Which Programming Language

[DragonSlayer]

I am interested in taking a programming course; however, I am unsure on which language to start with. I have read about VB.NET, JAVA, and C++. I am not really familiar with any of them and would like reccomendations on which one is the most used. I am interested in WEB applications. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!!!

 

[AFB]

Out of those three, Java. You can use VB.NET to do web apps, but I hear C# is where it's at. With Java, you have JSP and Servlets.

 

[Nothinman]

Most classes these days start with Java, it's not a bad place to start and is used a lot in corporate america for better or worse.
VB.NET is like a combination of C++ (or C# if you like) and VB6 and probably wouldn't be bad either, but VB6 is a lot more popular since it's older and probably will be for a while. MS seems to be pushing people to use C# for .NET development.
C++ is going to be more complicated than the others but it's faster and is used in a ton of major applications. Hell Windows is probably like 75% C++ these days, C is more popular than C++ on unixes (including Linux) but it's going to be even more difficult than C++ to learn and use properly.

For web app it depends on what you want to do. If you want to use Java applets to get more control then you pretty much have to use java, if you want to use server-side things like JSP or ASP then Java or VBScript will work too. If your host does just CGI you can write the CGI apps in anything the host supports from shell or perl scripts up to Java or if they support something mod_perl or mod_python then perl or python would be a good thing to learn.

Confused yet? Basically I would say just pick Java and run with it, it wont' take long before you'll realize if you like programming or not. It takes a certain kind of person to stick with a programming job or project. And anyway, once you learn a language or two you'll realize that all languages are extremely similar, moving from one to another just requires learning the new language syntax and available libraries.

 

[Wikkedness]

As old and lame as this might sound why not try out QBasic as a first language, It's EXTREMELY simple. Starting out with something small like QBasic will ease you into programming and keep you interested if you're at all interested once you start. C++ is way to complex for a beginner... as for java and .NET I've never tried those yet.

 

[talyn00]

I'd start with C, then C++ then Java, then move onto the .NET languages, like VB.NET and C#

 

[Nothinman]

C is a bad language to start with, it burdens you with lots of things like manual memory management that you can avoid with C++ and Java. It's a good language to know, but not a good starting poing IMO.

 

[oog]

c# is very easy to pick up, contrary to what others might say. i think it's easier than vb.net, and similar to java. i tend to like .net better than j2ee. i find things more straightforward, though i can certainly understand that others don't. my background though is years of c and c++, some additional years of vb4 through vb6, and then .net in both vb.net and c#. never did a lot of java, so take my advice with a grain of salt.

 

[AtTheGates]

Another vote for C#. Download SharpDevelop and try it out.

 

[Barnaby W. Füi]

If you're gonna suck, you're gonna suck, and vice versa. Just pick one and dive into it!

 

[jhaymans]

I took some VB6 classes about 2 years ago. Since then they have been pushing VB.NET. I never got my MCSD from VB6 and was wondering if it is worth studying VB6 or should i just start over with VB.NET? How similar/disimilar are the 2?
TIA

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: amdfanboy
Out of those three, Java. You can use VB.NET to do web apps, but I hear C# is where it's at. With Java, you have JSP and Servlets.

The only real differences between VB.NET and C# are their syntax and people's biases. Anything you can do with C# you can also do with VB.NET, but many people do not think highly of VB, so you're better off learning C# out of the two of those.

 

[notfred]

Originally posted by: BingBongWongFooey
If you're gonna suck, you're gonna suck, and vice versa. Just pick one and dive into it!

Yep, it really doesn't matter which language you start with in an intro class. The first two programming classes I took were in C++ and I never use C++ now.

 

[Titan]

We really need a sticky thread for this topic, it gets asked so much.

The concensus is, that for a first programming language you learn, it doesn't matter. They will all give you a good beginners perspective on how programming works.

It is my opinion, and the opinion of many, that if you want to eventually become an expert programmer, capable of solving any problem in any language, you should learn and master C++ (including C). It's just the most widely accepted standard for programming there is. If you master C++, you will learn low-level concepts that can help you tackle things like assembler programs, and you will learn abstract concepts related to object orientation. C++ does it all, makes nothing simple, and lets you do anything, it's professional. I used to believe it's the only place to start but now I believe it is the only place to end up (if you want to be a master programmer)

 

[AFB]

Originally posted by: Wikkedness
As old and lame as this might sound why not try out QBasic as a first language, It's EXTREMELY simple. Starting out with something small like QBasic will ease you into programming and keep you interested if you're at all interested once you start. C++ is way to complex for a beginner... as for java and .NET I've never tried those yet.

Umm, he is looking for web applications. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think QBasic can do that,

 

[everman]

I'd probably do Java if you're interested in web apps. Why don't you go and try out PHP? It's great for doing webapps, especially simpler things.

 

[ArmchairAthlete]

Python is very easy to start with. Say you're doing your first program, "Hello World!".


There's quite a bit more too it with Java. I started with Java.

 

[Nothinman]

Umm, he is looking for web applications. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think QBasic can do that,

It's possible, just not very like that he would find webhost setup to do that and even if he did it would be very difficult.

Python is very easy to start with. Say you're doing your first program, "Hello World!".

The same code works fine in perl too.

 

[mysticfm]

Of the three you listed, I'd say either VB.NET or Java would be equally well suited as starting points for learning to program web applications. I'd say VB.NET because it's syntax is a little more forgiving for the newbie, but I know a friend who got his start in programming with Java and seems quite comfortable as well.

C++ can definitely be used to create more powerful applications than the others, but isn't nearly as friendly to web developers and definitely isn't a good 1st language for a new software developer (imo).

As far as the C# vs. VB.NET debate ... my view is that eventually any developer worth his salt will probably need to be fluent in both. Example: as a long time C & C++ developer, I always presumed that when I finally got into .NET, it would be with C#, since that's the type of syntax I'm comfortable with. Well, I recently dove into .NET and took on my first such contract ... and wouldn't you know it, I've found myself having to maintain and enhance a bunch of existing VB.NET code. So much for the best laid plans! Anyway, disregarding the syntax differences, the underlying facilities of VB.NET and C# are similar enough that it's almost a coin flip to decide which one to learn first.

 

[Childs]

Take a Unix scripting class first. Then move onto C++. :thumbsdown: to .net/C#, Java, and the like. Might as well wait for MS to make a WYSIWYG programming language.