QueenSveta
Uses for Elixir Programming
I’ve come to realize that I hate web programming (front and back end), but a large amount of jobs I see, although it may say Python Developer or Software Eng, it could just as well say web developer, very rarely have I seen a position for Python developer and it had nothing to do with web development.
That being said according to wiki, Elixir is a functional, concurrent, general-purpose programming language. Is it safe to assume Elixir is not just for web development, you can use it to create just about anything? Much like C# or Java (I understand those are OOP languages, but you can use them to create desktop utilities that don’t touch the web at all). In other words, it would be wrong to say or even think that all Elixir is good for is web development, correct?
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Nicd
I wouldn’t say Elixir is only good for web programming, like I wouldn’t say Python is only good for web programming (it’s used for many other things). For an example of something in Elixir that’s not web related, check out https://nerves-project.org/ (Elixir for embedded basically).
I think just currently the web side is pulling so many developers and is the biggest area in software development (in my understanding at least), so that’s why most job ads are for web programmers.
peerreynders
See GUI programming in Elixir? and Why would I choose Elixir as a general purpose programming language? - #11 by Qqwy - i.e desktop GUI apps are rare
While it’s not directly web related, IoT is likely the most relevant aspect commercially speaking.
The other thing is that BEAM languages will most likely be used to implement distributed systems - which will most likely use something like JSON-over-HTTP for communicating between parts of the system which aren’t geographically co-located or have to cross some other type of “trust boundary”.
Maybe it’s more productive to explore what particular aspects of “web programming” you “hate”.
peerreynders
I think that’s a misconception. Data structures and Algorithms are at the core of “programming”. For example: Elements of Programming Interviews in Python.
A Common-Sense Guide to Data Structures and Algorithms (amazon.com reviews) uses JavaScript, Python, and Ruby to cover some of the basics.
Personally I think those languages are less than ideal for the task - something in the vein of HtDP2e would be more useful - but most people are more utilitarian in their choice of programming languages and I’m not aware that there is any commercial viability to Racket right now.
I just don’t like web development, but if I had to choose, back end development is the place I want to end up.
Unfortunately there is the whole (mythical) fullstack developer thing going on - so in many cases there is some interaction with the web - so “web avoidance” is likely going to make matters more difficult for you. Mobile-first web apps are encroaching on native apps, Electron-based desktop GUIs, etc.
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dimitarvp
Elixir is pretty capable in many areas (as is Erlang). Me and others had private projects that do all sorts of other stuff – web crawlers, report generators, game bots – and Elixir has been very adequate.
That being said, Erlang / Elixir are very realistic about their use cases; if you want to do heavy number crunching and need every last penny out of your hardware, definitely do not go with them. If you need to code stuff like a DB index – which requires big and mutable data structures residing in fixed memory areas – then they might be a poor fit as well.
Outside of those scenarios though, Erlang / Elixir are very capable in almost whatever. Especially in the realm of distributed task orchestration, or transparently distributing work among all CPU cores, you will be very hard pressed to actually find something that is so good like Elixir.
(I’ve been voluntarily working on report generators in the last few months and the code that transparently distributes work among all CPU cores was 5 lines long… while the corresponding Java and Ruby sources were 30 - 100 lines long… and still didn’t get the job done well.)
A language’s “web popularity” is simply an artifact of what’s most sought after by the business people. The languages themselves remain quite flexible and able to do a lot regardless of what’s in popular demand.
You can achieve a lot in Elixir, as long as you don’t seek to replace C++ or Go or Rust with it.
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