Which language to use?

[punky_munky]

I'm in the preliminary planning stages for my final year project (my course is Internet Technology and Applications) and I'm thinking of going with some sort of social networking website (yes, I know )

I can't decide which language to go with though. If it's one I haven't used before then I'll have the whole of summer to play around with it so that's not really an issue and I can pick things up pretty quick. At the moment I'm thinking of either using Ruby on Rails or ASP.net

Pros for RoR:

• It's easy
• It's newish
• If it takes off then I'll be in a good position to get a job
• I've used it before

Cons:

• Little support (on web and from university)
• Might not take off = waste of time

Pros for ASP.net:

• Lots of support
• Useful skill in regards to employment
• I don't really know what else

Cons:

• Will need a PC
• New hosting

Anyone have any thoughts on the matter or suggestions for other languages?

 

[punky_munky]

Any reason you haven't considered PHP?

I've considered it but after having worked with classic ASP and then moving onto RoR, scripting languages seem a bit long winded and in-efficient. There's probably something I'm missing though as some big sites use PHP such as last.fm.

 

[punky_munky]

Presumably if its a final year project you will need to justify your choice of language. Just a few pointers:

The following are NOT valid reasons for selecting a language that you can put in a final report:
- Its new
- Its easy
- I've used it before
- Job prospects
All these may be true, but from a project point of view they are invalid. You need to justify that your choice of language is the language most suited for the thing you are developing.

I've already done a bit of work with RoR so by saying it's easy I mean it's a very efficient framework and I can get an app done in a lot less code than most other languages. I'm sure those same things apply to ASP.net too though. Thanks for your input nonetheless.

@Al Vallario

I have that book and I've got a Dreamhost account already.

Maybe I should borrow a PC and have a play with asp.NET before making a decision on this.

 

[punky_munky]

Whilst RoR is cool and all, it's hardly a hugely employable skill. If you're looking down that road, then ASP.NET (and C# in general) would be much better.

Of course it's totally different if you're just a hobbyist, in which case RoR might be more fun

That's pretty much what my brother said to me. There is the chance that RoR may take off in a big way though which would put me in a good position come graduation. Thanks for the input.