'Best' coding language to start off with

Well, I remembered one of the things I meant to do this summer, which is see if I can code. I am wondering how I should start off?

 

html/xml is nice and simple and easy. or, if you want something more powerfull, the any of the BASIC languages (VisualBasic/DarkBasic) or, like my friend, try your hand a C.

 

Well the first and only coding language I learned was java. Thats pretty easy, but I was taught that by someone who had lots of coding expriernce(she helped code dreamweaver)

 

Personally I like C++. It's not too tricky to do, and it's very powerful. Plus you don't have to work so hard on input/output or exceptions as you do with Java (don't worry if you don't know what that means ). If you want something easy, try Visual Basic. It uses windows forms I'm sure you're familiar with, and it's pretty close to English.

 

What exactly do you want to do?

Things like html are useful if you're wanting to play with webpage design and all, but not really comperable to actual programming.

If you're into actual programming there are tons of choices... I would suggest C++ or Java, my preference being C++. If you're into physics/science type stuff, Python might also be of interest to you - used with vPython (visual python) it's very easy to create 3D simulations.

With any programming language though, if you really want to learn it you should be prepared to buy some books on that language, and invest a good amount of time to actually learn it.

 

Pascal is a language invented specifically for learning programming. It's pretty good.

Java is a good all around language.

 

C++, period.

Don't start with Java or BASIC because those are just crap (substitute the word interpreted for crap, if you like).

 

Java can be compiled (and BASIC also can be compiled.) In addition, as powerful as computers are today, the overhead of an interpreted language is quite small - the algorithm matters more than whether the language is interpreted or compiled. Basically, a poorly-written C program will run more slowly than a well-written Python script.

 

HTML/XML was easiest for me to learn.

 

Aye, it depends what you would like to do. Web stuff go with html at first. If you want an actuall programing language and are unfamilar with coding concepts then start with pascel or kids proggraming language to get things down conceptually.

If you are not sure of web or stand alone development then you can always look at php.

If you want to mod civ iv look at python, xml, and c++

Do not, ever, look at perl. Anything that tries to use every character on the keyboard should not be trusted.

 

C++ is worst to start with, and ones who reccomend you that one aren't your friends. Question was not "what is the most powerful prog. language", but what one to start with.

HTML, Visual Basic, C#, Java - in order of difficulty.

 

I started with it and didn't have a problem (except that I don't program anymore, but that had nothing to do with what language I picked first).

 

this is 2006, not 1996. C++ advantages have been transferred to other languages, and its weaknesses fixed in them too.

 

Brainf---.

More seriously, Lisp. I've programmed in multiple languages, and when I'm writing in language A and I repeatedly wish for simple features from language B, it suggests to me that language B is better.

When I took a university course on Java, I spent the first two months wishing for defun.

Python is also good, though I haven't much experience with it myself. HTML isn't really a language so much as a specification, (Visual) Basic will trap your mind, and C is a bit clunky, but I suppose it works.

 

Actually everyone has different opinions on programming...just like pizzas they come in different varieties....

the way I am working right now it has been
XHTML
CSS
DHTML
Javascript - Actionscript (working on it right now)

up next is -
Visual Basic
Python here and there
Java
maybe some C++


Although I hear Python is growing in capabilities (blender runs off of it), and I also hear that Pearl is quite a popular language too? why is that?