Should I learn Scala or Groovy? Which language do you think I should learn?
Groovy lets you write short little programs that are a fraction of the length of an equivalent Java one.
Groovy! Maybe that's where they came up with the name.
Unfortunately, Groovy's syntax make you long for the simplicity of Java.
Groovy has meta-programming.
That is so meta.
Well, maybe that's where they came up with the term meta-programming, programs that manipulate other programs.
Java has a tight type system, while Groovy has dynamic typing. Groovy has far better closures and regexes.
I heard Groovy and Java can call each other.
But will they keep talking? Anyway, Groovy can be used to call Java modules, and it isn't as painful as calling JavaScript from Java.
Groovy's language features work with Java library classes. Groovy builds on the most commonly used JDK classes, though it is more flexible.
Groovy has a lot of functions and features, but the complex vocabulary so to speak makes learning it that much harder.
Groovy lets you have collection literals and null-safe operators. Who doesn't want null-safe?
Someone who doesn't want to use Groovy and Grails, which people mistake for a mispronunciation of Ruby on Rails. And then there's the fact that Groovy is so new that it may no longer be cool by the time it isn't bleeding edge.
Groovy developers are supposedly well paid.
Maybe, but there are a lot more Ruby on Rails jobs. And even a few outside of Silicon Valley.
Does that mean I should learn Scala?
Scala is a better concurrent language and has more technical uses. And when you list it on your resume, people won't mistake you for a new age hippie.
Not many people have heard of Scala.
But those in programming may have heard of it, and some of their legacy apps actually use it.
