Question:
What programming language should I learn first?
Mancub
2012-06-01 11:36:43 UTC
I want to learn how to create programs, websites and more. What is the best programming language to learn first? Please, if possible, provide book information.

Much appreciated
Eleven answers:
max v
2012-06-01 19:11:13 UTC
go with C# and ASP.NET. you can use C# in ASP.NET and continue to use what you learned in C#. object oriented programming is pretty important in software development and it makes ASP.NET pleasantly modular. it's also used to make things modular (among other things) in game development and other programs.



you don't need to learn C before C++. you automatically learn the C you need in C++ by learning C++ (don't waste your time)



===Databases!===

but more importantly, ASP.NET, PHP, Ruby-On-Rails etc... all create "dynamic" pages and are nothing without a database. i don't understand how all the other answers left this out. this is generally where all data is stored like the answers on this page. dynamic pages display based on what data is stored. since this data can change, they are dynamic. databases are used everywhere where massive amounts of data has to be stored like banks, government, online games, company data... etc not just for web sites.



databases are generally accessed through queries/commands in the language SQL.





===JavaScript===

you could learn JavaScript (completely different from Java) to make the pages more interactive for the user (think of what pops up here when you hold your mouse over a user-name here). basically it's everything that looks special and can change without reloading the page, but you could also use AJAX in a lot of cases, which contains some ready to use JavaScript components. AJAX can be imported into Visual Studio. an ASP.NET version is documented and available here:

http://www.asp.net/ajaxlibrary/AjaxControlToolkitSampleSite/



JavaScript it's not essential but it can complete things.

(JavaScript is built into most browsers but Java needs to installed by the user to name one superficial difference)



but JavaScript/AJAX is really something you want to do when you are comfortable with ASP.NET or whatever web language you choose, and HTML (it's a luxury).





===my advice: learn C#, ASP.NET and Databases===

- learn to write and design object oriented programs



- use ASP.NET:

Beginning ASP.NET 2.0 with C#

is a tutorial style book with lots of coverage and even some HTML in the beginning (there are probably newer editions). Visual Studio is the best for developing in ASP.NET, you probably won't see a nicer interface than it in other web languages (comes with a database server too).



- learn about database design through ER diagrams (tools like "Dezign for Databases" can generate databases from these kinds of diagrams) (and SQL queries: insert,select,update,delete. to access databases)

http://www.w3schools.com/

w3schools shows you how to make queries.





==other things===

you can pickup up most languages easily after learning C# because most are C like. but C/C++ tend to have more details. that's a reason not to go for Visual Basic (it's not C like and it's ugly).



batch files/scripts are not that important when you can already write your own programs to do the same, especially in C# (another luxury).



unfortunately i don't know any suitable guides for database design and object oriented design, as i mostly learned this in school and haven't seen guides i like.
jplatt39
2012-06-01 12:59:31 UTC
C is NOT a prerequisite for C++. C++ IS a superset of C -- meaning the C programming language is a part of it. At the same time, I have to say, don't learn a programming language, learn programming. It's a discipline and if you learn that you can even type machine code into your machine uncompiled (hint, hold down alt and use the numeric keypad) and run it. Learn ABOUT programming -- learn to write batch files, learn about the command line. Learn HTML and javascript. HTML is a page description language rather than a programming language but javascript is definitely a programming language. And go from there.
?
2012-06-01 11:44:10 UTC
C and C alone if you are a beginner.Please don't listen to others talking about C++ or Java.Consult any knowledgeable person in real life and they will suggest you C.It's like the foundation.Book is "The C Programming Language" by Keringhan and Ritchie.Those are the original developers of C language.You can find the book on the internet as it's in public domain.
2012-06-01 11:39:35 UTC
Java. If you don't really have a specific goal, Java is a nice middle-of-the-road language that is easy to learn and has tons of resources.

http://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/



If you don't want to learn Java, I recommend Python.

http://docs.python.org/tutorial/



If neither of those work for you, C is also great (the best learning language in my humble opinion), but setting up the environment might be a hassle. In my opinion, C and Unix/Linux are meant to be used in conjunction. Trying to develop C in Windows is a pain. Also, if you learn C first you won't be developing web pages any time soon.

http://www.physics.drexel.edu/courses/Comp_Phys/General/C_basics/



If you want to learn about web pages, learn HTML, CSS and Javascript.

http://www.w3schools.com/



I recommend that you avoid C++ (too many features, powerful but an awkward middle child in the movement towards object-oriented programming) and Ruby (a bit too non-standard) although they are both great languages.



EDIT



C is not a pre-req for C++, although it would be helpful (would teach you about pointers and memory allocation without confusing you with all of the object-oriented stuff)
Craig
2012-06-01 11:42:33 UTC
If you are looking at website development I would look at HTML 5 and CSS to start with then maybe JavaScript. Once you are comfortable with those move on to



ASP/C#

C++

Python

Ruby



If you want to do website development dont rush in straight for the hard programming code learn your basics first
2012-06-01 11:39:57 UTC
The basic programming language to learn is C++ and after that you can learn Dot net course, which is now a days required for most of the companies in IT field.
SomeGuyNamed
2012-06-01 11:43:01 UTC
Visual Basic: Visual Studio 2010
Bojan Ivancev
2012-06-01 12:43:04 UTC
I think that you should start with C# and asp.net. You can kill two Flies with one shot!

C# for Desktop Applications and asp.net for web development.



For both of them you should use Visual Studio, it is perfect IDE!
2012-06-04 22:00:02 UTC
try c then c++ though not a pre req
Al Riat
2012-06-01 11:54:33 UTC
Start with HTML and Scheme .Then JAVA and C/C++. Or You can star with any BASIC language.
Paladin
2012-06-01 11:37:38 UTC
C++


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