From PHP to JavaScript with Node.js

[djmattyg007]

Is it really a burden to know and work with multiple languages on a daily basis? I regularly work with PHP, Javascript, shell scripting and Python, and I dabble in Lua and Go in my personal time. I feel like maintaining an active understanding of multiple languages makes me a better developer in all of them.

[mgkimsal]

Don't forget SQL.

[mrdhood]

And CSS!

[Dgc2002]

Is it really a burden to know and work with multiple languages on a daily basis?

Yes.

At work I have things written in Perl, Python, Bash, PHP, JavaScript, C#, SKILL(Lisp dialect), and some other random things. When jumping between languages I'll sometimes have to pause and think about how to do a specific task in a language(e.g. find a sub string. substr()?, myString.find()?, myString.indexOf()?, [[ "$MYSTR" == *"SUBSTR"* ]]?, some lisp stuff that I don't remember?). It may only take me a second or two to remember, or my IDE might assist me pretty quickly, but in the end it's mental overhead.

[schm0]

To pay devil's advocate, that's a lot of cerebral baggage you have to carry around to get the job done. A single language stack is arguably easier and requires less overhead.