what's a good programming language to learn?

[lightburst]

I think step one to programming would include making tags work? I kid.

 

VB.NET Windows Application(and maybe Console too) is pretty much intuitive as it has the drag-and-drop thing along with Intellisense. You can literally sit down, create a project, and guess your way through the IDE without much issue. That is, of course, not considering outside functionality like SQL and whatnot. The Intellisense really does a lot when pared with VB's 'basic' syntax.

 

Perspective, I think, is essential. Reading a manual is not so fun when you don't know what you're looking for. Maybe try out some programming exercises online, even if not intended for your language. Instead, of course, of just aiming for finishing the task, try to expound what you know on a measly problem. There isn't an overkill solution when you're trying to learn a language.

[khaled]

If you start with C++ as your first programming language (as I've done)

 

.. Learning any other programming language can be done in a day

 

If C++ looks too hard to be learned as a first language,

 

I suggest trying BASIC (not VB.net)

 

Take an advice from an open-source contributed who've worked on many programming languages,

 

On the long scale, I suggest learning C++ (general, assembled), Java (platform-independent, interpreted),

 

and PHP (build dynamic website\web-service) and (optionally Objective-C, and C#)

[peterson86]

C++ is the best language for these type of work as it gives much more exposure for hardware interaction.

[Xittenn]

From a learning perspective, I think that ActionScript and Flash make great teaching tools. It really helps to have that extra level of visual aid and flash projects can be a lot of fun. Flash projects will allow a student to experiment with more complete projects, and gain some satisfaction from their accomplishments. ActionScript makes full use of C-Like Syntax, is strongly typed, and can develop object-oriented code. It is also a great way to learn event driven programming.

 

C++ is very dry and leaves entirely too much to the imagination. C++ is really a language that should be taught at an intermediate level when the student is a little more ready to get serious about what he or she is doing. There are a lot of rules, and there are entirely too many bad habits to learn that students should be aware of while they are picking them up.

Edited December 8, 2011 by Xittenn

[Schrödinger's hat]

From a learning perspective, I think that ActionScript and Flash make great teaching tools. It really helps to have that extra level of visual aid and flash projects can be a lot of fun. Flash projects will allow a student to experiment with more complete projects, and gain some satisfaction from their accomplishments. ActionScript makes full use of C-Like Syntax, is strongly typed, and can develop object-oriented code. It is also a great way to learn event driven programming.

 

Humm, I'd never considered that aspect.

How would you rate actionscript against logo in this role?

[Xittenn]

I don't, you are talking about two completely separate universes.

 

I guess the only time I would introduce Logo to students would be in either an AP Computer Sciences class or in a Master's Computer Science Degree. AP students might benefit from the introduction of a functional language, as well as some tutelage about the history of Computer Sciences. In a Master's Degree a student might dissect one of the implementation's and do a study on how it could be conceived of as a learning tool for students.

 

ActionScript as a learning tool is more about learning broad generalizations one can make across a number of languages, as well as introducing the student to the formalisms of Software Engineering.

Edited December 10, 2011 by Xittenn

[PaulWDent]

I vote for FORTRAN for modelling.

 

I have used Compaq Visual Fortran many years. Intel took that over and it has become Intel Visual Fortran,

which is excellent too.

 

The reason I like Fortran is this: In order to read something, you have to be able to pronounce it in your head.

 

You can't "pronounce" C, because of excessive use of punctuation marks and curly brackets and suchlike.

 

FORTRAN is much more easily readable, and therefore you can pick up somebody else's code and figure out

what is going on much easier.

 

Another problem with C is that, to figure out whether a name is a integer, a floating point quantity, an array,

a function or a procedure, you have to look at the declarations, which might be pages away.

 

In FORTRAN, it's obvious. Visual Fortran even uses color to help with this. See attached picture of the code for

a recursive FFT that I wrote.

[NotanOriginalName]

For Beginners:

 

Q basic,C,C++,Visual Basic

 

For Intermediate Level programmers:

Java,Python,C#

 

For Hardcore Programmers:

Assembly,Plankalkul,Lisp

 

For Scientific Programs:

FORTRAN,5GLs

 

For Business based Programs:

COBOL

[L3GACY]

The first programming language I learned was C++, then Visual Basic. Which is what I would reccommend and after those two Java since its syntax issimilar to C++ syntax including expressions and variables.

[nealsdomain]

I don't have as much experience as some of these other posters, but I want to add a point to the Python basket. I have learned Basic, a little java, and a good amount of python and the latter is my favorite simply because the amount of support it has. The tutorials and documentation are amazing for learning it. It is great for a beginner. Also, it is built for object-oriented programming, but can be used very easily for procedural programming. It also has a lot of cool modules like Pygame for making 2d games very easily along with PIL (the python imaging library; where you can do literally anything you can imagine with an image). I have played a lot with Natural Language programming too, and python has a lot of support for that too. Modules include NLTK and MontyLingua. Even if you aren't into NLP, I really recommend playing with MontyLingua or ConceptNet 2.0. It's fun to watch AI do it's thing. Anyway...I have rambled enough.

[briddell]

I recommend Java, C++, or C. C is outdated, but is a good intro to Object Oriented languages. Java if you need a job. C++ is common for games and mostly everything. Java too, minus the game.

 

-Briddell

[Schrödinger's hat]

I recommend Java, C++, or C. C is outdated, but is a good intro to Object Oriented languages. Java if you need a job. C++ is common for games and mostly everything. Java too, minus the game.

 

-Briddell

 

C is not object oriented...

[kingashu]

there is no limit on the number of languages u want to learn, i'll tell u from my past experiences

-In some parts of europe, still few firms are working on Pascal,

-Still fortran is a part of physics education group and is taught to practically every physics student who go for higher studies

-c#, java is favored for web development and some other purposes

-c, cpp still are core languages for device drivers, robotics, compilers, and many other

-HDLs such as verilog, vhdl are for compiler again and also for computer organization

-Depending on your interest, start reading from a side, long way to go

[MonDie]

I've never seriously tried to learn about computers before, so dumb everything down. I realized that I probably need to learn a programming language first, so I want to know which language(s) would be best for someone who wants to know how data is transferred through the Internet.

To a lesser extent, I'd like to know what might be good for constructing a statistical calculator.

Edited March 25, 2012 by Mondays Assignment: Die

[Xittenn]

I've never seriously tried to learn about computers before, so dumb everything down. I realized that I probably need to learn a programming language first, so I want to know which language(s) would be best for someone who wants to know how data is transferred through the Internet.

To a lesser extent, I'd like to know what might be good for constructing a statistical calculator.

 

Java!

[DevilSolution]

Scala, Java, Python or C#. Doesn't really matter if you learn them all

[space stuff]

Eventually, I want to be able to do some computationally-heavy modeling work, which obviously requires programming knowledge.

 

Is there a specific language that would be good for this type of interest. Where can a newb start learning about building the tools to develop skills to develop stochastic-type models?

 

Thanks!

 

You may learn basic python from Khan academy.

[Arun Nayak]

Now the world is programming world..every day some new language launched...some update version also released.. but every language has same concepts.. so according to me the baisc languages like C and C++ are good and demanding for ever..

[robheus]

The question should not be "what is the best programming language to learn", since the programming language is just a tool, it depends on the problem you need to solve to see what tool fits that best.

[CherryTarantino]

 

 

Personally, I found C++ difficult to master at first so started with C#. Its easier, its a bit more like a normal language in my opinion. Once i had a good idea of C# I then moved onto C++ And found I understood it more.

 

 

What I would say to anyone who wants to start programming and is a student/ at collage/ uni look up Microsoft Dreamspark. It gives away Visual Studio Prfessional for free.. Usually its a couple of Hundred to a thousand pounds.

 

I apoligse if anyone has already mentioned that! I havent read all of the thread!

 

 

[Greg H.]

Java!

 

Of all the programming languages I have worked with, I like working with Java the best. Of course, I also don't do interface design in it, so that might change my mind.

[morgsboi]

Eventually, I want to be able to do some computationally-heavy modeling work, which obviously requires programming knowledge.

 

Is there a specific language that would be good for this type of interest. Where can a newb start learning about building the tools to develop skills to develop stochastic-type models?

 

Thanks!

 

Batch is a good one to get into it. I started with C++ and it bored the hell out of me! Batch isn't very useful with stuff but it can be quite fun to program.

[lopez nora]

Hi

 

This is Very Great Question Asking Form You.

 

In My Suggestion C & C++ is very good programming language. if person learn & great commend over C & C++ as well then no other language need to learn.

 

In today's environment PHP , Android is is much popular because it's open source software , free to available .

 

Thanks

Edited July 4, 2012 by lopez nora

[timo]

Wherever one doubts the existence of Zombies, he should be shown this thread.

[sibz]

Well, there are so many languages to study. I would recommend Java and PHP since they open source and are good as well. You can really built applications and other software with language like JAVA. PHP is also a good language when it comes to web development. Hope that helps!