# Google App Engine for a C/C++ programmer

**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-app-engine-for-a-c-c-programmer/583764
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [May 30, 2011, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-app-engine-for-a-c-c-programmer/583764 "2011-05-30T16:13:26Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)
#### Post date: [May 30, 2011, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-app-engine-for-a-c-c-programmer/583764/1 "2011-05-30T16:13:26Z")

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So I’m a professional C/C++ programmer. I’m interested in writing some web apps on the side for fun using Google App Engine. That seems to require learning Java, Python, or something called Go.

Anyone have any words of advice, either concerning which of those is best integrated into GAE, which is easiest to learn coming from a C background, etc?  
thanks

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### Author: ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)
#### Post date: [May 30, 2011, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-app-engine-for-a-c-c-programmer/583764/2 "2011-05-30T18:07:56Z")

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Java is probably the closest language to C++, but that’s not necessarily a good thing–you can find that you assume it’s much closer than it is, and that gets you in trouble. Python is by far the most pleasant language I’ve ever worked in, and I definitely recommend if you want to try something where you don’t have to fight with the syntax all the time.

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### Author: ![ptr2void](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ptr2void/32/3406_2.png) [@ptr2void](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ptr2void)
#### Post date: [May 30, 2011, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-app-engine-for-a-c-c-programmer/583764/3 "2011-05-30T23:31:22Z")

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I would go with Python here. You’ll be up and running relatively quickly, methinks.

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### Author: ![The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tao_s_Revenge)
#### Post date: [May 31, 2011, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-app-engine-for-a-c-c-programmer/583764/4 "2011-05-31T00:59:23Z")

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Also Python can interface with C/C++ libraries so unless there’s something weird about the Google APIs you could still use C code in Python.

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### Author: ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)
#### Post date: [May 31, 2011, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-app-engine-for-a-c-c-programmer/583764/5 "2011-05-31T02:05:32Z")

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> [@The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](#):
>
> so unless there’s something weird about the Google APIs you could still use C code in Python.

There is and you can’t. (Except for a few libs that Google has built-in support for.)

But they support enough stuff for most general web-app development needs, so you should be fine.

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### Author: ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)
#### Post date: [May 31, 2011, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-app-engine-for-a-c-c-programmer/583764/6 "2011-05-31T06:42:18Z")

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I’ve been reading about Python, sounds pretty cool, although some stuff will take getting used to (whitespace mattering? thats’ c-c-c-crazy!)

Thanks all.