What is the best language for a first time programmer?

Question

I'm 14 and I figured it was time to being programming. I want a language but a language that I can get some use out of but isn't overwhelmingly hard. I've read about some languages good for learning but are pretty useless in the real world. I was thinking maybe one of the C languages. What is your recommendation

Answer 1

If you want a useful language then vba, vb.net and c#.net are all useful and you get results instantly.

C/C++ are very useful to know but if I had learn't them as a first language I'd have given up by now.



Microsoft are trying to get young people to use their products by giving them free to students. see.

https://www.dreamspark.com/default.aspx



The above are also much better suited to new programmers as there is a wealth of support and templates.

Answer 2

C is really difficult once you get past the first little bit. C++ and Objective-C are both just piles of add-ons to C so they're pretty bad messes as far as first languages go. They're pretty inconsistent. And C# is not a C language- it's more closely related to Java.



Java and C# seem to be pretty popular starting languages these days. They're all right, but especially if you're teaching yourself, they have some big problems. First of all, there's going to be a bunch of code in your file that you don't understand. Even the most basic Java program, the Hello World, requires a bunch of concepts that don't need to be introduced on the first program (classes, scoping, blocks, arrays, method calling, void, static methods). Python is a really good language to start with. It's not as popular as Java and C but it's used quite a bit for web programming. For instance, Google uses it for a lot of their systems. There's much less syntax to learn than for most other languages, and it's interactive interpreter makes it really easy to just mess around with.

Answer 3

you say 1st time programmer so I'm assuming you have zero knowledge about programming. I guess its best to start off with a language than can teach you the basics of making algorithms something like c or c++ then you can just move up from there (though some new teachers suggest learning python since its easier and you wont have to worry much about syntax errors, that way you can really train your brain in understanding the basics of algorithms) as with every skill in life... basics are important...

Answer 4

You don't learn programming by learning a language, you start learning languages *after* you learn programming. Start with http://www-old.oberon.ethz.ch/WirthPubl/AD.pdf (Figure about 6 months before you know enough programming to start learning languages. Then which ones you learn depends on what you want to do. Languages used to write web pages aren't the same ones used to write desktop apps.)

Answer 5

The one I really enjoy is Visual Basic. They have free express versions and there are video tutorials.



http://www.microsoft.com/express/Windows/



Java is another cool language. You can use Eclipse as the tool to program in. There are also free video tutorials at:

eclipsetutorial.sourceforge.net/

Answer 6

well it depends on what sort of outcome your looking for eg for programming design applications your looking at delphi/C/C++/Java or for more online design your then onto html, javascript, php, asp, mysql.