Which language is best for what?

If you are going to develop network programming or platform independent apps (to deploy on other eletronic devices eg: Microwaveoven, Mobile phones, etc) or servide side programming my opinion is to go for Java. If you have to develop system programming or dealing with algorithms or dealing with hardware based then the right way is to use C/C++. This is the language which revolutionized the programming world. Most of the programming languages existing today and most of the system apps, desktop apps, OS are developed with c/c++. If you are going for dynamic web applications you can also use Java, but PHP is most popular languages existing today used by most of web programmers...

for C and ASM language - this are used in system level programming(eg device drivers), Firmnware development, Kernel/OS development. and everything low-level or speed concious programs. C/C++ - used in almost everything, everything you see aorund your desktp is probably 99% implemented in C/C++, others are created by other programming languages which was derived or made using C/C++.

Most, if not all, languages can be bashed into doing anything. But I would not spend time writing an AWK script to do anything other the basic text processing. Unless I was bored, yes I have been bored enough. Java, C#, C/C++, SmallTalk – All good, all round languages, here it is not the language that will determine which to use, but the runtime and available third party extras. For example C# is unlikely to be used in an environment which requires the application runs on Linux boxes. Java is unlikely to be running anywhere where real time is required. The GC can't be trusted. If need access to the native hardware then C/C++ is really you only choice. Text processing shell language (AWK, Perl, etc) – Only really useful for cheap-&-dirty text processing and then you select the one you know. Lisp/Prolog – Rarely used outside of academia, and but good to know as the way you solve a problem in Lisp or Prolog can make a scary problem much less scary. "Web" languages (PHP, Perl (again)) – While they might be capable to do other stuff, I rarely see them do anything other than real simple websites. Again the one to select depends on your XP with them. The dynamic bunch (Ruby, Python, Groovy) – Again, good all rounders, but the runtime is often less important as either the runtimes are quite alike, or they can all use other runtimes (all three will go on the JRE). So the choice is down to the 3rd party APIs you want to use (and if they support the runtime you want to use) and XP with each of them.