Joost Baaij

Is anyone still using it? (you probably shouldn't)

Here you go: Vulnhub

It is a list of Linux virtual machine you can use, to complete challenges. Like, "it's your goal to hack this machine in 3 hours!". Also, you're not hacking actual servers. It's all safe and you cannot cause damage.

Good luck!

Hi Emad! Good question, but the answer is different for many people.

Preface

I first want to state that any basics you learn, absolutely don't go to waste. Programming basics are universal and you can apply those basics to any mainstream language. It will help you grow as a developer! In fact, I think you should really know at least two wildly different programming languages. You'll discover there are many solutions to a problem.

My advice to you: school.

Okay, and now for my real advice. My advise for you is to join a code school. There are a lot of code schools. Some are free, some are paid. Some have classes, some just tasks. Here is a blog post I found by searching "code school". There are a lot more. Try to keep in mind that you often get what you pay for. I mean that free code schools often require you to do other things in order to generate money.

Hey surendra, If you need any kind of Machine Learning, AI, "understanding" the image, use OpenCV. If you need to change the images (crop, filter, enhance) go with FFMPEG. There are more alternatives as well. Have you seen this page?

Yo Matt,

I've been in the Ruby on Rails game for twenty years. For the last ten, Rails has been declared deceased. ;) But in reality, Rails is still going strong. The jobs are highly paid and fun. All the pros you list are valid. Yes it is a beautiful language, the OO makes sense, it's dynamic and expressive, and the ecosystem is top shelf. What's to dislike? There are a lot of Rails websites out there. And new ones get created every day too.

Now, to address the elephant in the room....

Ruby is quirky. Since the syntax is pretty different from PHP, and core developers being opinionated, some people just see drama. When Node.JS got slightly usable, they moved over to that. Node.JS is very c/PHP-like after all in its syntax. Many engineering managers will just select the ecosystem that is biggest. Node.JS is a lot bigger. But if you don't care about going a little off the beaten path sometimes, Ruby in my opinion still, after all this time, gives me joy when I use it.

Also important: to this day, I can build everything I want. Ruby, Rails and many gems are being actively maintained. Security vulnerabilities are discovered and corrected. New developments still find their way into the language. For myself, I know that the anemic JS standard library would just frustrate me to no end.... every wheel is invented time and again. Ruby's standard library isn't as voluminous, but it's a lot more diverse and useful.