What language is best for a beginner?

[christopher.mountford]

Anyone know a good language to learn how to programme with?
Im not sure what lanaguage to try and learn, a couple of the choices i have been considering are Python or Java (something cross platform). I also would like to look into writing indie games possibly if and when i have enough experiance of a particular language.

I also have already have been learning a little simple programming in Visual Basic (due to my college almost exclusivly using microsoft software:() although I find it good for beginners i would like to learn something which would allow me to code for a better range of platforms or failing that just Linux)

So any ideas on what would be the best option?

[muteXe]

Morning.
Loads of info in the stickies mate.

[muteXe]

And so are many languages...

[102jon]

You're going to get a lot of different answers from a lot of different people. Some are advocates of learning lower-level languages like C first to really make sure you understand what's going on internally. Others are advocates of learning very high-level languages such as python, where fundamental concepts of programming are easier to learn. Still others will suggest you learn a functional programming language so that you learn quickly how to optimize for speed. No matter what you choose, you will eventually learn everything else too, but I suggest the high-level route first, as it will teach you the basic logic and principles of programming better than other types of languages.

I know many people will suggest java, but I typically frown on java as a first language because 1) it drills in the mindset that you are always working with objects (which you most certainly aren't in other languages), and 2) it's a bloated language. I suggest python.

[cyb3r_sn4k3]

C is my personal favorite because its more flexible.

[cgroza]

I started with python, Very easy to grasp, and it teaches you the most important concepts.

[Npl]

Java is cross-platformIts as crossplatform as writing in assembly for a C64, it will run wherever you install an emulator for it. Actually you can run C64 on every platform that can run Java (since there are C64-Emus for Java) and on alot more that dont run Java. So assembly wins in portability!

Java isnt cross-platform, it is a platform (that requires huge amount of memory and a emulator to run).

[christopher.mountford]

I suppose python sounds like the best option so far, does anyone know if it lends itself well to game development?

As someone who who has done some simple Visual Basic programming i thought id try to find something similar for Linux (Gambas) but found that it didn't lend itself well to producing software for Windows or mac so i decided to find something else to start with. I suppose some of the skills learned in Visual Basic could be useful for programming in any language but I would rather start with something a bit more open and freely available.

[matt_symes]

Hi

This is one of the most frequently asked questions in these forums.

Asked outright you will get a hundred different answers. This is not useful for evaluating a language.

Follow muteXe's advice and read the stickies. There is alot of information there. That is why they are stickies.

That way you will be able to refine your question.

Kind regards

[simeon87]

I suppose python sounds like the best option so far, does anyone know if it lends itself well to game development

In that case you should look into pygame which allows you to create games in Python. You can find it here: http://www.pygame.org

I think Python is a good language when new to programming.

[cgroza]

After python, I recommend Java or C++, as learning their syntax gives you a pretty good boost in learning other languages.

[christopher.mountford]

Apologies, will do. thanks for the suggestions guys anyway^^ I think I'll be considering Python quite a lot though.

[stchman]

Anyone know a good language to learn how to programme with?
Im not sure what lanaguage to try and learn, a couple of the choices i have been considering are Python or Java (something cross platform). I also would like to look into writing indie games possibly if and when i have enough experiance of a particular language.

I also have already have been learning a little simple programming in Visual Basic (due to my college almost exclusivly using microsoft software:() although I find it good for beginners i would like to learn something which would allow me to code for a better range of platforms or failing that just Linux)

So any ideas on what would be the best option?

Java, platform independent and teaches good programming habits.

[gnomeuser]

I would recommend C# (if a Python like syntax seems easier to learn, IronPython or Boo).

C# has much better support on the Ubuntu desktop and fixes a number of Java's uglisms. You should also be able to get excellent materials for learning the language as well as classes if needed.

C# is vastly underrated, it is great all around programming solution which has continued to evolve well over the years.

[andrew1992]

Err...C# has better support on Ubuntu desktop than Python?

[LemursDontExist]

Err...C# has better support on Ubuntu desktop than Python?

I think gnomeuser was comparing it to Java. Which is reasonable!

As a Linux programmer I prefer Python, but C# is surprisingly decent, and beats Java any day. If I were a primarly a windows programmer, I'd probably use C# and be grateful for the level of support in Ubuntu!

[andrew1992]

Ahh, I thought he was comparing it to Python. Yes indeed, better than Java.

[DangerOnTheRanger]

Use Python. It lets you concentrate on code logic, and not menial chores like iterating over an array/list.

[kurum!]

So any ideas on what would be the best option?

look no more, see here (http://ruby-doc.org/docs/ProgrammingRuby/)
and here for games (http://rubygame.org/)