What is the best programming language to learn?
 

I am interested in learning a programming language. Many years ago, I learned a smattering of Unix and later a little bit of "C", just enough to be able to ask meaningful questions.

These days I am VERY far removed from programming, so much so that I don't know what languages are popular; what they are best used for and that are being taught. If I wanted to be able to create software what languages would you recommend I use with an eye on versatility, compatibility, data manipulation, etc.

Would it be C, java, C++, perl, visual basic, or something I have never heard of?

You might ask why at my age would I want to learn a programming language. My answer: Mostly, just because I want to.

Among the choices: C, java, C++, perl, visual basic
I personally suggest java.
Because nowadays java is "everywhere".
Developed by sun micro system, which is now the top competitor of Microsoft.
Java is an object oriented programming language (OOPL). This will give you comfortability and ease of creating objects.
Java is standalone program that can run on different computers and operating systems.
Java components such as interpreter, compiler, runtime environment are developed in security.
Java can do multithreaded operations, example you create one program and on the other tab / window you are running / testing a program.

That's my personal insight.

Thanks,
MrSS

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

1) Unix is an operating system, not a programming language, so that's irrelevant.

2) If you want to learn programming, learn programming. Then learn a language to do it in. You learn it in English, not in a programming language. (I taught programming for a few decades. I've never seen a really good programmer who learned languages but didn't learn programming.)

Wirth's "Algorithms + Data Structures = Programs" is probably best. You can always get a copy from Amazon for under $10 - usually under $5.

3) What's the best carpentry tool? Programming languages are tools. You can't hammer nails very well with an awl. And hammers don't make small holes.

First decide what you need to do - that will dictate a range of languages (or sometimes only a single language) in which to do it.

4) Age has nothing to do with it. I'll be 70 in less than a year, and I'll probably learn a few more languages before I die.

for me its the combination of javascript, php and html php and html are scripting but would make a great application. Looks like applications now are become online so I also decided to learn this online tool.

Thanks, everyone for your replies. I will read that book, "Algorithms + Data Structures = Programs". I am off to a new adventure. I can see that the language depends on what I want to do.

Thanks again

You should also be aware of tutorial videos, they're all over the internet (more specifically, youtube). Tutorials on almost every programming language you can think of.

I've actually done a few myself of C++ but I learned quite a bit about other programming languages like Java and PHP from tutorials by other users. Once you pick up one thing, it's not hard to learn others.

Good luck.

The problem with a lot of these 'video tutorials' is that they're done by people who aren't programmers and have absolutely no idea about any of the theory of programming. They're done by code-monkeys who know how to copy and paste to a basic result and then stutter through a video tutorial making errors and no attempt to editing for decent viewing. I'm all for raw footage, but I hate watching someone spell foreach wrong twice and moaning in to the microphone that he can't spell.

Hi...
Here new flower from India..
The C++, Html, java is interest to learn also easy to understand....
The Most MNC's are wanted this Programming Knowledge..

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.

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.")

I will have a look - I have a fair few theoretical books, such as the Art of Programming, the Pragmatic Programmer etc and have of course read the Structure and Interpretation of Programs etc.

Depends what you would like to do. Web or Desktop programming. Anyway, if you want to get into programming, the best is start learning algorithams, and data structures... this will be crucial to this how good programmer you are later!

Look at your need and interest..
 

Yes!!

Any programming language could be the best depending on you and what you want to use it for.

Asp.net is the best language for programming and in this we have three frames.Window,console,web designing.

There is nothing called best programming language. It depends on what you want to do.

for web application
1. php and mysql

for web application and windows application

2. asp.net and c#
3. Jave and J2ee

Im new to programming and languages also an i decided to spend some time understanding python and django web framework..seems to offer me everything i need.

On behalf of the Code Monkeys of the world, I take offense. :) I've made a reasonably good living for years now with little more than copy/paste and the determination to tweak code that I don't really understand until the result I want pops out.

Frankly, "real" programmers annoy the hell out of me. I make zero money by constructing the world's most awesome codebase. I make money by delivering results to paying customers. The only reason I've even achieved code-monkey levels of expertise is because I got tired of waiting six months for "real programmers" to deliver a simple landing page/order form.

I'm exaggerating ever-so-slightly, but not by much. Every bit of programming I know I learned by necessity. I needed to know .php, so I learned it. I needed a database, so I figured out how to build one. I'm currently web designer for five different businesses, and I keep all five sites up and running whereas the previous "real programmers" could not. I'm not saying education is bad. I'm saying it's no substitute for dedication and motivation.

As for the original poster: if you want to learn web-based programming, I strongly suggest you get a $5 a month HostGator account, spend the next week going over the tutorials for .php and Ajax at http://www.w3schools.com/php/default.asp, then just start building a web application.

...as for age, don't let television and the movies fool you. I've gotten smarter every year I've lived. :) I actually find code easier now than I did at 25.

'Real programmers' as you put it who take six months to deliver you a landing page and/or a order form certainly aren't real programmers. Most real programmers also copy and paste a hell of a lot too, I have massive modules of commonly used custom functions, methods etc which I don't re-write every time because timescale is important.

As for the 'real programmers' who couldn't keep 5 websites up, perhaps not, but then again they're not web developers or web administrators, they probably weren't real-programmers either. You seem to be taking offence to 'code monkey' when you're probably quite an adept developer and administrator yourself. I'm not educated by the way, I spent most of my childhood in trouble and dropped out of education, everything I learned I learned exactly like you.

A HostGator account really is a bit of a waste of time when you can set up something like XAMPP, IIS or LAMP or MAMP (OS Dependent) and develop locally. Please don't use W3Schools, it teaches bad practices, old code and doesn't even tell you how to secure your code.

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.