With a platform as versatile as SUSE Linux, you have to expect support for a variety of programming languages and applications as well. With so many language options available, how does one make a choice? We hope this page will serve as a guide for selecting the best language options for your type of application development.
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For development at this level, we recommend C. This could include not only kernel modules but also other rather low-level applications that interact directly with the Linux kernel and other low-level APIs. Since Linux is written in C, and since it supports a POSIX-compliant interface which is also provided in C, this makes C the obvious choice for this type of programming.
Choose C For
Linux is commonly deployed as a workhorse machine to run all types of systems applications. Both C and C++ are good languages choices for thes types of applications. Which of these you choose will have to do with your experience, the application type, libraries to be used, etc. The POSIX libraries that come with Linux are all written in C. However, if you do prefer C++, there are several system libraries for Linux in C++, such as Boost and BloCxx.
Without getting into the details, suffice it to say that if you choose to use C++ libraries in your application, best practice recommends that the whole application should be a C++ application. While I personally have seen it work otherwise without trouble, there are some areas subject to interpretation, where the standard doesn't define proper behavior, that can be a source of trouble.
Choose C or C++ For
Choose C If
Choose C++ If
Scripting languages, great for the quick and dirty, have gained popularity as robust languages for certain types of applications on their own. No matter what type of development you do for Linux, there will come a time that you will want to do things in a script. In addition to the ability to write scripts for the bash shell, Linux also supports other scripting languages like Perl, Ruby, and Python.
Choose Bash Scripts For
Choose Perl, Python, or Ruby Scripts For
Choosing between Perl, Python, and Ruby is as much a matter of personal preference as anything. Perl's CPAN library is probably the most comprehensive, giving you a wealth of existing functionality. If you prefer to program using an IDE, you will probably want to use Eric and Python. Ruby is the newest of the three and is generating a lot of excitement. However, because it is new, it is sometimes harder to find the libraries you are looking for.
SUSE Linux makes a great web platform. Whether you want to use a mainstream application server platform like Java/J2EE, ASP.NET, or LAMP, or one of the more obscure open source platforms like Zope (Python) or Ruby on Rails, you can do it on SUSE Linux.
For both web applications and web services, we recommend either Java or PHP. Each has many pros and cons, including your own personal familiarity, the application in question, and your need to tie into or leverage other applications. Java has been widely used for years in this capacity, and several powerful open source frameworks like Struts, Turbine, Velocity, and Hibernate have emerged to help you create your applications. However, PHP is the most widely used and fastest growing web application language today, and there are many existing open source applications in PHP to choose from.
Choose Java and J2EE for Web Applications and Web Services If
Choose PHP and LAMP for Web Applications and Web Services If
Choose ASP.NET with Mono for Web Applications and Web Services If
Today, there is no technical reason why many computer users in business settings cannot use a Linux desktop to do their job. A SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop workstation comes with everything you need to send and receive e-mail, use the Internet, and create documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. Expect to see a major shift as more and more companies start to move many of their desktop systems to Linux over the next few years.
On SUSE Linux, you can write desktop applications in almost any language you want: C, C++, Python, Java, or C#, for example. One area that has traditionally been lacking on Linux, however, has been the domain for the Visual Basic developer. Now, through our partnership with Real Software, we can offer you the ability to develop desktop applications for SUSE Linux as simply as VB was for Windows.
Real Software provides a tool called RealBasic, which uses a Basic variant very similar to VB6. In fact, independent users have found that migrating existing VB6 applications to RealBasic is faster than migrating them to VB.NET. And, RealBasic delivers a cross-platform executable that runs on SUSE Linux as well as Windows - perfect for your mixed environment where some desktops have moved to SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop and others have remained on Windows for a time.
Choose RealBasic for Desktop Applications If
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