Learning to program

[Lyerae]

Well, I've recently decided to try to learn to program, but I'm stuck as to what language to learn.
I've attempted to learn Visual Basic, but the book I have on it makes no sense, so I'm looking for another language to attempt.

So, what is a good, (preferably) cross-platform, easy to learn programming language?
I don't need all the power that languages like C or C++ have... I just need something to get me started.

(My current programming experience is only (v)JASS (which I have a pretty good understanding of), and a very, very small amount of Lua, PHP, and JavaScript (not enough to do anything other than display text))

 

[Darthfett]

I don't need all the power that languages like C or C++ have... I just need something to get me started.

What sort of programming are you looking to do? Making games like in Warcraft III? Are you planning on these being browser-based games or application-based?

Do you prefer object oriented programming? Are you looking for a language with easy syntax (easier than C/C++)?

I think Visual Basic is a terrible place to start, especially if you already know vJass. I personally started a tiny bit on perl, disliked it and moved on to Python.

If you don't just want a bunch of people's listing of their favorite language, I suggest you give us a few details on what YOU'RE looking for in a language.

 

[Lyerae]

I'm really just looking for something simple, and easy, so I can learn programming basics.
I'm not looking for anythig complex. Just something easy.

 

[TheDamien]

Python.

 

[Lyerae]

What's some of the stuff that Python can do?

 

[TheDamien]

Python is a general purpose language. It maintains a good balance between usefulness and use of ease, is in widespread use and features a large number of available bindings and libraries (as well as an extensive standard library). I can't think of anything that you might be able to do, that Python wouldn't be suitable for.

 

[Lyerae]

Uh-huh....
Well, I'll take a day or two to read the tutorial on the site, and see how much I understand.

Thanks for the link.

 

[Vestras]

C++ is the world's most used language, but it can be hard in the start. Start with C# and when you're good at it, move to C++.

 

[codemonkey]

Actually Python I found incredibly easy to learn, learned the basics (classes, variables, functions, loops, if/thens, arrays, etc.) in 30 minutes. :thup:

Although the lack of curly brackets annoyed me.

Here's the tutorial I used: http://www.sthurlow.com/python/

 

[ReVolver]

Actually Python I found incredibly easy to learn, learned the basics (classes, variables, functions, loops, if/thens, arrays, etc.) in 30 minutes. :thup:

Although the lack of curly brackets annoyed me.

Here's the tutorial I used: http://www.sthurlow.com/python/

Python is also nice because you don't need to compile the source in order for it to run, C needs to be compiled before using and so does JAVA/etc.

 

[Vestras]

Python is also nice because you don't need to compile the source in order for it to run, C needs to be compiled before using and so does JAVA/etc.

If you want something that's as close to the executable as possible, just use MASM/ASM.
But you'll die before you actually learn it, so it doesn't matter

 

[Slapshot136]

if you want cross-platform compatibility then id recommend java, java can make actual applications as well as run inside a browser (not to be confused with javascript, which is a very different language), and it's simpler then C++ because it has it's own garbage collection (no worries about memory leaks), the downside is that you need both a compiler and an interpreter

 

[Icyculyr]

Visual Basic, or cross platform I think there is RealBasic.

Kind Regards

 

[perkeyone]

python would be nice to start with
python is way simple compared to c++ for example

in python this is a program

print "hello world"

in c++ this is the same program

#include <iostream>
using namespace std;
 
int main()
{
   cout << "Hello, world!\n";
}

 

[InfectedWithDrew]

I learned Python as my first Turing-complete language. I am currently taking a class in it. This is the book we are using in the class:

http://www.greenteapress.com/thinkpython/

I highly recommend Python because of a few things.

• Its syntax is very close to natural language, and it just makes sense to read (at the basic level).
• Instead of using semicolons and other strange punctuation marks, it uses indentations. This way, programs are easy to interpret for the human eye. It looks very similar to WC3 GUI triggering.
• It is interpreted, which means you don't need to compile your code, and you can hack away at it in your IDE dynamically. As in, you can write a program at the command prompt and work on it without ever saving it to a .py script or a .txt file.

(Thank you xkcd.)

 

[Vestras]

python would be nice to start with
python is way simple compared to c++ for example

in python this is a program

print "hello world"

in c++ this is the same program

#include <iostream>
using namespace std;
 
int main()
{
   cout << "Hello, world!\n";
}

Syntax error, you forgot to return an int.

return EXIT_SUCCESS;

Also, it should be cout << "Hello, world!" << endl; instead.

 

[TheDamien]

In C++, main does not need to contain an actual return statement.

 

[Vestras]

In C++, main does not need to contain an actual return statement.

Why reinvent the wheel?

 

[perkeyone]

yeah i just compiled it and it worked fine...
but if i wanted to get all anal and off topic i could just change "int main" to "void main"

 

[Tru_Power22]

Visual Basic, or cross platform I think there is RealBasic.

Kind Regards

I think we have already established that visual basic is not what he was looking for.

Eh... Best cross platform your going to get is java.