A good language to start with?

[Dorza]

Ok im trying to get into comptuer programming. I know a couple of things in HTML and im currently trying to learn JS, however tbh im finding HTML a bit boreing. I really want to try somthing more advanced ie. a language with alot of power and felxability such as Java or C++. Has any one got any ideas or advice as to where i could start . Do you need to have a good memory for all this ive been told (by programmers) its not essensial and that u dont have to be a wizkid in maths either (tho it wouldn't be a bad thing im sure). So where could i start? Thanks for ne help

[Shad]

You'll soon find out if your brain can think in terms of programming a solution so just go ahead and try it. Web languages can be quite fun, ASP, .NET, PHP, JSP etc can all do very impressive stuff these days.

A lot depends on what platform you use currently (i.e. most Linux users tend to do PHP and then other C like languages, most Windows users tend to do VB and other Redmond languages). It's obviously much easier to test stuff if the language you're writing in is supported by your platform

[Zathras]

Though the purists will berate me for saying so, Visual Basic's probably a good one to start with for writing applications without too much difficulty. It really depends what you want to do: websites, windows applications, databases?

[Dorza]

Im going to be switching to linux tonight actualy. And ill be doing VB as part of my college work this year, so i can learn that there. Thanks for the input so far.

[MrFlibble]

Originally posted by Zathras
Though the purists will berate me for saying so, Visual Basic's probably a good one to start with for writing applications without too much difficulty. It really depends what you want to do: websites, windows applications, databases?

I wouldn't disagree with that. You've got control flow, you've got public and private procedures (and hence scope), all the usual sort of stuff.
It's a perfectly good language to learn in, and gives instantly satisfying results.
The best thing about learning in an Object Oriented language like Java is also the worst - the concept of OO itself! It can be difficult enough learning all the rest without having to get your head round OO at the same time.
Whichever language you choose, you'll soon pick it all up.
Oh, and have fun!

[Agent]

Originally posted by Dorza
Im going to be switching to linux tonight actualy. And ill be doing VB as part of my college work this year, so i can learn that there. Thanks for the input so far.

Well if you want to go down, and learn the Linux route, i recommend you take a look at PHP.
You'll come across a lot of the same / similar syntax in Linux often. Its also an excellent base for learning higher level languages like C.
People say VB is easy - but i always found it the hardest language to learn, it just didn't seem "clean" for me.
Saying that, i have come from a background of languages like BASIC, which would probably explain that. I'm not a huge fan of any OO language, i work better with non OO languages at the moment - they seem more "logical" for my brain thinking.

It certainly doesn't hurt to give both a try though and see which one you like best.
I had to decide between ASP and PHP when learning a language. The way i choose was to get several script examples for both languages and study them each for a day or so, which ever you pic up the easiest, go with

[acidrainy]

Object Orientation is great when you can put it to good use, takes some thinking at first though

[THCi]

Vbasic is a good language for learning about declarations, OO, and general programing concepts. Can be a right bitch sometimes though.

Give VB a go, then have a look at a few (basic) php scripts. You will start to notice differences in the code structures. Which ever you find the most logical (to you) go with. Otherwise, talk to your computing/IT/whatever teach, and see what they suggest. Plus, if your gonna be doing VB at college, they will give you a good grounding in the concepts. Its best to wait (IMHO) to wait till youve got that grounding before going about learning this that, or the other.

[DaBeeeenster]

I'd definitely recommend learning a procedural language first (VB, C, PHP), and then moving on to an Object Oriented one (I'd definitely recommend Java - C++ is nasty) when you feel comfortable.

You might also want to look at the cost of development environments. Developing VB is not free, whereas there are a number of free (and some excellent) IDE's for Java.

[Rys]

PHP isn't procedural in the traditional sense, neither is VB. Both are near enough fully fledged OO languages. Developing VB.NET (and the rest of the .NET languages) is free, there are some good free IDE's. A .NET language is a good place to start if you want to get your teeth into something.

Rys

[Rys]

I'll also say that learning programming concepts is what you should be looking to do, not a particular language per se.

If you have a good grounding in OO semantics, picking up ANY OO based language should be a piece of cake, since all you are learning from then on is a syntax and the basics of a class library or framework.

Rys

[DaBeeeenster]

Originally posted by Rys
PHP isn't procedural in the traditional sense, neither is VB. Both are near enough fully fledged OO languages. Developing VB.NET (and the rest of the .NET languages) is free, there are some good free IDE's. A .NET language is a good place to start if you want to get your teeth into something.

Rys

PHP4 and VB6 are object-based languages. Neither support polymorphism or inheritence. They provide basic support for encapsulation which I guess is a good thing to learn.

[Agent]

Originally posted by THCi
Otherwise, talk to your computing/IT/whatever teach, and see what they suggest

Problem is, most teachers at best dont have anything above the scope of VB - so this is usually what they will allways recomend

[tonicblue]

Originally posted by Agent
Problem is, most teachers at best dont have anything above the scope of VB - so this is usually what they will allways recomend

Very True. Were quite lucky though at stourbridge. Ken knows VB and C++ and basic Assembler,
Slick Rich knows Aida (sp?) and i think PHP, And other Rich used to code for Codemasters working on C++ for games and PHP web development. But I do agree, at most colleges teacher will probably not know anything other than VB. At King Eds (supposedly one of the best colleges in the country) the computer science teacher is actually a history teacher that is having to double up. He teaches straight out the book and has no experience.

From My experience
Start with Visual Basic or ASP (more or less the same) so you have a basic understanding of what the hell is going on. after a month or so when u can problem solve and you know how to use all statements and loops and lots of other stuff, (a good knowlege of how it works), Look at PHP or C/C++. If ur switching to Linux PHP or C/C++ would be a nice one but they look impossible to learn if you have no experience.

[Dorza]

I started VB today in college, it looks okish. Im not a fan of the drag and drop then program techniqe thats in VB cos i dont think thats proper programming if somthings done already for u i.e a button. But as an introduction to programming it does look pretty tidy. Thanks for all ur posts btw

[tonicblue]

Thats why you should try your hand at ASP or VBScript (same thing, ASP is just server side) once you get to grips with this. Its all nice and pure code. I know what you mean about the drag n drop aspect. It annoys me alot. Thats why I got into ASP and now PHP. I was told that PHP will help learn C and its an easier gap to bridge from asp to php as apposed to VB to C. I will eventually get onto C/C++ and hopefully pic it up nicley.