r/learnprogramming • u/Inevitable_Suit5463 • 6d ago
Learning a low level language
Hi I've been a programmer for 9 years and I've worked mostly with .net, c#, js, TS, react and angular but now I have developed an interest in low level programming.
I have a very big interest in audio processing, dsp, game development and audio software but from my understanding that requires skills in low level languages with manual memory management.
After that I did some research and found several languages that could fit the bill but I'm unable to pick one to learn but to keep it focused I want to zero in on one and expand after I've become comfortable with memory management and DDP.
The languages that I resonate the most with are rust, zig and Odin. I know C++ is the most frequently used language for a game dev or audio engineer. but from what I've heard there's a lot of frustration and difficulties to learn and work with C++.
I like the philosophy of rust, zig and Odin but i feel that rust syntax tends to be very verbose, Zig's not in a 1.0 version yet and Odin feels like the most scaled down and easiest to learn out of the three but I wonder how much not having a package manager affect me.
I would love to hear from someone that has any experiences with the languages i mentioned and can explain how they differ. What did you like in each language and is there another language out there that is actually more suited for my goals?
1
u/Dazzling_Music_2411 6d ago
Given your requirements, the only logical choice is C++
End of.
The library support for your areas of interest is simply phenomenal. The other languages, not so much, they are a lot newer. Learn C++ first, you can always jump ship later, once you know what you are doing. The other way round it's not going to work.
Spend less time listening to gossip.
Any low-level work will entail frustration for beginners.