"Go" is a Go

I'm pretty close to being a complete n00b with programming, despite the year or so of contact I've had with Python, Ruby and Bash.  I like programming, but haven't been able to spend much time on it.  When I heard about Google's new "Go" programming language I decided that despite my inexperience (or perhaps because of it), I needed to check it out.

Since I don't believe I'm knowledgeable enough about programming to give a full review, I'll just say this: I like it.  Also, it isn't apparently intended as a language for Android or the Chrome OS.  It's being offered as a systems programming language, intended more for the backend.  It definitely has an "old school" feel about it, as I had to write, compile and link the program before running it.  With higher level languages like Ruby and Python it's just an issue of writing and then running.

A year ago I tried to start learning to program in C++.  I gave up quickly.  Perhaps now I could try again, but maybe I'll go with Go (Pun?  What pun?). 

Check out the official Go language page for installation instructions and a brief tutorial.  I look forward to seeing what sort of community forms around Go, and personally hope and plan to be a part of it.  And yes, I'm still going to work on Ruby!

Here's what the canonical "Hello World" looks like in Go:


package main

import "fmt"

func main() {
fmt.Printf("Hello world!\n")
}

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See Also:
The Go Programming Language (Official Site)
Google's New Language: Go (Good Math, Bad Math)
Ruby Programming Language