Thread: programming language for beginners???

Hmmm, if you are gonna develop C++ for Win9x and don't want to jump straight to C++, try first VisualBasic or Delphi (Pascal). But I suppose it is better to go head on to your favorite flavor (Borland or Microsoft).

I believe that the less "bad code habits" you get at start, the better.

I'll second that.

However, if you wish to see results fast, to boost your confidence then i would start of with Visual Basic or Delphi. (It looks great fast and is easier to under stand, but as fjmedinaa points out it will give you bad habits in comparison to C++ and Java)

I must however admit that i have no clue to what type of language Python is ...

I would recommend Delphi over VB. Delphi(Pascal) is much closer to C than VB is. And Delphi is a more strict language, which should help teach you the proper methods of programming. VB allows too much laziness.

BTW - I'm a VB programmer.

BTW, which would be the best language to learn to think in OOP?

I've been trying to get rid of my old school train of thought (biased by my Clipper/Turbo Pascal/Cobol/RPG-II/C and Basic "experience") and really can't get too deep into OOP (I can use all those objects in VB or Delphi, but to think of building my owns to solve problems... nah., I'm begining to think that I learned how to program in "Ooops!" rather than OOP...) :P

I started out in QBasic, haha, then Turbo Pascal. Then went to VB. As stated earlier VB is the lazy mans programming language. You don't have to declare variables (unless you use option explicit) and almost everything is done for you. Quick and Dirty.
I love C/C++ I haven't gotten down the GUI stuff yet, just good old command prompt stuff. I will rule at the end of this semester though!! I have talked to several people about this subject and most agree on this schedule
1st C
2nd Visual Basic (For interface design)
3rd C++ (Visual for me)
4th Java

Hope that helps

Well i guess SexyCompGeek may have a point (like every body else in this discussion).

It might be a good thing to know C before you start playing with interface's

I wont argue wether Deplhi or VB is better, it is a question of taste.

I will however agree that vb is the lazy mans language,I use it, so therefor it must be

My experiences have been

Basic (C64 stuff)
a touch of Pascal (ouch, tried to learn it on my own ... failed miserably)
VB (School, used to teach design)
C++/C (School, used to teach the good stuff)
VB and a touch of C++ (Work)

BTW there is a new language on the way from MS, C# it is a combination of C++ and VB .. and a touch of Java(philosophy)

I thank you all supremely for your wonderful feedback!!! I must recap something that really stuck out in my mind - a comment made by Darkwingduck (i used to LOVE that show ) He/she said that if i want to SEE RESULTS FAST and BOOST MY CONFIDENCE..... yeeeeahhh!!!!! i love that idea. i will be honest with yu folks, i have already tried C++ (on my own) with 2 different books that i bought. i was bombarded with a plethera of information, and i just couldn't figure the freakin' language out!!! (to put it into simple termz!) So... that kind-of turned me away from programming, but now i am giving it another chance. i think that starting out on the "grand-daddy" of programming languages (as someone said ) C++ - i should start on an easier language, something to BOOST MY CONFIDENCE!! (i.e. --> Visual Basic!) Delphi seems to be dying off.

welp, there's my 2 pennies.
any other help?
ANY GOOD BOOK RECOMENDATIONS???

BTW, my school is too cheap to put any sort of computer programming into the corriculum, so i'm on my own!!! =) we have cisco though!


.thanx guyz.

dj