I wouldn't necessarily say Java has "poor" speed, ZenMasterJG. Sounds more like an argument from the late nineties than something you would argue today. Java's performance has increased dramatically over the past few years. It should be fairly adequate if you're not trying to code your own Photoshop, 3D game, or operating system or whatever. Java would be a good starting point for you ashcaw. It's similar to C++ in a lot of respects, and you don't have to deal with the low level stuff (which you might considered a "con" depending on how you look at it
). Anyway, welcome to the boards.