Question:
I'm not sure what programming language to start with?
Rafael
2010-01-22 04:00:47 UTC
I have no programming background but I'd like to learn how to make web/mobile applications.
where should I start? what languages should I learn?
Eight answers:
Joe Finkle
2010-01-22 04:21:25 UTC
Learn VB.Net.



C#.Net is slightly more useful, but a bit harder to learn. The two languages are very similar though, if you learn VB.Net, you can learn C#.Net. An advantage of VB is that it is also used in many scripting programs, including Microsoft Office macros. In other words, if you know a little bit of VB coding, you can do everything from create simple custom functions in Excel to automate complex tasks having an Outlook e-mail update an Access database and use the generated list to mail merged letters in Word.



Excel has a very useful Macro Recorder. I first learned VB by recording and then editing Excel Macros. I also learned C++ (the precursor to C#.Net) in high school computer science class, but I learned a lot more on my own than I did from that class. It just made it easier to switch from VB to C# when I found C# more useful for certain functions.



The first answerer suggested Flash and Java. Those are not good for mobile applications because many mobile browsers don't run them. VB.Net and C#.Net, on the other hand, are the languages used (interchangeably) to program ASP.Net web pages. ASP.Net is a system for coding complex server side web applications. Since all the coding is handled on the server side, it can output plain HTML to the end users and have their simple code interact with your back-end system which can be as simple or as complicated as you like.



In this regard, ASP.Net is similar to PHP, but it's a bit more robust in my opinion. I don't know enough PHP to really know that for sure though.



Whatever system you use, make sure you sign up for a web host that supports the program type. Server side code, like PHP and ASP.Net must be supported by your Web Host or you won't be able to run them. Since ASP.Net was created by Microsoft, it is only available if you host your website on Microsoft servers. Some people stay away from ASP.Net because they prefer not to use Microsoft, but I find it incredibly useful and powerful and I'm entirely self-taught.





EDIT: If you're looking at mobile applications, as opposed to mobile web applications, then C++ will be more useful for you. In that case, learn C# and C++ (which are virtually the same thing, but C# is geared toward the web and C++ is geared toward the computer). If you have trouble picking that up, work with VB instead. You should be able to make pretty much the same applications in VB that you can make in C++, but most of the examples you'll find online will be in C++.



EDIT: Oh, and it's a given that if you want to do any sort of programming for the web, you'll need at least a basic mastery of HTML and CSS. One advantage of server side code like ASP.Net is that you can produce a customized version of your website that differs slightly depending on the browser, which makes providing support for multiple browsers easier. On my website, for example, I got it to work properly in all browsers except the buggy old versions of Internet Explorer. I gave IE6 and IE7 their own CSS styles to make it work. I also provided separate styles and changes in the HTML if you're in Print mode or if you're using a mobile browser.



Don't worry though, if you're even considering learning a real programing language, simple markup codes like HTML and CSS should be easy for you to pick up. And since those are both client side (it's what your browser loads up so it knows what to do), you can look at what others have done to get examples on just about every web page out there (including this one).
2016-05-26 14:57:33 UTC
Don't worry about Basic and its derivatives. Although they can be easy to understand, the main application programming languages these days have a C-style syntax, not a Basic-style syntax. Also, C# is a fairly new proprietary standard controlled by Microsoft, which is not a good thing. My suggestion would be to start with either Javascript or Java (note that these are NOT the same thing, they are actually very different). This is because both have a C-style syntax and object-oriented model, so they better prepare you for learning C/C++. Javascript's advantages are that it is more forgiving, requires no specialized software to write and use, is relatively easy to debug, and learning it helps you to better understand the nuts and bolts of web pages and even customize your web browsing. On the downside, you have to learn some basic HTML and CSS (which are markup languages, not programming languages) alongside it, which can stretch out the learning curve. Java, on the other hand, is a more advanced language that does require specialized software to use (namely, the JDK as a bare minimum), and is more difficult to understand and debug at first, but it is also much faster and more powerful and does not require any knowledge of any other language. Both are older than C# and are open standards unlike C#. I have some amount of familiarity with Java, Javascript, HTML, C and C++ and can answer basic questions if you find yourself getting stuck (no pun intended).
2010-01-22 04:08:05 UTC
There are two very prominent web platforms: Flash and Java.



Flash is generally regarded as being less serious, but Youtube runs on Flash. Flash and ActionScript can get some serious work done.



Java is very similar to C++. Unlike C++, it has a whole slew of functions built in and ready to go (whereas C++ has very little in the way of functionality without libraries and the like).



As a runner up I'd say PHP, as a webserver running PHP can dynamically generate web pages. Not nearly as interactive as a flash or Java scripted app, but simpler from the user's standpoint, which is useful since many mobile platforms still do not support flash.



Depending on what you want to do, and depending on the mobile platform, these are pretty much your options.
2010-01-22 04:10:37 UTC
I would advise you learn Java if you want to do web and mobile development. The other options would be PHP and HTML and CSS with Javascript for Web based development [not all of those are programming languages] and for mobile would be C++ with the various Mobile SDKs for the platform you want to support.



If you are a beginner as you can see its already a lot of Jargon which is why I would advise you learn Java first, it will introduce you to all these concepts plus the Java compiler is quite pedantic it won't let you get away with much and will impose good programming habbits upon you.



I recommend you buy:

http://www.bluej.org/objects-first/

This book was designed for teaching Java to absolute beginners and experienced programmers, its used by many Universities, the program it uses called BlueJ was developed and is maintained by Universities and the program was designed for teaching and will let you look 'inside' the running programs.



Here's an extract you can have a read to see the style:

http://www.bluej.org/objects-first/chapters/objects-first-ch1.pdf

[The pdf may take some time to load be patient]



PS Java is platform Independent.
2010-01-22 04:20:59 UTC
As others have said, Java would be an excellent choice for web/mobile applications. You can make things like jsp pages, applets and it even has an entire library for mobile development. Java runs on a virtual machine meaning that any computer regardless of what operating system can execute your Java program as long as it has the virtual machine installed. Which is why it's so prominent for mobile games / applications. I don't want to say that it's as "powerful" as C++ because it's not, but you can make very dynamic and interactive GUI programs with Java it's very object orientated (almost everything with the exception of data types like int, double etc. is an object or inherited from the java.lang.Object class which is the superclass of everything in Java).
2010-01-22 08:38:21 UTC
I'd start with PHP because it's so simple to run on free servers, and forgiving of mistakes. It will let you create web pages dynamically, and will naturally lead you on to javascript, which is very similar. Once you have mastered PHP and javascript, you will be able to create interactive web pages easily.

After that, you can pick up C easily, as the language concepts are very similar.
danielle m
2010-01-22 04:46:50 UTC
learn the same thing i ave studied at school because it it easy and good to program any thing

for websites learn the HTML language but it is easier to use programs like front page and dream weaver that writes the HTML for you you just have to give it your design.

but for programming programs learn the history of it so u can memories it faster and enables u to be creative then learn the C language and then u can go to the C++

they r very easy i took them in 6th grade (HTML) 7th and8th grade(old ways history of it and on the front page ) and in 9th grade we finished (C & C++ language)

good luck

note practice wile learning E.G. program a simple calculator on the wile learning the C language that can multiply add divide and subtract

enjoy
avip
2010-01-22 04:48:33 UTC
Start with C++.


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