Comments on: Which Programming Language to Learn First?

By: kenada

kenada — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 12:04:00 +0000

I personally started out with BASIC and progressed on to C and C++ from there, I think, like JenniP says, it’s important to just pick a language and learn that comprehensively.

By: Froix

Froix — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 01:46:20 +0000

I’ve been taught C, Pascal and Foxpro and since then familiarized myself with a few programming languages like delphi and dbase. Unfortunately, I don’t use any of them now. I work on database systems and Microsoft VB is the best language for it IMO. I’d recommend just choosing one programming language. Your first being your last one. It’s better to be really good at one than be good at 2 or more.

By: Dartz

Dartz — Sun, 25 May 2008 18:54:24 +0000

I’m not that much of a coder, I know C++ and HTML but that’s it. I can read code no problem but I can’t really code in it.

By: Redward

Redward — Fri, 23 May 2008 22:10:47 +0000

@descorpio

That’s a great suggestion, but learning a design language could be a huge waste of time for someone who won’t be going into that field. Unless you plan on being well-rounded, you might never use that first language again and that could be a frustrating piece of information.

Granted, it seems everything is becoming web-based these days so you might be on to something.

By: ghuraba_t

ghuraba_t — Wed, 21 May 2008 19:24:47 +0000

I think you can get away with just HTML if you just want to build sites and work on them. You don’t even need to know everything about it, just enough for wordpress. Wordpress themes are most friendly towards HTML coding so that is what I would suggest.

By: descorpio

descorpio — Tue, 20 May 2008 03:46:01 +0000

Rather than starting directly with a programming language, one could start off with a design language such as HTML and DHTML. This may be an attractive alternative to many and it’s a good way to get some basic hands on experience. Since its web related, most would find this an interesting learning experience as well.

By: bulletservice

bulletservice — Sat, 17 May 2008 10:59:32 +0000

There are lots of programming languages available to learn and implement it. I would also recommend “C” to learn first. It is very easy and it is the basis for all popular languages nowadays. After getting a good knowledge of “C” language you can then move ahead and learn C++.

By: liowkc

liowkc — Wed, 14 May 2008 01:15:11 +0000

I think what progranming languages to learn first depends on your individual circumstances and needs. And in today’s world of new technology and automation, perhaps it is not even necessary to learn one. A good example will be having a blogging site without knowing any programming.

By: alpha

alpha — Sun, 11 May 2008 19:22:21 +0000

The first language I really learned was Basic, way back when. But I thing the important thing, as mentioned by others earlier, is to get an idea of the fundamentals of how programming is done and what distinguishes sloppy programming from good, logical programming.
I was reading some info about Ruby/Rails recently and came across this acronym which may be already familiar to everybody else.
DRY — Don’t repeat yourself (in other words, write code you can reuse and not have to write the same kind of thing over and over).

By: vttop

vttop — Sat, 10 May 2008 11:26:15 +0000

My field isn’t exactly programming but I am having to read and change code in order to understand the stuff on my website and make changes like adding a new widget or extending a sidebar. I am finding the process quite interesting, so much so that I want to learn it even if that means taking time out of my recreational hours. I am not using any programming books yet because the resources I am using online are simple enough for me to learn what I need to know. As to my personal opinion about whether or not beginning with a certain language makes it easier on the students, I will only be able to tell that after I gain more knowledge and confidence.