I'm a knowledgeable person who is experienced at DOS and Windows and have touched on HTML.

I am very interested in learning a programming language but I don't know where to start with everyones opinions coming from left and right. I'd like a balance of power and useibility.

But I dont want it too Difficult:p

Well, from what I've heard, Java is the way to go right now. I wouldn't really recommed wasting your time with much else.

But if your looking for something simple and intuitive you should try scheme. http://www.htdp.org

Scheme can't really do much, but its a good tool for beginners. But if you want my advice, stick with Java.

C: about 20 keywords.
Java: about 40 keywords.
C++: about 80 keywords.

Start with C.and learn all of it,(graphics,Menus,Mouse Programming,device driver building,command parsing etc)...


bye!

I would recommend C, but for a beginner it may be a bit hard

If you want easy stuff and be able to learn how the structure and logic of programming works than use Visual Basic. Lots of key works but u dont even use half of them. It debugs for u as u go along so u r prompted if u make a mistake and it gives other little helpfull prompts.
Probably buy a book for about $30 that will tell you everything u will need to know for a while.
Its effective, easy to use and good fun.

Visual basic is a good begining which with very little extra learning can be transfered to the Microsoft Office in writing macros and other assorted tasks. Microsoft Office uses an offshoot of VB called Visual Basic Application. MS Office will allow you to record macros but you get both overkill (it records every little setting including formats) and it does not allow full usage of VBA. It is only by writing to the macros that you actually achieve anywhere near it's capabilities. You may look in book stores for some of the more simpler forms of VB or VBA. It is where I learned some of it. VBA is of limited use as you may only use it with MS Office and the tasks are limited to what you may achieve within the program unless you write a stand alone and call it from the program. You may however initate a program by tieing it into the startup folder to run whenever a particular file is opened from MS Office.

One of the most simple way to begin is Pascal or C (Pascal is very great because it's near of natural language).
Then you will have to learn object languages (C++, Java...) that are less "simple".
Good luck :)

Scheme can't really do much, but its a good tool for beginners. But if you want my advice, stick with Java.

I know some very good C programmers who still cannot get their head around Scheme. I know it took me a while, but I do now love the language. Success at Scheme really depends on how quickly you can intuitively grasp it's structure and how much previous programming bias you have standing in your way. Unfortunately, no one in reality uses Scheme or similar languages, so it's not terribly valuable in the end.

C and C++ is the languages u need to learn if you want the most out of a programming language.

Even more so then java, it can do everything java can and more, java is alot easier to learn though.

I used to hate Java earlier,(my views are expressed somewhere here.)But after my Z-DOS project,frankly speaking (Although i hate to say it)but Java could be the language for best(in terms of security,i mean,not power(Java has no damm power because of direct referencing absence) for an operating system.do i see Porfiry's glory?;)



bye!

egads, my glory is showing! :eek: *blush*

I know some very good C programmers who still cannot get their head around Scheme. I know it took me a while, but I do now love the language. Success at Scheme really depends on how quickly you can intuitively grasp it's structure and how much previous programming bias you have standing in your way. Unfortunately, no one in reality uses Scheme or similar languages, so it's not terribly valuable in the end.

Hehe,

You wouldn't believe what a few people I know have done with scheme.

one guy built a program where you could play chess. Then, that guy and one of his friends built a game where you could simulate a golf season! (or something like that)

unfortunately, I came in late to comp sci class, so I never was able to grasp the whole of scheme. My problems weren't in the logic involved --that was easy. It was the syntax and technicalities that sucked hours out of my life:cool:

I like the language, though. Although, next year, we'll be learning Java. I hope it's as good as I've been told.

Since you said you only have experience with DOS and Windows and dabbed in HTML, I would recommended learning a Microsoft language. Visual Basic might be good to start with... its not a very difficult language to learn. I honeslty wouldn't learn C if I was running a windows based system... C is much more powerful under a Linux/Unix/BSD enviroment if you ask me than that of a windows one. I'd say go with VB or Visual C++, or just plain C++.

But, if you wanted to get into web design... then if I were you, I would learn PHP... or Perl, but I'd recommend PHP over Perl.

Learn ASP and .NET

aciescomplio,

One word: PowerBasic.

PowerBasic is as simple as basic, but as powerful as c.

If that isn't powerful enough, Powerbasic has a built in assembler.

It comes in three versions:

PB-Dos, PB-Console Compiler, and PB-WIN.

PB-Dos is for making Dos applications. PB-Console Compiler makes text programs with the full capabilities of Windows, and PB-WIN is for making full fledged Windows programs and DLL's.

Powerbasic is known for creating very small and very fast programs. Check it out at www.powerbasic.com.

Tom

I've never seen any decent business use PowerBasic. Learn C or C++, period.

It's simple
Learning Java - half year work.
Learning Visual basice - some people said it would spoil your style. (well not for longer than 2 years).
Be warned, however, Java has problem to bulid exe files. (don't worry just two milion letters to development team and java would have nice exe compiler.)

Java is more nice looking than C++. So I recommend Java or VB or both for start.


r.

physicsforums.com,

I've never seen any decent business use PowerBasic. Learn C or C++, period.

Well, I guess that means that Microsoft is the best software company in the world since everyone uses their products, right?

AOL must also be the best ISP since 32 million Americans are using it. Oh, and Linux must really suck.

Tom

If that was an attack on MS.think again.Most of the Unix O.Ss are built with C.yeah and not with powerbasic.

After work with Z-DOS,i think i am ready for my trial with something with a unix style file system implementation with a fusion of sleeknes of Xps and other prototypes to GUIs.



bye!

Zion,

Most of the Unix O.Ss are built with C.yeah and not with powerbasic.

Maybe if there were made with PowerBasic they would be smaller and faster. :)

Tom

or may be slightly limited,dont you think?


gee...

bye!