Getting into web development
 

I like to dabble in different programming languages and just general computer related things. Lately I have become more and more interested in how websites are made. I was wondering what languages I should try and learn to better understand websites and maybe make one of my own.

BTW I don't know any web related languages other than HTML and even then only the basics of it.

I would suggest PHP, and ASP.NET

Don't forget CSS

I second the notion, with emphasis on the "and." A lot of people swear that PHP is the perfect language, but they've never really used anything else. I'm not saying that ASP.NET is a perfect language either, but I'm liking the code-behind model (I just started using ASP.NET a couple weeks ago). Anyways, try them both. You should also give Ruby on Rails a shot, and maybe Python as well, if you have the time...

I also recommend ASP.NET. I have used ASP.NET for a couple years now (school and work) and I have to say it is pretty awesome.

Yeah, I agree with all of the above. You will need to learn CSS for sure. It's the 're-usability' aspect in web design. PHP is awesome. I really do love it, haven't really done a whole lot of ASP.NET, but from recent work, I've seen that it can be very powerful and easy to use. A good reason to learn it is for internal networks. Remember that not everybody can work linux. Some people prefer to stick with windows, and it does dominate the OS world in usage. People who have little to know experience will have windows, and if they want a internal network type dealy, ASP.NET maybe the way to go.

I'm going to give you some advice about both languages that you may already know. Let's start off with PHP. It has some pros and some cons. Pros are: can run on Linux or windows servers. It has some object oriented parts which is good for lower level programming. The cons would be well currently I don't have cons for PHP, maybe that it's not as compatible with turning the applications into desktop applications. Now with ASP.Net it to has it's pros and cons. The cons being it has to run on a window to be 100% affective, there are some mods out there to have it run on Linux but they aren't 100% as affective as just running off of a windows server. The pros are, with the code behind you have the ability to take an application that you develop for desktop applications, and use it in a web browser. You have to change the GUI but if you developed the Program well you'd already have the UI and the code separated. My personal preference would be learn both. PHP has a great resource for help so does ASP.Net. Downside of ASP.Net is the cost to learn it. As well as the resources you need. Seeing as it is best to run on IIS so you'd need xp pro, or something with IIS. If you don't have the resources then PHP is a nice language. If you can get the resources, ASP.Net is great. Still have PHP in your back pocket though. In case you are put into a network with only linux.

Thanks a bunch for the advice guys!

I'm gonna start learning PHP, and since I spend most of my time using linux I wont mess with ASP.net till later... that is if I enjoy making websites and want to learn more.

You might want to learn about Databases. Databases play a major role in web development. PHP and MySQL are a match made in heaven. I suggest you look go on sourceforge.net and download a web application written in PHP and see how a real web applications looks.

I'd suggest you don't look at a large app just yet. Seeing that much unfamiliar code might be a bit intimidating. Write a few things first, then look at a larger sample.