Programming Languages for Begninners

[DrOrgaZmo]

Hey, I suck at programming. But I pretended I'm good. Now it's actually time to get good.

Which starting language do you recommend to a n00b?

Should I start really easy, like Qbasic or something, and work my way up? Or should I start with Pascal or Java right away?

And which language should be my "main" language, the one where I'm going to be l33t in? Java? C++? Visual Basic? Which one is fit for a l337 h4x0r n1nj4?

Yeah, I'm lame...

 

[ainwood]

Seeing as you're writing in "l337" I considered not answering (for fear that you're monitoring this thread to grab my IP and hack it)

VB(A) is probably the easiest to learn, and one of the fastest growing (in terms of programmers) languages. The real beauty is that you can learn a bit of the basic syntax and how to work with objects etc simply by opening word / excel etc and recording macros.

In terms of 'main', previously I would have said either Java or C++, simply because they are more powerful. However, VB is catching up with sucessive releases - not to the point where anyone is trying to use not for serious graphics / games etc, but getting there. Its a great language for such things as database interfaces, and 'useful little apps' for your own use.


I doubt it has a lot of street cred though....

 

[damunzy]

If you can get on UNIX/Linux systems I would suggest learning scripting on those systems.

If you can only get on Windows/DOS systems then I would suggest starting with Batch scripting to get a handle on some of the basics. After that I suggest you read through a few books on C++, Java, and VB to see what "fits" you best. I tried for a while with C++ and found that too hard. I went to VB since it was supposed to be easier - it is but just didn't "feel" like programming to me so I went off to Java. Haven't really gotten into Java yet but I have learned a great deal about scripting in UNIX which is based on C (without the ++)....so, try it all and see what sticks.

 

[funxus]

I know VB quite well, and think it's a good language because a lot of it can be done with a few mouse clicks, when the same result would have needed several lines of code in other languages like Java and C++.
I know though that VB can only be used in Windows (which is not really a problem for me at the moment) and that it isn't as flexible as Java and C++, so I've tried to learn Java a bit, but never really got in to it.

So it's probably easier to start with VB, since you'll get the hang of it sooner than in Java/C++, but AFAIK Java and C++ are better languages to know

 

[gonzo_for_civ]

I've worked w/C++ for years. It is incredibly powerful but since I started working w/vb shortly back I'd have to say VB is much easier.

So, for "intense" or advanced apps you should use C++ or another similar language and for more basic apps VB is good enough.

I'd learn both.

 

[DrOrgaZmo]

Originally posted by ainwood
Seeing as you're writing in "l337" I considered not answering (for fear that you're monitoring this thread to grab my IP and hack it)

If I had teh skillz I'd h4x Apolyton. heh heh

Thanks for replying. It seems that VB is really popular. I think I'll read some books and decide if VB is fit for me.

My original question was which language should I start off with. Should I start off with an easy one, or just jump right into VB? Does starting off with an easy language help you understand programming better, or is it just a waste of time?

 

[Aethon]

My reccomendation would to be to start with Java.

If you decide Java or C++ there are a couple good books for both availible here:
http://www.mindview.net/Books

 

[smalltalk]

I agree with Aethon and say Java, which is one of the most up-to-date languages available.

Java is more structured compared to C++, whereas C++ is better if you like to work on machine level. In C++ errors tend to show up in run-time, whereas Java hints you at it in design-time.

Also, I have to mention Smalltalk, one of the first object orientated languages around, but of course I'm biased.

 

[gonzo_for_civ]

I'd have to definately say NO to starting out w/Java. I think it'd be far more beneficial to start w/VB, that way he can learn the concepts before having to apply them into a language such as java....

Still...public static void main to all, and to all a..err.......

 

[dowski]

Well, I'm going to throw my two cents of input into this discussion...

I would reccommend Python . It has been around for about 10 years and has a GREAT user community that is very helpful to new programmers (the first answer to a question is usually not RTFM). If you get into Python, I reccommed joining the tutor mailing list. Very helpful people there.

I don't have much in the way formal programming education (there was that intro to programming course in Pascal...maybe that's why I decided not to major in CS...) and found learning general programming concepts quite easy in Python. I tried C++ first and got bogged down in pointers, memory management, even simple stuff like string handling. I guess my first foray into programming came with PHP though.

Maybe you should gear your learning towards something you are already working with. If you do websites, learn PHP and make a simple content management system. If you want to make Windows or Linux utility applications, try Python (I wrote a Windows GUI utility in Python in about 10 total hours of programming/learning time).

Anyhow, I reccommend Python overall for its clean syntax (easy to read), object oriented design features (for later application in Java or something), cross platform coding, and the invaluable learning tool that it comes with - the interactive interpreter.

Oh yeah, it's free too

dowski

utility I wrote in python

 

[GenghisK]

I enjoyed a lot ASM
mov ax, dx
push bx
pop dx

 

[Cilpot]

Originally posted by GenghisK
I enjoyed a lot ASM
mov ax, dx
push bx
pop dx

Yuk, assembly

I started out with Java (and still learning it, university) about a year ago. I thought it was quite easy to learn the syntax. And understanding Object Oriented Programming is essential today. So I reccomend Java or C++ ..