What language should I start coding in?

[jrgp]

Wow, Ruby looks easy as hell.

Yeah, i know alot of php, it was pretty easy to learn, but you cant make games with it, as its entirelly web based, but you can pair it with mysql and use it to keep an online scores database.

[ElephantHunter]

If you like chunky bacon, cartoon foxes and a headstart to understanding how ruby works, read Why's Poignant Guide to Ruby. Very comical and a helluva lot more interesting than any other programming books out there.

[MofoNofo]

QBASIC 

No seriously, start with C++, it may be horrendously difficult to begin with, but you'll pick it up soon enough.
Grab a "free" online version (if any) on "Sams Teach Yourself C++ in 21 days", its what I used. (except I got a relative to buy it for me).

[Anna]

Look here and here. These articles are a bit outdated but still have a lot of useful information.

I personally started with QBasic, then Turing (a local language), then Visual Basic, (edit: then one semester of Java in uni,) and now I'm teaching myself C++ and object oriented programming. VB makes it easy to start and it's great for making quick windows GUI applications and smaller games. C++ gives you more "freedom" and more ways to solve problems, but at the same time those features increase the difficulty of using the language well (pointers and memory management, for example). Just remember that programming languages are simply tools and there is no best language; it all depends on what you're using it for. Any language will teach you skills that will be applicable in other languages.

[mar77a]

In the order i learned:

PHP,C,C++,Ruby

I'm still learning C++ & Ruby.

[{LAW} Gamer_2k4]

I can't believe FLAB is the only person who suggested Java.  I personally prefer C++, but Java is excellent for beginners because of its extensive libraries and documentation, applets, error checking, and platform independence.

The order of languages I learned:
calculator basic, QBASIC, C++, Java, Visual Basic

As I said, I like C++ because it's very powerful, but you have to know what you're doing or else you can really mess things up.  For that reason, I wouldn't recommend it to beginners.  Visual Basic is nice because you can get started with graphics right away, but it shields you from some very important programming concepts, like Anna said.  Anyway, the best way to find out the best language for you is to try them out.  Rent tutorial books from your library.  Check out online guides.  Experiment with free compilers.  Look online for the pros and cons of each language to find out what works best.  Also, the language choice will change depending on what you want to do.  If you want to make games, I'd suggest starting with DarkBASIC.  But if you're trying for more general knowledge, go with a conventional language.  The truth is, there is no "best" language except the one you like the most.

[bja888]

I can't believe FLAB is the only person who suggested Java.  I personally prefer C++, but Java is excellent for beginners because of its extensive libraries and documentation, applets, error checking, and platform independence.

Java is a wonderfull language in theory. It runs slow is shit on windows systems though.

[FliesLikeABrick]

I didn't suggest Java.  In fact, I specifically don't suggest Java.

Learn Ruby first.  Or C++.  I suggest Ruby.

[MofoNofo]

Oh and in the order I learned:

GML, C++, QBASIC, Visual Basic, C#

(i needed to learn qbasic and vb for software design and development at school >.>)

[bja888]

Javascript, perl, Java, C#

[ElephantHunter]

Javascript, perl, Java, C#

Javascript (a.k.a. ECMA Script and JScript) is an awesome language. Not very powerful (certainly has no place in games nowadays), but you get immediate results. A lot of applications are built using this language, particularly web-based ones.

[jettlarue]

This is how I would start out. Start with just simple html and learn basics of it, go on to javascript once you understand it.(skipping css cus this is programming and not webdesign, html is simply for a starting point), once you understand javascript and can make simple applications with it try ruby. Its great but still fairly new. After you try ruby and can do some stuff, try making graphics with the tcl package. Once you can do that try learning python and do some stuff with that. Try doing gtk and gnome graphics with python. Ok after that try doing php, pretty easy to understand now that you've learned other languages. Now move up to C. Learn the basics of C. Then move up and learn some new stuff for c++. Now if you can make even a simple program in all of those languages all of programming will simply be memorization of different names of things. Also try using various operationg systems and program in them. I reccomend try linux, windows, mac, freebsd, and solaris. You will now have a large idea of various things with computers and you can accomplish most programming tasks...good job

This is simply my opinion on what would be best to do, I suggest not spending a large percent of time on any of them but simply learning to do what you want, withought knowing the commands, but knowing how.

[bja888]

Javascript, perl, Java, C#

Javascript (a.k.a. ECMA Script and JScript) is an awesome language. Not very powerful (certainly has no place in games nowadays), but you get immediate results. A lot of applications are built using this language, particularly web-based ones.

Jscript.Net

[MofoNofo]

Learn Machine Language.

[ElephantHunter]

Learn Machine Language.

Learn the difference between proper and common nouns!

Jscript.Net

Javascript is a prototypal language. This .NET implementation is a completely different animal. The changes Microsoft has made are too great to consider this the same language.

Read more:
http://javascript.crockford.com/inheritance.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prototype-based_programming

[bja888]

Jscript.Net

Javascript is a prototypal language. This .NET implementation is a completely different animal. The changes Microsoft has made are too great to consider this the same language.

Read more:
http://javascript.crockford.com/inheritance.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prototype-based_programming

I know. I wrote it before I moved to C#. Its funny, its just like actionscript 2.0. Except actionscript is not strongly typed.

[ElephantHunter]

A lot of the applications I develop at work are written in Javascript. I use the Firefox extension FireBug to help. Much better than the Firefox's built-in Javascript debugger.

I didn't suggest Java.  In fact, I specifically don't suggest Java.

... and you fail to mention why. In my opinion, Sun did a great job creating the language. Java has quite a few advantages over C++. I'm guessing the only real reason that you dislike Java is because of the bad media it gets in the technical world (ex: slow, not open source yet.)

One major advantage that Java has over Ruby is the cross-platform user interface library. SARJ, the first Soldat remote admin with scripting capabilities, could run graphically on any operating system without the need to recompile the source.

The only other popular language I can think of that includes such libraries is Python. Python comes with TKinter, but that seems quite outdated and visually displeasing. Most folks would use wxPython instead.

[MofoNofo]

Learn the difference between proper and common nouns!

I think I may have been dozing off at school when we learned those.. Because I can't seem to remember it <.<

[bja888]

A lot of the applications I develop at work are written in Javascript. I use the Firefox extension FireBug to help. Much better than the Firefox's built-in Javascript debugger.

Downloaded.

Javascript apps?
You talking about web based stuff?

[Milkman Dan]

I didn't suggest Java.  In fact, I specifically don't suggest Java.

WTF why would the fags at University of Auckland insist on compsci 101 classes learning Java

No wonder i failed ;-;