What is the best programming language to learn?

[HTMLBasicTutor]

Originally Posted by C.A. Perez

I have never heard of those acronyms, XAMPP, IIS or LAMP or MAMP.

These are servers you run on your computer.

I use WampServer (Apache) - make sure Windows IIS is not running to avoid problems.

IIS is a Windows server that comes with XP Pro and greater.

Installing IIS 7.5 on Windows 7 Home Premium, Home Basic, or Home StarterApplies To: Windows 7

[ameerulislam]

Originally Posted by Rukbat

Dan, Niklaus Wirth (the guy who invented Pascal, Modula2, etc.) wrote a book called ... "Algorithms + Data Structures = Programs". Best pure programming course ever written. (Cheap book too, and one that every programmer should have on his desk, if only to be able to say "I know what's in that book.")

Is there an ebook version of that book?

[supershoesclub]

I think java, C++ are the most important programming languages to learn.especialy for the newbie.

[Winleet]

Originally Posted by C.A. Perez

I have a Hostgator account and have been dabbling in php. I have never heard of those acronyms, XAMPP, IIS or LAMP or MAMP. I will look them up and see what it is you are trying to convey to me. Do you mean to say that with that information I can host my own accounts on my own server? Goes to show how much I do not know. No need to reply, it's more a question that popped onto my mind as I read your response. I'll go look it up and answer my own question.

Thanks for the info.

Yes, you can turn your computer into a web server (either for you to test php on, or into a full fledged server open to the internet to host your own stuff without having to pay a monthly bill).

As for languages, why not go with C#? It is a very popular and modern language you can use for a lot of stuff.

[HTMLBasicTutor]

Originally Posted by supershoesclub

I think java, C++ are the most important programming languages to learn.especialy for the newbie.

Can you please explain why.

[HTMLBasicTutor]

Originally Posted by Winleet

... or into a full fledged server open to the internet to host your own stuff without having to pay a monthly bill).

And your ISP might have something to say about that.

Home internet is not set up for or meant for web hosting. It doesn't have the qualities required that you could get from a proper web hosting firm.

[EnulSolaris]

Originally Posted by Dan Williamson

Firstly, HTML isn't a programming language. Secondly I don't know how it is in India but in the UK C# and Java are the most wanted programmers, and C++ is hardly as easy as it doesn't hold your hand as much.

Really - language doesn't matter, learn to program. If I could go back and re-learn I wouldn't write a single bit of 'syntax' I would use pseudo-code and just learn Algorithms, Data Structures and the structures of programs etc.

I agree with Dan, I am just starting out in learning programming, I have my C++ Interactive Course from Waite Group Press, I have to download the platform or buy a version of Visual Basic C++

However my concern is in wasting time learning a language that will not go the distance, It is improtant to "Identify" which languages are in use and their platforms like youtube I believe uses Python (Free Downloadable Source Code), or C# for Iphone, Ipad apps!

The important message that Dan is trying to put across is the differenciating the difference between programming and languages!
How I understand the imput so far is

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

Learning to program - is understanding the structure of programs (Framework), algorithims (Brickwork) which is the "Foundation To Programming"

C++, Java, Python etc "Are Languages" to be learnt!

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

This comment basically inspired and is not so much for Dan as for others like me who are just starting out and need to "Identify That Difference"

Like me newbies to programming will be approaching programming thin "We Want To Get Our Hands Into The Clay And Start Moulding", which is where the frustration sets in, while there are programs out there that allow you to write languages by "Blocking" they still seem to lack based on the vision of the persons outcome!

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

So based on multiple forum searches for research into Programming and thatnks to Dan Williamson the outcome has been identifying programming and languages are different hense the starting point would be in researching and studying - Wirth's "Algorithms + Data Structures = Programs", "The Art Of Programming", "The Pragmatic Programmer" and other similar books, which I will do on "EBook" which if the book is present at least shows a preview of the first 50 or so pages!

A big thank you to Dan and others on this Forumn for helping me and others like me direct themselves better!

Good Luck On Your Own Journeys!

[EnulSolaris]

Originally Posted by EnulSolaris

I agree with Dan, I am just starting out in learning programming, I have my C++ Interactive Course from Waite Group Press, I have to download the platform or buy a version of Visual Basic C++

However my concern is in wasting time learning a language that will not go the distance, It is improtant to "Identify" which languages are in use and their platforms like youtube I believe uses Python (Free Downloadable Source Code), or C# for Iphone, Ipad apps!

The important message that Dan is trying to put across is the differenciating the difference between programming and languages!
How I understand the imput so far is

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

Learning to program - is understanding the structure of programs (Framework), algorithims (Brickwork) which is the "Foundation To Programming"

C++, Java, Python etc "Are Languages" to be learnt!

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

This comment basically inspired and is not so much for Dan as for others like me who are just starting out and need to "Identify That Difference"

Like me newbies to programming will be approaching programming thin "We Want To Get Our Hands Into The Clay And Start Moulding", which is where the frustration sets in, while there are programs out there that allow you to write languages by "Blocking" they still seem to lack based on the vision of the persons outcome!

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

So based on multiple forum searches for research into Programming and thatnks to Dan Williamson the outcome has been identifying programming and languages are different hense the starting point would be in researching and studying - Wirth's "Algorithms + Data Structures = Programs", "The Art Of Programming", "The Pragmatic Programmer" and other similar books, which I will do on "EBook" which if the book is present at least shows a preview of the first 50 or so pages!

A big thank you to Dan and others on this Forumn for helping me and others like me direct themselves better!

Good Luck On Your Own Journeys!

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

Update To Orriginal Message -

NB: I Believe that the game "Quake" by ID created by Ian McCorrmak was so popular because it allowed the users to modify, it showed it had a modular structure, and allowed the user to play with the codeing, it gave "The Illusion" of being able to "Play With The Clay" as stated above, from changing the skins to making complete modifications, from what I have seen so far people world wide want to express their individuality being able to "Play With The Clay" as in "Easy To Use" modification tools for the Avatars in the game allow for this, also clothing types etc allow for this expression of individuality, then it is game play and storyline that make for a best games!
I have some awesome idea's for games that will combine "Cloud Computing" with "App's" ("Base Program" with "Interface"), that means the core programming is on the cloud computers, while the user uses an app that interacts with the core program, the Avatar is simply a "Positional Field" that is moving within an enviroment, the enviroment is both part of the app and the core program, as for my other multitude of idea's I will have to wait until I have learnt a language and see if they are possible!
Here's a hint of my thinking - "a blue ray movie" can play on your monitor with incredible clarity, yet a game will stutter, yet they are both "JUST DATA" being displayed, if I was to pre-package some of the commonalities (Just like the human body does with peptides hense addiction) then the transfer of data may increase dramatically giving seamless gameplay as such I name the tech as "Peptidal Graphics!"

[RiptideTempora]

Originally Posted by Dan Williamson

What is the best car to drive? Which country is the best to live in? Which football (Soccer you damned Americans ) team is the best?

These are all questions which are like the one you have asked, completely dependent on you. My personal preference would be to learn Python. It's powerful, runs just about everywhere and the syntax pretty much forces you to use good practices, instead of bashing out terrible C style code which makes developers cry.

Python is good.

I started with PHP back in 2002 because it was my best option. I still say it's not a bad one to start with since the online documentation is actually extremely helpful.

[web7]

Learn C++ and Java and you will became an expert coder.

[RiptideTempora]

Originally Posted by web7

Learn C++ and Java and you will became an expert coder.

Only learning object-oriented languages does not make one an expert. Learning a wide variety of languages (low-level, high-level, OO, procedural, interpreted, compiled) and being able to make almost anything work with almost any language makes you an expert coder.

The business world right now has a strong bias towards OO programming, but sometimes the procedural approach is better.

[eagle12]

I have never worked in a corporate environment where OO isn't better. Can you elaborate how procedural is better?

[RiptideTempora]

Originally Posted by eagle12

I have never worked in a corporate environment where OO isn't better. Can you elaborate how procedural is better?

You need one function, accessible by anything regardless of its object. Like, say, an encryption function. Something global, non-inherited.

Instead of copying and pasting a new method to the relevant superclasses, just write a damn function() and call it whenever it's needed. Problem solved. Less bitchwork.

[eagle12]

Yeah, I can see that, but that is what utilities are for. I still don't see any use for a whole application being procedural any more. Sure there will be small functions that you will use, but as a whole IMO if you are developing in straight procedural, you are in for a headache later if/when you start getting a lot of traffic, or get busy. It is very difficult to maintain.

[RiptideTempora]

Originally Posted by eagle12

Yeah, I can see that, but that is what utilities are for. I still don't see any use for a whole application being procedural any more. Sure there will be small functions that you will use, but as a whole IMO if you are developing in straight procedural, you are in for a headache later if/when you start getting a lot of traffic, or get busy. It is very difficult to maintain.

Right. That's why I recommend being incredible versatile.

[eagle12]

Sure, agreed. I can work in a procedural environment, but any new development is done in OOP, specific MVC pattern. It makes for a far cleaner application, and easier to maintain.

Personally I don't think there is one language that is better than the other, what you should be learning is about architecture.

[theseopanda]

-- C/C++ are good if you're going to program for systems. Not for the web. They're fast, and good for games, and other dedicated applications. They're semi-tedious to program in, and you have to manage a lot of things yourself (such as memory, variable types, etc).
-- Java can be useful as a learning tool, but you're far less likely to use it in the real world. If you're looking for a job, there are a million people who will claim they are java programmers, and your resume will just disappear, drowned out by the flood of people claiming to be java gods. Very large companies use java, but I haven't come across too many small/medium sized companies that do.
-- PHP is a simple and a fast language. For most sites, they'll never hit a speed issue with php, unless it's a really poorly written program. It's really nice for individuals because so many details are handled by the language itself. Converting between variables, memory management, etc. It's super easy to prototype something, and to see results rapidly. LAMP is a very common stack for websites, linux, apache, mysql, php. Everything is tied together, ready to go, and quick to develop on. Lots of tips, pieces of code, programs, and forums to get help on.
-- Python seems to be a good choice if you're looking for a job right now. You won't be competing with many people, it has a lot of what php has to offer but is clearly faster. There are several frameworks that use it as well.
-- Basic/DOT.net/C# I would not recommend. There are a lot of people who use them, but there are a lot of people who use them poorly, you'll be frustrating yourself getting ideas/help from a horde of clueless people, while they'll drown out the good help.
-- perl is fantastic if you're using unix and you want to glue together many applications, do data manipulation, etc. It's an amazing system administrator tool, but doesn't offer a lot in terms of making a program for distribution. It's not a great tool for web developing. It's a good tool to do data manipulation and glue other programs together.

[Rukbat]

Originally Posted by RiptideTempora

Only learning object-oriented languages does not make one an expert. Learning a wide variety of languages (low-level, high-level, OO, procedural, interpreted, compiled) and being able to make almost anything work with almost any language makes you an expert coder.

Actually, learning programming makes you a programmer, learning languages doesn't. "Expert"? Only experience makes you an expert - in anything.

The business world right now has a strong bias towards OO programming, but sometimes the procedural approach is better.

And knowing which is best - and when - only comes with experience. Any time I see an argument of "OO is better/procedural is better", I laugh. Neither is "better", each is best when used where needed.

Originally Posted by eagle12

I can work in a procedural environment, but any new development is done in OOP, specific MVC pattern. It makes for a far cleaner application, and easier to maintain.

That makes me laugh too. A small page, performing a few small functions, done as classes, makes for an impossible-to-maitain-easily mess. (Our database uses a date far in the past as "no date". I have a one-line function to display the date - or a blank if it's the "null date". I should make a class out of it?)

Originally Posted by theseopanda

-- Basic/DOT.net/C# I would not recommend. There are a lot of people who use them, but there are a lot of people who use them poorly, you'll be frustrating yourself getting ideas/help from a horde of clueless people, while they'll drown out the good help.

"A lot of people don't know how to use it properly, so don't use it"? There may be reasons to not use those languages (I can't think of any blanket good ones), but that's certainly not one of them. (One of the largest practice management systems out there is written in VB.)

[RiptideTempora]

Originally Posted by Rukbat

Actually, learning programming makes you a programmer, learning languages doesn't. "Expert"? Only experience makes you an expert - in anything.

The word "expert" was qualifying "coder". Yes, experience is the only path to expertise, but not branching out will make you narrow-minded and limit your potential. I would not call such people experts.

Originally Posted by Rukbat

And knowing which is best - and when - only comes with experience. Any time I see an argument of "OO is better/procedural is better", I laugh. Neither is "better", each is best when used where needed.

Welcome to my point. There are times when one is more practical or intuitive to use than the other, but a lot of it comes down to personal preference. Or professional preference, if you're building a managed project. But I digress.

[glanmartin62]

.NET is the best programing language to learn.it's built by Microsoft it's not a open sours.ASP.net and VB.net is two type.ASP.net use for create Dynamic webpage and Vb.net use for create Windows base Application.