Best programming language for beginners?

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Bay_Wolf
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Best programming language for beginners?

Post by Bay_Wolf » Sun May 25, 2008 4:33 pm

Just wondering if C would be a good starting are if I wanted to get into programming? I found a few books on amazon that sound promising one is: LINK. I have also heard python is a fairly good starting block. Anyway if there are any programmers here just give me some advice to dive into programming with.

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Sparkfist
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Post by Sparkfist » Sun May 25, 2008 4:56 pm

It depends what you want to do as far as programming. If you want to write games, like get into the video game industry, learn C++. You don't have to learn C first. If you're looking for web applications, go with Java or PHP, or JavaScript or any of the other languages.

Also you should keep in mind that which ever language you do choose to learn there are minor details to keep in mind. Like C, C++ or other compiled languages, you need to write the program, debug and then compile. This is a bit more involved then an interpreted one like PHP, Perl, Python, and to a lesser extent bash. With those it's run line by line and so debugging and running it is a lot faster and sometimes easier.
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Post by teraflop122 » Sun May 25, 2008 6:21 pm

The best programming language for beginners is Basic. While you can do some cool stuff with it, you'll have to learn C++ or Java if you want a career involving programming.

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Post by bicostp » Sun May 25, 2008 7:02 pm

If you just want to make some quick programs, get VB.NET. It's really simple to pick up and play with.

But like others have said, if you want to make a career out of it you've gotta learn C++. (But I wouldn't recommend a career in programming; a lot of it is sent overseas now. Most of the programming majors at my college have turned to the dark side: networking.)

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Post by CronoTriggerfan » Sun May 25, 2008 8:16 pm

I agree with Bic entirely. VB is a great place to start or even stay if all you want to do is make fun little macros and the like (that's me :P ), but if you want to know higher level languages and functions C++ would be the way to go. I went from VB to Java to C++, definitely should have skipped the middle step. Oh, and have you considered C#? I've never used it, but everyone I've talked to who does swears by it. Of course, they're all high-level coders, though.
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Post by LoyalistRevolt » Sun May 25, 2008 10:51 pm

Learn C++ its so BASIC.


HAHAH Get it do you guys get it :D
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Post by ghosstt » Mon May 26, 2008 6:37 pm

VB.NET is most-def where you should start off. Its extremely easy to pick up, and the new '08 beta basically types all the lines for you. (It's really a great feature once you learn a but of the language.) C# is also pretty good. It's the language that almost all of the Xbox Live Arcade games are coded in, and you can even code them yourself and stream them to your 360. Its really great, and there are TONS of tutorials by MS to help you out. (videos, step-by-step, and other stuff)

edit: shouldn't this be in the Dev Center?

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Post by Sparkfist » Mon May 26, 2008 9:25 pm

I think someone should mention that while VB.net and even C# are easy to program, you need to focus on knowing what's being done. Most other programming languages don't give you as much help as those two, so you need to know how to write functions and sub-routines on your own.
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Post by soundwave » Mon May 26, 2008 10:00 pm

bicostp wrote:a lot of it is sent overseas now
They say this is simply due to the fact that there isn't a large enough base of programmers in the US, thus they are forced to outsource. This came from either the president of Rochester Institute of Technology, chairman of the Computer Science department, or a Microsoft rep, forgot which.

And don't waste your time with Java, I lost two and a half years to the "wonderful advances" of that load of garbage.

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Post by Skyone » Tue May 27, 2008 3:39 pm

soundwave wrote:
bicostp wrote:a lot of it is sent overseas now
They say this is simply due to the fact that there isn't a large enough base of programmers in the US, thus they are forced to outsource. This came from either the president of Rochester Institute of Technology, chairman of the Computer Science department, or a Microsoft rep, forgot which.

And don't waste your time with Java, I lost two and a half years to the "wonderful advances" of that load of garbage.
Well said, on both statements.

C++ is the broadest language you'll probably find, go with it. Don't waste your time with too much .NET crap (VB.NET, C#), it won't give you a wide array of options, you're limited to a client base of Windows XP+ users generally.

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Post by timmeh87 » Tue May 27, 2008 6:52 pm

Everyone bashes Java. I can think of way crappier languages. "BAWWW its slow". So is visual basic. But no one bashes visual basic. Its hella easy to learn, it takes like 4 weeks if you know C.

I would not call it a waste of time.

But for the casual programmer, Id recommend VB.
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Post by APHawkes » Wed May 28, 2008 6:06 am

Am I the only one who started out with x86 assembly?

I would say there are several good choices for beginning programming languages, and few are significantly better than another for introductory purposes. There are some BAD choices, but if you stick with the most common languages you should be fine. It's likely that one of the reasons that the language is popular is because of the ability to "learn" it. The more common the language, the more resources available online to help you get through the rough spots.

Sparkfist has an excellent point.... programming languages are tools. Pick the right tool for the job.

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Post by Grandmasterjimmy » Wed May 28, 2008 9:30 am

C++ isn't that hard to pick up on. I started learning it a few months ago, and can already make programs with it. Plus it's the widest used programming language.

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Post by Skyone » Wed May 28, 2008 3:45 pm

APHawkes wrote:Am I the only one who started out with x86 assembly?
Nah, I began with it when I started to take programming seriously.

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