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Hey guys/girls!

I've done a ton of research, but I think that asking actual people that are my superiors in the subject I just the best. So:

I want to make a few programs that can preform 3 different functions. I just don't know what programming language is going to preform the function with (1) the greatest efficacy (2) have the program up and running in the shortest amount of time (3) make the most sense to me.

Background: I know HTML, CSS, and I'm learning Javascript. I went to school for chem and bio chem. I'm a fiction novelist trying to get his novel published. If you reply to this query, I'll be greatly appreciative; and when I decide to learn the language (1) I'll go after it with maniacal devotion (2) I plan on giving back to the forums in anyway I can. Thank you in advance for your time, energy, and wisdom.

Problem 1: I need to create a program that can scrape and gather personal email addresses (I know a lot of these already exist, but what would you use to create a program like this?)

Problem 2: I need all that information to be *intelligently* sorted into a massive data base (also what would you use to create the database and access it? SQL?)
*by specified parameters, which I haven't gotten into yet*

Problem 3: I need a program that can send out different emails, based on those specified parameters, to all the gathered addresses.

What are your thoughts on the language(s) that can solve these problems. If need be I'll learn 3/4/5 langues to get the best/fastest result. I love to learn, I just need to know what I need to learn. Again, thank you for your time.
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PIEBALDconsult 19-Nov-15 22:23pm    
Perl.
[no name] 20-Nov-15 0:03am    
Pick 3 languages at random and learn them.

I think its good that you have a list of thoughts, but you're going to need to refine them more and more - what I can say right now is

1) Leave off the c++ - there are plenty of 'languages' that will do what you want, and while you can in c++, if you're not doing anything else in IT its too low level vs abstract/result 'quick output' orientated to do what you want (yeesh, I can feel a flame war coming on)

2) Problem 1. Scrape from what ? a file, the web, ...

3) Problem 2. You havnt detailed what hardware you have, nor what you want to store or how much, or how you are going to maintain the data. If you're never going to do anything else IT related, and have Windows for example, one could just suggest MS Access as a 'platform' for your data-collection - or even an Excel spreadsheet and macros to do the email. I guess Im saying, if this is a one off, why learn (for example) Ruby, SQL, etc

I know of plenty of smallish companies to do mail lists etc with MS-Access for example, with VBScripting on the side - its a matter of where your priorities lie - being an IT guy or a novellist

4) Problem 3. Sure - but, on what platform are you doing this, how are you going to flag/define database records for emails, do you want an email to happen automatically or 'hit a button' sort of thing

Its great you WANT to do IT and learn languages - I'd question wether you NEED to if thats all your ever going to do (your project)
 
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v2
Database handling:
Experimented database designer have many solutions depending the database characteristics, hardware and tastes.
For a beginner, the most strait forward solution is to choose an SQL server and use SQL to handle/query the massive database.

Other programming:
Almost any language can do what you want.
I recommend to avoid non managed languages like C and C++ because they are more difficult to master because of manual memory management.
Otherwise, about any language will do what you want: C#, Java, Python, VB ...
If you make a webapp, Javascript, PHP, VBScript ...
 
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[no name] 21-Nov-15 21:37pm    
"....because they are more difficult to master because of manual memory management."

*lol*, at least with c++ you know that you are responsible for resources and therefore one pays Attention for it. This vs. "managed" code where you have to dive into deep to check wheter a class is IDisposable....
Patrice T 21-Nov-15 21:53pm    
Ok I didn't dig into details.
[no name] 21-Nov-15 21:57pm    
:-) and 5 for your effort to help.
Patrice T 21-Nov-15 22:04pm    
Thank you
Thanks for the lengthy reply Garth!

1) Thanks for eliminating one contender from the list via C++

2) Scrape person emails from the web initially. Then, who knows.

3)

I do have windows. As far as a data base, Access and Excel will probably be where I start. I do have SQL on my list of languages to learn after I finish JavaScript and php. However, I assume I’ll need to update ‘platforms’ sooner than later. I guess that’s a discussion for another time (unless you feel like answering it of course). A good out of the box solution Garth.

a.

It’s not a one off coding project. I coded my website from scratch by teaching myself HTML and CSS (now learning JavaScript). Now it’s time to expand into languages that are going to give me the ability to execute a lot of the ideas I’ve been saving up in a drawer like Android and iOS apps. I don’t have a problem working hard. But if you begin with the wrong strategy(learning languages that are not going to be able to actually do what I need done/or not do them very well), hard work will not get you anywhere. Ask a migrant field worker, those guys work pretty hard.

b.

Being an IT guy or a novelist. I don’t see the difference. Weather I’m writing in English, Spanish, CSS, HTML, Ruby, or php; I get the same rush from manifesting something real from the ether of my mind. It’s all writing. It’s all elegant and beautiful. But it’s also a pain the ass to learn.

4)

Right now I’ll be working out of windows (In the future, I’m sure something new will unveil itself).

a.

As for flagging database records for the email. I’ll have to get into it and create an algorithm (in which language is very unclear) that assigns a bevy of tags to an email such as: political affiliation, school, college attended, current geo-location, primary and secondary languages, age, etc. How I’ll get these tags? That’s where the elegance of writing your own code comes into play. I’ll figure it out in later versions. For now, I’m happy with something that can scrape personal addresses, download them into excel/access, and then send out an email back to them on a scheduled time.

Again, thanks for your time Gareth. I greatly appreciate it.

Juan Pablo
 
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Patrice T 21-Nov-15 20:38pm    
You should not use a solution to comment another solution.
Use comment instead.

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