chasey

Hello all :-)

I'm a noob as you may have guessed and having searched some of the posts I wasnt able to find the answer to what I was looking for, so here goes...

Ive just recently been accepted into uni for the computer science bachelors degree course and will be starting next year. The programming part of my course specfically centres around Java and the BlueJ learning tool.

Some sing the praises of Java and its independent platform capabilities, while others say there isnt much need to learn it and is only useful if you want to work for Sun, preferring VB or C++.

I know if you are proficient in C/C++, Java will be an easy ride for you, but in terms of preference, ease, and what employers seek most, which program would you consider the best to learn or better still, what ranking would you give each OOP language?

I hope to make use of programming to create, run and administer relational databases etc and use in web design/development. I have briefly worked with VWD08 and ASP.NET aswell as with Dreamweaver CS3. Just wanted to get a feel of where I should start.

Your opinions are appreciated... :-)

lectricpharaoh

It really doesn't matter what language you learn first, so long as you don't try to pick up something too low-level (like assembly language) or esoteric. This isn't to say that if you do so you will fail, but simply that it will make it harder to learn.

Good candidates are any of the mainstream languages. The very word 'mainstream' implies they are used enough in the real world to make learning them worthwhile. Personally, I'd recommend C# or C++, but I've also heard good things about Python as a beginner's language. Really, though, once you pick up one, it will be easy to migrate to another, especially if the languages are similar.

The reasons I recommend C# are that it's easy to learn, easy to develop GUI applications (seeing one's progress in this way helps continued motivation), it builds good habits with its strong typing, it's powerful enough for large projects, and it makes it easy to interface with other languages. C++ gets my recommendation because it's powerful, expressive, and ubiquitous. Both are similar enough that learning one will make it easy to learn the other, but different enough that each has its place.

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L7Sqr

Personally, I learned C first - I mean really learned it. I was using malloc/free to manage my own memory, using function pointers to do callback routines, networking and IPC, and pthreads to do concurrent things. After having that much under my belt, any language I have since encountered has been only a matter of understanding syntax - not constructs.
I dont necessarily suggest that you learn C first, but I do suggest you learn it. Understanding memory management and the other things I mentioned at that level - a level that will let you make huge mistakes if you want - is worth its weight later on.
That said, I think it is equally important to have some scripting language well understood. My personal choice is Ruby, but Perl and Python are also good choices. With a 'machine' language and a rapid development tool (C and Ruby, in my case) there arent many situations that you wont be prepared to tackle.
Outside of that, I would really suggest you try your best to stay away from languages that are platform specific. You would do better to learn a language that is applicable to any situation and adapt for the specific cases than to learn a specific language and adapt for everything else.

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MiKuS

theres a lot of previous posts on this exact subject mannor, therefor i wont go into much detail other than you should use python to start with, it's syntax is easy so you'll spend more time programming rather than figuring out why the code you have wont compile.
http://www.programmingforums.org/search397335.html

L7Sqr

Unless, of course, you migrate across editors
I was a TA for an algorithm course that used python exclusively. No other class did I hate to grade projects for more than that class. Each editor handles spaces/tabs in it's own manner. Ughh, what a mess.

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MiKuS

most (decent) editors have the ability to set tab spaces to whatever you want.

L7Sqr

Agreed. But, that doesnt change the fact that _people_ have different preferences.

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bregan

I've been wondering the same thing. I'm totally new to programming, other than writing some old telemate scripts back in the day (18 years ago) to play text based games on a bbs' while I was at work. I think I had more fun writing the scripts than playing the actual game. However, it was easy to write those scripts because there was a real PURPOSE behind them.

What I find most difficult about delving into programming, as a newbie, is figuring out what to do that will keep me interested. Just reading a book doesn't cut it. The little example programs are helpful, if you come across one that you can expand on. Ie... by reading the first chapter of a C++ for beginners book, I was able to code me a little application that asked me a database name, and file location, which then called the OSQL function to backup the database. I had to google on how to call an external application, but I did it... all in one day of reading and no coding experience. That is 5 minutes for you experienced programmers, but it really did get me excited about learning more.

What I really would like to find is a real tutorial that teaches by example only. Starting off with a basic program, then maybe an excersise to expand the program. Once all elements are learned, you move on to the next example program... and just keep going until you have the basic knowledge to really start learning the more difficult stuff on your own. I guess this is a more personal preference though, as I learn by example much quicker than reading a book. I'm sure others are opposite.

rhish.franks

I personally learned C language first. I have even done graphics, compiler development, assembler designing in C only. So even if C is the language that nobody used in mainstream these days, still it is the base language! Even all the IT companies in india tell to freshers that it is enough if you know only C, we can teach you any languge if you know C!

L7Sqr

The perl community started something called 'perl quiz of the week' a while back which does a quiz a week on random topics. Im not too familiar with the rules of that, but the ruby community does a similar thing in the spirit of perl's qotw and allows for a 'no spoiler' period so that you can try things without help at first. Once that time is over contributers post solutions in many flavors. Some of these quizzes can lead to more interesting work others are for pure enjoyment.
I'm sure there are other outlets in a similar style, but these are the two I am aware of that seem to fit your request fairly well.

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