by Lashtal

I like your "How I became a fulltime freelancer" article from your site.

I have the same idea with you. Great!
Glad to hear you're using this: I plan to keep it much more aggressively up-to-date than has been the case in the past, but don't hesitate to let me know if you find errors or need clarifications.

I've been away from WMT for a bit.
To answer your question, I work with Java/C/C++ as well as a bit of Bash scripting and various web stuff. I work at Rhapsody (keeps me busy, why I've been off WMT for a while ).

Let's see work environment?
We are provided with free soda, juice, milk and cereal. Bagels come in on thursdays. We have a beer tap in the break area (no joke, see the pic) and an espresso machine. We also get random musicians to come perform for us (#1 , #2).
In the basement, there's a pool table, air hockey, ping-pong, foosball (of course), and video game systems (the big 3).

Instead of offices, we have an open floor plan (no cubes either). While it can be distracting sometimes, it is useful to be able to throw things at a co-worker to get their attention. We are provided with nice headphones so, that helps.

Believe it or not, we actually do get some work done
For development, you can shoose whatever system you prefer. Some use Macs, some Windows, others (like me) use Linux.
I'm the lead dev on my team so, I'm a stickler about code quality. I set up a continuous integration system that helps me to stay on top of things. I constantly push QA to write automated tests, these get included in the build so everyone, including developers, can run them. It also gives QA more time to look for bugs.

hope that helps

I code PHP

Formerly PHP dev here, who started in a dot com web agency.
As time passed, got more and more implicated in the SQL world.
First with postgresql, then Oracle and now MS sql server.

Working full time as a sql server DBA + T-Sql developper in a small pharmacy oriented software provider.
I do a very little bit vb.net (yurk! Enterprise policy ) when absolutely needed, and I play with Python for some time now when I do personal work.

I currently work at a small local business that sells HVAC (Heating and Air) equipment, as well as for myself. The business makes 95% of their sales over the web, so a professional design and solid SEO is a must. I am also developing a website (other than my personal portfolio) for a web development company because I have many people who ask me to make websites for them and I would like to have a formal website for them to go to so that they can see what exactly we do. My personal portfolio serves the purpose now, however I have other stuff on there like articles that I have written.

I work with 2 other guys, an SEO guy and a designer at the local business. The other 2 guys are based out of state, which is the main reason why I am the lead web developer for the company.

Typically I go into the office Monday - Friday 9am-5pm (with quite a bit of overtime sometimes) so that I can show the owner the status of the current project/get an understanding of what he does/doesn't like in real time. Other times if I don't feel like getting out of the bed, I will call him and tell him that I am working from home and that I will email him updates. Either way it is a win/win situation. I would get bored sitting at home all day without getting out and actually interacting with other people, which is one reason why I enjoy going to the office.

The office has 8 other people working, 2 in accounting, 1 in technical support, 4 in phone sales, and a web developer (me). Although the company is small, we made the INC 500 list (500 top fastest growing companies in the US) and are doing really well.

I kinda have my hands full with working on the projects at the company but am intersted in finding a 2-3 more good coders/designers to get a web design company going. I have a friend in England who has a web design business and designs for lawyers and he enjoys it.

Mainly, I enjoy being my own boss. I'm not the kind of person who can stand corporate managers looking over your shoulder telling you every little move to make and watching you like a hawk.

Getting back on topic, I code in PHP for dynamic database/web integration and have been learning javascript and CSS lately. I would really like to master javascript and CSS but I think that it is something that is going to take a bit of time. I do a lot of text book reading when it comes to coding languages and study them intensly before moving on to the next.

The company that I work for is in my signature (the right link). I just finished developing a system selector and about 5 HVAC calculators (which are also on the same website when you click system selector)

Brandon

Paul, just awesome. I think it's cool that you sought a way to make your team more efficient (Hudson).

Brandon, nice thing you got there.

Originally Posted by Lashtal

Paul, just awesome. I think it's cool that you sought a way to make your team more efficient (Hudson).

Brandon, nice thing you got there.

Thanks. I have to admit it helps me too.
One of the tasks I have Hudson set to do is push builds to Sonar. It saves a heck of a lot of time in reviewing code and helps to target the areas that need review in more detail.

No analysis tool is perfect (many will generate false positives). But, they really do help find code that might be problematic.

I can't wait to get to the point where i'm at that level, developing crazy sh*t

How did you break into programming, and what books would you say were important to your success as a developer?

I code in Perl.

I work at home for myself giving SEO guidance and custom webmaster tools to my group of clients.

Bompa

Originally Posted by Lashtal

I can't wait to get to the point where i'm at that level, developing crazy sh*t

How did you break into programming, and what books would you say were important to your success as a developer?

Originally Posted by Lashtal

I can't wait to get to the point where i'm at that level, developing crazy sh*t

How did you break into programming, and what books would you say were important to your success as a developer?

Truth be told, I'm self taught.

I started on a ZX-81 waaay back in the day. Mowed a lot of lawns, ordered the kit, soldered it together. Later, progressed to a Vic-20, the an Commodore 128.

After the Army (Airborne Combat Engineer), I decided I should make a living at it. So, moved out to Seattle, started reading lots of web sites and reading code. I worked nights at a warehouse so my days could be free to find a programming job. The rest is history....

Anyway, I'd recommend that you run Linux on your personal computer. Most any distro will have a plethora of development tools for just about any language you can imagine.
Before jumping in, you should ask yourself if you are willing to be always learning, for your entire career. All you will learn in school is the basics. The folks who don't continually study and read end up in dead-end jobs or outsourced.

I you want to stay in the web world, there are lots of options. Generally, the more difficult things pay more and are a little harder to get into.
For example, a J2EE developer with about 3 yrs experience will make around $70-100K in most markets. A seasoned dev can make quite a bit more.

As for books to recommend, it depends on your plan
I keep a reading list on my site:
http://willcode4beer.com/ware.jsp?set=readinglist
It's a bit Java oriented but, most apply to any language.

I also keep a list of sites to read ocationally
http://willcode4beer.com/ware.jsp?set=continuingEd

Depending on what you want to do, try to find a users group in your area. Most cities have them for most every language and technology. It makes for a great way to learn and to meet people. Most folks who attend user group meetings are more than willing to help out and answer your questions.

Sign up on LinkedIn.com too. There are many groups and they all offer open discussion forums.
( you can see my profile here: http://www.linkedin.com/in/pauledavis )

progressed to a Vic-20

sigh..
I've learned to my alphabet on one of those...
I still remember that bulky monolith, with the floppy being as big as the (black and green) screen.

Originally Posted by tripy

sigh..
I've learned to my alphabet on one of those...
I still remember that bulky monolith, with the floppy being as big as the (black and green) screen.

Floppy? You must have been rich

I was stuck with the 'ol cassette drive.
http://www.classiccmp.org/dunfield/vic20/h/tape.jpg

My dad was working for Unisys at that time, and this was the beast:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Commodore_4040.jpg

But I had a doubt, and some research proved me right...
I didn't learn on a VIC, but on a PET, which is the ancestor of the VIC.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodore_PET

I started with ZX-Spectrum... Z80 assembler, etc...
...right now I use Python at local and web applications. Python provides quick development and short good-reading sources. My site at signature generated by Python program