What's the best language to begin learning?

Unknown

I know a LITTLE about programming, but I want to get serious about learning how to program. What in your opinion is the best language to start with?

Unknown

: I know a LITTLE about programming, but I want to get serious about learning how to program. What in your opinion is the best language to start with?

-----------------------------------------

Depends on what you want to do with it.

Sooner or later, you will end up programming C/C++. But it's really cryptic and difficult for starters. I would recommend either Pascal or Visual Basic. Pascal is a lot like C, but more readable and was originally designed to be a learning language. You will, however, have difficulties coding 'visual' programs from the start. You will be doing DOS-Programs in the beginning, until you know enough to switch to either Delphi (kind of visual pascal) or C/C++/VC.

In VB, you will have no difficulties creating Windows-App's, but beware: It's basic, and without good guidance you will create horrible code with it, using things like globals, goto's and stuff like that, just because you CAN do it in basci and it seems to be easier first. If you want to do it right, start with Pascal or (warning: complicated) C/C++. Use a good book. Good to me means it does not list any number in the title, like 'Learn to be god in 21 seconds'.

Try finding a teacher might be helpful, too.

hope this helps (though a VB-only programmer might

not agree with my statement. Do not make your decision upon just one comment !)

-nv

Unknown

Unless you want a lot of headaches, I would not learn C first. Start with pascal like the person above stated. C has its share of cryptic horrible coders out there, too. Pascal forces organization and good program design, and is like C. Delphi II can be bought at www.classifieds2000.com or ebay or one of the other auction sites. It can also be downloaded at various place on the net, although that is not legal.

Unknown

: I know a LITTLE about programming, but I want to get serious about learning how to program. What in your opinion is the best language to start with?

No! Don't you ever try to learn BASIC or PASCAL,

they will make you a bad coder. Especially BASIC.

My suggestion is that you start with C.

It's better to start with C because:

Learning BASIC will make you use unstructured

codeingstyle such ass global vars, gotos, codeing

without using subroutines.

Using visual shit is nothing about coding, it about

painting.

ASM is not good to start with because its difficult

and it dosen't focus much on writing good,

structured code.

C will force you to code structured with local

vars, functions, iterations and stuff.

Unknown

ALthough I would HIGHLY recomend BASIC you also have to take into account what people can get thier hands on. If yer tight on cash, anything is better than nothing. I know a lot of QBasic coders that produce code that is easy to understand and simple to follow. Granted, QBasic can be spagetthi code, but no one is perfect to start, and with that in mind, i have to say I've seen a LOT more horrible code in c++ so dont say that you shoudl go wih c/c++ because it allows you better structuring techniques.

c/c++ is way to obfuscated to start off with if you dont have a tutor or someone to hold your hand. BASIC on the other hand is simple as hell, and pretty much anyone who has ever programmed will be able to help you out because MOST people start with some form of basic or pascal.

if yer really gung-ho, then go with pascal, but if you really dont know what you're doing, basic is better for you.

Unknown

: I know a LITTLE about programming, but I want to get serious about learning how to program. What in your opinion is the best language to start with?

Everyone is going to have a different opinion on this, but my suggestion to you is to go straight into C, but from a beginner's perspective. Not all "C for beginners" books are worthwhile reading, I know this from experience when I started to learn C (I started with GWBasic, quite a while ago before trying to study C...)

The "course" that I learned C from is called Master C, and it is (or was...) published by Waite Group Press. It was a book that came with a set of disks, and on those disks was the course... you installed it on your hard drive, and it walked you through the C language step by step, like a teacher would, from the most basic of concepts, all the way up to fairly complex programming techniques... And on top of that, it would quiz you numerous times along the way, just to make sure you were really paying attention. It was designed entirely with the beginner in mind, and not a single ounce of previous programming experience was required... if you can find your own copy of this book with the disks, get it. It's an EXCELLENT course.

J