What language is best to start programming in?

bwsciencelabs.com: What language is best to start programming in?
I’m not completely new to programming, but I’ve been finding it difficult to choose 1 program to stick with. Here’s what I’m looking for:

Something relatively easy.

Something I can make GUIs in.

Something I can program hardware in (PIC/ Picaxe).

Something I can make simulations in.

Something versatile that I can use in a wide variety of things.

Please, no C#, Alice, Scratch, or Greenfoot.

I understand that this is a broad range, so multiple answers are ok.

Thanks!

Answers and Views:

Answer by Colanth
English, if that’s your native language. You don’t start learning a computer language until AFTER you’ve learned computer programming. (Would an American who wanted to be a doctor in France learn to say “stick out your tongue” in French before he learned medicine?)

Try https://www.amazon.com/Algorithms-structures-programs-Niklaus-WIRTH/dp/B000OI9RAM/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1220014407&sr=8-3 It’s about the best book written to teach programming to someone who speaks English and doesn’t understand programming. Someone who just learns a language is one form of hacker – he hacks his way through a problem, trying to solve something that a programmer would judt write a few lines of code for, in 2 minutes. Inserting an element in a doubly-linked list? That’s programming 101. Okay, maybe 102. Doing it if you only learned a language? Magic 401.

Then …

Relatively easy? VB6. Pascal. Javascript (not to be confused with Java). Assembly, actually. Lots of work, but pretty simple. Blinking lights on a PIC is a few minutes of coding.

PIC? C (Sorry, but there aren’t too many PIC compilers.). Assembly (great for hardware programming – I did the entire Hong Kong Space Museum planetarium automation system in Z-80 assembly. Not much other choice back in the late 70s.)

GUIs? Any compiler written for a graphic OS.

Simulations? Depends on the field. You don’t write a simulation of the weather and a virtual world simulator the same way. (OpenSIM is done in C#)

Versatile? Assembly. The only code you can’t write in assembly is something the hardware can’t do.

An experienced programmer knows at least 3 or 4 languages fluently, and a few more that he can use if he can keep the book open. (And a dozen more he can get through with the book.) The language of choice depends on the nature of the program. I’d never even consider writing an extensive process controller (hardware handler) in VB6, but the alarm on my home PC that tells me to leave for work every weekday morning is written in VB6, and took 10 minutes to program, write and compile. And we did an entire (DOS) medical practice program in Turbo Pascal, which was always considered a “teaching language”. Use the correct tool for the job. The claw on a hammer might turn a screw, but use a screwdriver – it’s easier.

Answer by C B
Most people pick up java pretty quick. The swing kit makes it pretty easy to program guis, and all the rest of your criteria can be met with practice.

Start small, work your way up, and write lots and lots and lots of programs.

Answer by Fearliss
Almost every question contradicts itself. However from what you have stated I would start with learning Visual Basic or Delphi. They both are a strong yet good programming language, is relatively easy to learn, and can program hardware in.

But if I were you, I would go guts out first and start off with C++. Once you know the factors of programming, you can pretty much learn any programming language. From C# to Java, from Pascal to ASM.

It all just comes down to the syntax, and a great way to learn is just dive in. It’s how I learned at the age of 12.

Hope I helped,
Fearliss

Answer by agrawal
GO FOR JAVA

ALL THE BEST

Answer by K M
I think you should start with JavaScript and HTML. It’s easy to learn and you can quickly make GUIs. I don’t think its good for simulations.

Answer by Babak
Hello,

The easiest programming language which I can offer, is “Visual Basic”. It’s easy and still you can make GUIs.

Visual Basic is not the best choice for hardware programing. If you don’t wanna use Visual C++ or .NET (which I still suggest for hardware programming), you can use “Delphi”. It is suitable for it and other things you wanna do and is easy to use, to some extent (not as Visual Basic).