What is the easiest programming language to learn?

ComplyOrDie

What is the easiest programming language to learn?


In college I completed some modules of visual basic and Java, however I never really understood the basics and I was doomed from the start. Even though I scraped by I never knew what I was at. I completed the visual basic module in 2nd yr and then the java module in 3rd yr. Looking back on it know I would say if I were to do visual basics again it would be a lot easier having since done some basic java.



Anyway getting back to the point, what language’s do you’s think are

• The easiest to grasp

• Commonly used

• Best for beginners

• Have the most information resources and communities

• Pros and Con's

• Cheapest and easiest to install or run on xp

Please feel free to add detailed comments as I regret not learning the basics and am considering learning a language (all help is greatly appreciated). The language is for no particular reason (e.g. I’m not going to try and build complex application; I’d just like to be able to say I can write a program. Oh and if you’s have any other headings you’d like to rate them on fell free to.

Thanks in advance

ComplyOrDie


:):):):)

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copacetic

pascal or fortran ftw.

NeverSayDie

Well, Java fits most of what you're asking about - it's straightforward enough for a beginner (insofar as programming can be), but it's also widely used commercially, in open source projects and in academia. You can get the compilers and tools you need for free (that's the case with the majority of programming languages btw), and there's lots of resources available both online and in print.

Other alternatives might be C# or VB.NET (which would have some similarities with earlier versions of Visual Basic, if that's what you were using), Python, PHP, Ruby or C++. As you've already worked with Java though, you might as well stick with that for now. In particular, the fact that your Java course made the Visual Basic look easier in retrospect suggests that you did pick up some conceptual knowledge along the way, so you should be able to progress that further, and Java's as good as any for that.

Creamy Goodness

tbh in my opinion and strictly speaking it's actual programming concepts that are hard to learn. Once you can program, the language become somewhat of an afterthought depending on the job at hand and your experience.

a language that is great to learn the absolute basics of programming would be C.

Hobbes

c,
java,
logo,

oeb

As of recently, I think that Python is the easiest language to learn.

Username!

I found Pascal quiet easy to learm when in college, it just made sense.

nialo

Easiest language ive found was C#. hardest was C.

Tom Dunne

That's like asking what car is easier to drive - it's a personal preference.

Once you know how to drive, adapting to each different car/bus/truck/tank takes a little effort, but the concepts are the same.

Oh, and Assembly language, FTW.

kayos

Tom Dunne wrote: »

Oh, and Assembly language, FTW.

ADDA
ADDB

etc etc not the easest to learn, and if your dsylexic good luck to ya!

C# is easy in my mind, but then again so is VB. C/C++ while being a very good base to work up from can be a bit daunting in the early stages with the joys of memory management and pointers....

DublinWriter

These days, it's less about the language and more about wider framework and database environment. You really need to know your way around the environment whether it be J2EE, .Net or whatever API-fest you're having yourself.

Frameworks such as .net claim to be 'language-neutral'.

C++, C#, Java, JavaScript have all a common root in C, so they are not dissimilar.

It's also important to know SQL and the specific language of your chosen DBMS, whether it be PL/SQL for Oracle or T/SQL for SQL Server/Sybase.

charlesD

Creamy Goodness wrote: »

tbh in my opinion and strictly speaking it's actual programming concepts that are hard to learn. Once you can program, the language become somewhat of an afterthought depending on the job at hand and your experience.

a language that is great to learn the absolute basics of programming would be C.

I agree and this is usually my advice. Start with something like c or c++. Read some books and after you have a understanding of the basics, buy a book on algorithms and work through it.

I am not a fan of VB at all though, so would advise sticking with Java, c, or c++. In the long run it will serve you much better.

Once you understand one language and programming in general, they really are very similar, if not in syntax, then in the concepts you use to solve a problem.

I also usually recommend simply using something like notepad and a compiler to start with. Using an IDE like visual basic is neat, but it masks a lot of the basics from you.

Tom Dunne

kayos wrote: »

ADDA
ADDB

etc etc not the easest to learn, and if your dsylexic good luck to ya!

Em, humour anyone?

I could have said LISP or PROLOG.

AARRRGH

PHP is mongo proof.

oeb

AARRRGH wrote: »

PHP is mongo proof.

I agree with you, it can easilly be learned in a weekend. It's just not that versatile is all. While you can do shell scripting and gui applications with it, they are not really it's strong points.

That's why I recommended python. It's easy to learn, with pygame you can make games, you can use it for websites, you can make gui applications with it etc.

Evil Phil

AARRRGH wrote: »

PHP is mongo proof.

I disagree with you. Just because its easy to put something out there with php doesn't mean the code is good. Its kind of like classic vb in that its very, very forgiving and allows new developers to develop bad habits and doesn't neccessarily force them to improve.

PHP is a great language, I've only started working with it in anger recently, but I'd recommend C, Java or C# as a first language. C for the basics of how a language (and a computer) work. Java or C# for you OOP and because they're popular at the moment so there's loads of resources out there. Dunno Python but I've heard nothing but good things so maybe look into that as well.

none

I wouldn't personally recommend starting with C at all as you may 1) get confused and 2) get scared. Pascal was in my time a much better way of entering the programming discipline gently. But with Java nobody needs neither Pascal nor C to start learning, and maybe even loving programming. Basic was messy and VB, as its descendant, suffers a lot from this heritage. Otherwise, VB (not VB.NET) would be a good candidate too. The .NET concept was conceived to be as simple as VB and as powerful as C but turned out to be stuck somewhere in between. Scripts as Perl or Python can be too cryptic. Delphi (Pascal++) has gone nowhere and had to be sold to Embarcadero. SQL is always a sure shot but that's only to complement your generic programming skills with set manipulation abstracts. All in all, I think you'll never miss when you start with Java as it is simple, elegant, well defined and refined, and quite robust. And, what is very important for a learning process, it's also easy to read as in many cases it's plain English. As far as I know, this is the de facto choice to teach programming concepts in most educational institutions.