What is the best programming language to learn as a beginner?

Question

Is it:
Java
Basic
C#
C++
Delphi
ect............

Answer 1

I find Java really easy. And the knowledge from there is really transferrable to C++, which I am learning now. I've never done Basic, but I don't think it's really that useful.



Also, I hear Python is a really good starting language, but, I've never used it. The most important thing to really learn is just the concepts, like even psudocode, really. Then once you have that it's easier to learn other languages. Then all you have to learn is the syntax.

Answer 2

To learn the basics of programming, BASIC and Pascal were developed for that purpose. Pascal is a wiser choice since it helps develop better programming practices with much more structure. These languages are "procedural" languages whereas most of the newer languages are "object oriented."



The difference between the language types is significant (procedural vs. object oriented) but learning the basics of programming such as syntax, data types, variables, pointers, functions and procedures and program flow, a procedural language would make the most sense. However, the transition to an object oriented language is another learning curve - where you would need to understand inheritance, classes, methods and events of objects within your application. Delphi (object oriented Pascal) combines the two and would be a good choice to write code that runs on Windows.



If you plan to write code for the Web, you'll need to be familiar with HTML XML, Javascript, PHP and throw in some SQL. (These are considered languages but NOT "programming" languages).



If you're already familiar with HTML, PHP is a good scripting language to learn. To get started, all you need is XAMPP. You can download it for free - it installs Apache web server, MySQL, PHP and Perl on your local Windows machine and you could be writing code in minutes. And, there's more help for PHP on the Internet than any other language.



I hope this helps.. Good luck.

Answer 3

Anyone who advises you to learn C either doesn't know C properly or has been programming for so long they can't possibly understand why a beginner would struggle with it. Suffice to say C is *not* a good beginners' language if you want them to not quit in frustration after a week.



In answer to your question: Java's okay, but Python's a lot better.

Answer 4

As a beginner, you should start with procedural language like C.

After you know the concepts of functions, you can go for object oriented languages like C++ or Java.



If you already know the basic constructs, functions you can start learning Java.

Answer 5

HTML counts as a programming language, so learn XML first, then HTML, then JS, then PHP, then C# and then C/C++.