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Best Programming Language

40
Hello There! Just want to ask if what is the best programming language that I can take up? I'm not a programmer in the first place, just recently I enrolled in computer school and take Software development course..subjects Included in the course outline are C, C++, C#, VB, SQL...For me, I think that its not enough what they are teaching...Because whenever I read some post in the discussion there are terminologies that I'm not familiar with...Or is C/C++ is a very broad language in which I have to concentrate on some topics...By the way, I'm presently enrolled in C language..haven't took the C++ yet...thanks
Sep 9 '06 #1
21 10955
risby
30
Just want to ask if what is the best programming language that I can take up?...By the way, I'm presently enrolled in C language..haven't took the C++ yet...thanks
Best isn't a concept you can use without context.

If you mean best in terms of getting a job then VB would probably fill this criterion better than C (but you'll get more interesting jobs using C).

C is probably the worst language to start learning programming. Pascal was specifically designed with teaching programming concepts in mind. Modula2 was its progeny introducing the nascent concept of object orientation. Java is more like C than Pascal in syntax but more like Pascal in helping you avoid errors. Any of these three would be better than C for a beginner.

Perl is better than C for string handling but is equally obtuse.

Assembly languages would be best for programming under severe memory and processor speed constraints but would require much longer in development time for any sizeable task.

APL would suit slightly whiffy mathematical geniuses with poor teeth and no outside interests or any live friends.

So, to determine the best language we must know your aim in learning programming.
Sep 9 '06 #2
PEB
1,418 Expert 1GB
Hi,

In the begining when I've began to learn programming it was with Pascal, then Basic and now I don't have time to engage me with C or C++ and also I don't need it...

In fact i'm using SQL that is not just a programer language...

It's Structured Query Language that is used to create queries till a database or database server...

It helps you to obtain data, manipulate with data, change data, near everything magic with data!

So to be full the magig of SQL you have to combine it with other language like VB, C++, maybe Php? And the magic is done! :)

Welcome in the world of magic spectacle where there is nothing impossible! :)
Sep 10 '06 #3
bitong
40
so, I still have to take up C or C++ in order for me to use VB or SQL or any advance programming language? is C/C++ or Pascal are programming basics that you have to take first? In the first place I don't have any programming background.. I took up business management and college and decided to shift to programming. In the first place, I'm really fascinated with computers and to think of the demand and the opportunities in the IT industry.

Hi,

In the begining when I've began to learn programming it was with Pascal, then Basic and now I don't have time to engage me with C or C++ and also I don't need it...

In fact i'm using SQL that is not just a programer language...

It's Structured Query Language that is used to create queries till a database or database server...

It helps you to obtain data, manipulate with data, change data, near everything magic with data!

So to be full the magig of SQL you have to combine it with other language like VB, C++, maybe Php? And the magic is done! :)

Welcome in the world of magic spectacle where there is nothing impossible! :)
Sep 10 '06 #4
bitong
40
That's what I meant, in terms of getting a job. Because I'm planning to migrate to other country. Most probably in US. If you could give me some tips on what they are using, so that I can easily cope with if I applied in some IT companies there.. I'm also planning to take up networking..is it ok if I'm taking software development and at the same time networking?

Best isn't a concept you can use without context.

If you mean best in terms of getting a job then VB would probably fill this criterion better than C (but you'll get more interesting jobs using C).

C is probably the worst language to start learning programming. Pascal was specifically designed with teaching programming concepts in mind. Modula2 was its progeny introducing the nascent concept of object orientation. Java is more like C than Pascal in syntax but more like Pascal in helping you avoid errors. Any of these three would be better than C for a beginner.

Perl is better than C for string handling but is equally obtuse.

Assembly languages would be best for programming under severe memory and processor speed constraints but would require much longer in development time for any sizeable task.

APL would suit slightly whiffy mathematical geniuses with poor teeth and no outside interests or any live friends.

So, to determine the best language we must know your aim in learning programming.
Sep 10 '06 #5
m013690
23
I got my feet wet in high school with Pascal, and it was a good intro to the basic concepts of control structures, logic, algorithms, functions, etc. In college they threw us right into C++ and I thought it was fine.

I do agree with the guy who said "best" is a relative term, though, so it depends. I'm not in the industry, so it's hard to say in that regard, but I will add this: if you're just starting to learn, I don't know that it's terribly important that you choose one language and decide that's going to be "The One."

In my college classes they started us in C++, and from that point on the bulk of stuff we did was with C++, but in other classes, for demonstration purposes and teaching us to broaden our minds, we also tooled around with Java, Lisp, Assembly and I think one other. But my point is, you will probably pick up bits and pieces of a few of them over your college experience, and by the time you're looking for a job, you'll learn what you need to succeed there.

For now, I think, since you're completely new to it, just pick one and get your feet wet with the basic concepts. There is SO much that is fundamental to all programming that you will learn from any language, and it doesn't matter which one teaches you the fundamental concepts of logical thinking, problem solving and stuff like that. I'd go with C++, but really, it probably doesn't matter too much for now...
Oct 1 '06 #6
r035198x
13,262 8TB
apparently no one seems to be suggesting JAVA
Oct 2 '06 #7
ronverdonk
4,258 Expert 4TB
I have more then 37 years experience in programming and have learned (not always mastered) more then a dozen programming languages, ranging from good old Assembler and Fortran on legacy systems to PHP and JavaScript on PCs.

And I have not (yet) found the best or most ideal language. Because that all depends on the target hardware, the type of application and on what you want to accomplish. If you want to be or become a scientific programmer, you would not use Basic or REXX. If you want to develop relatively simple web scripts, you would not use Java or Perl. If you want to program million transaction applications for large legacy systems, Visual Basic is a bad choice.

My point is: first decide for which programming environments and in what direction you want to develop your skills. Thst will, for a great deal, determine what programming languages you will have to learn. In my opinion, learning any programming language will do as a start. Because you will need to grasp the basics of programming.

To get started somewhere, for PCs you could go from VB, C, C++ to Java and pick up on Perl, JavaScript, SQL (strictly not a programming language) on the way.

I know I let a number of languages out. That is not on purpose, but you'll have to start somewhere and, while learning, you'll pick up an affection for one or the other language.

Good luck!

Ronald :cool:
Oct 5 '06 #8
sashi
1,754 Expert 1GB
Hi guys,

The correct tool for the correct job i would say, take care & have a great day ahead guys.. :)
Oct 5 '06 #9
r035198x
13,262 8TB
Hi guys,

The correct tool for the correct job i would say, take care & have a great day ahead guys.. :)
I'm just 1 hr away from going to bed.
Oct 5 '06 #10
I learned on Motorolla 68000 assembler and then C was easy once I got the syntax down. I have since done VB, Delphi/OOPascal, C++, Ruby, PHP, Some Java, JavaScript and even made my own scripting language onelate night.

These days, so many languages use the C/C++ syntax style that it is hard to go past it. I would surely reccomend learing a C style language rather than Basic, Ruby or some other more forgiving syntax as it will give you a better foundation. After a while, new languages will come to you easily.

Also, even though they try so hard to hide Pointers and Addresses from the programmer in new languages, understanding them will get you out of a lot of trouble with tricky stuff if it ever comes up.

But here is the big question. How do you know you want to be a programmer if you can't yet program? It is a tough life. Messy hair, coffee, patato chips. Not somehting to jump into lightly :)

And remember, there are 10 types of programmers. Those that understand binary and those that don't.
Oct 17 '06 #11
AricC
1,892 Expert 1GB
And remember, there are 10 types of programmers. Those that understand binary and those that don't.
01000100011000010110110101101110001000000111001001 10100101100111011010000111010000100001
:)


I just finished a Software Engineering Degree. Here is the route I went and it seemed to work pretty well.
1. Visual Basic.Net(Or higher) + MS SQL, this will give you an idea of some of the concepts for programming also take SQL most of the jobs you will find have something to do with adding/editing/deleting from database. Once you learn MS SQL other database's will be a breeze ( aside from Oracle )
2. HTML/Javascript/ASP/ASP.Net/ASP2.0/PHP, you are going to want to learn to program web based languages also, a decent amount of jobs
3. C,C++,C#,Java Once you have a good programming mindset take on C things are done differently in C, you want to have a good programming base before you try to take on pointers and some of the other C based challenges. Java will also be easy to learn after VB & C

Or you can do the reverse if you want to make things hard on yourself, if you do well in your C classes you will be able to breeze through VB.
Oct 26 '06 #12
r035198x
13,262 8TB
01000100011000010110110101101110001000000111001001 10100101100111011010000111010000100001
:)


I just finished a Software Engineering Degree. Here is the route I went and it seemed to work pretty well.
1. Visual Basic.Net(Or higher) + MS SQL, this will give you an idea of some of the concepts for programming also take SQL most of the jobs you will find have something to do with adding/editing/deleting from database. Once you learn MS SQL other database's will be a breeze ( aside from Oracle )
2. HTML/Javascript/ASP/ASP.Net/ASP2.0/PHP, you are going to want to learn to program web based languages also, a decent amount of jobs
3. C,C++,C#,Java Once you have a good programming mindset take on C things are done differently in C, you want to have a good programming base before you try to take on pointers and some of the other C based challenges. Java will also be easy to learn after VB & C

Or you can do the reverse if you want to make things hard on yourself, if you do well in your C classes you will be able to breeze through VB.
Not really sure what the vb experts will have to say about that but it seems everyone is backing vb to be the easiest programming language? Certainly not much of the 10 people factor in vb.
Oct 26 '06 #13
FWIW I think that those who say that there is no one 'best' language are correct - the reason there are so many is largely because each is aimed at solving particular classes of problems (eg Perl - string manipulation, C - systems, APL - mathematical problems, etc).

I cut my teeth on Pascal and later Delphi (which is pretty much an enhanced Pascal) in a professional capacity, and I never found much limitation with either - but then I wasn't writing systems software, for example. On the other hand Apollo wrote an entire workstation multi-user multi-tasking, graphics based networked OS in Pascal, so it can be done.

As far as a job is concerned, unless you want to embrace C or C++, you probably have to make a basic choice between the Windows world and the non-Windows world (ie *nix). If you want a career in the Windows world I would recommend C# over VB, if only for the higher salary levels it commands. Like Delphi, C# as a language is simple, elegant, highly flexible and powerful, but does hold your hand a little less than VB. It has the supreme advantage of no commercial pressures for 'backwards compatibility' with earlier versions (unlike VB.Net), so it improves C++ and Java, and arguably Delphi too (although I wouldn't put any money on that myself).

If you are going for the *nix world, Java appears to be the one with the best prospects - but with Mono coming along nicely, C# is not going to hold you back there either.

One thing is true though - one language is never going to be enough. Whatever you go with, make sure you at least have strong SQL (for backend work) or HTML/Javascript (for web application work) expertise as well.
Oct 27 '06 #14
bartonc
6,596 Expert 4TB
Hello There! Just want to ask if what is the best programming language that I can take up? I'm not a programmer in the first place, just recently I enrolled in computer school and take Software development course..subjects Included in the course outline are C, C++, C#, VB, SQL...For me, I think that its not enough what they are teaching...Because whenever I read some post in the discussion there are terminologies that I'm not familiar with...Or is C/C++ is a very broad language in which I have to concentrate on some topics...By the way, I'm presently enrolled in C language..haven't took the C++ yet...thanks
Don't forget Python! Very powerful, very easy to learn, portable (your code will run on windows and linux and mac), and a huge & growing library, Object Oriented, and NO compiler to figure out.
Nov 17 '06 #15
Personally for me Im not even out of high school and I'm teaching my self C/C++ and soon SQL and anything else i may need for game software developement/graphics designing, it really all depends on wut specific objects you are wanting to Script to really know which language you will really need. Seeing how im not that educated on languages as I'd like to be I can't answer for you. But good luck!

Death Corpus
Mar 15 '07 #16
sicarie
4,677 Expert Mod 4TB
I'd actually recommend going into programming theory. Languages can be referenced and looked up, it's the skills of being able to break a problem down into something you can program that are in demand. If you can do that better than the other guy, but know less about the language (to a certain extent - you still have to show that you know the language, or can figure it out quickly), in my experience, you will have the edge.
Mar 15 '07 #17
Ganon11
3,652 Expert 2GB
I'd actually recommend going into programming theory. Languages can be referenced and looked up, it's the skills of being able to break a problem down into something you can program that are in demand. If you can do that better than the other guy, but know less about the language (to a certain extent - you still have to show that you know the language, or can figure it out quickly), in my experience, you will have the edge.
There's definitely a lot of merit to this. As people have said, there are many concepts that are universal to all programming languages. I started out learning VB, then moved to Java, and am now independently studying C++ (and, indirectly, C through these forums). But I still learned most of my programming in VB, and I haven't forgotten. Now, I had to learn OOP and Data Structures in Java because this is such a vastly different language, but I still retained knowledge of variables, functions, arrays, etc. In C++, I had to learn about file reading, because my course in Java didn't cover it, and about pointers, which Java hides from the programmer. But I was still able to retain the rest of the concepts I had learned from Java.

I would, though, have to agree with sashi - the right tool for the right job. I don't think I'd ever like to go back to VB and program some of the things I'm doing now - not only because I don't think I'd be able to, but because VB is event-driven, unlike the OOP-supporting Java/C++. I'd never be able to make chess in VB, but I've got a fairly close version in Java.

So make sure you learn the concepts rather than the code, no matter what language you take. And just for r0, I'd take a chance and say Java is a good language to learn first - it has the capabilities to do very powerful things, but generally is easier to read than C++ (though this is just a matter of opinion).
Mar 15 '07 #18
VB.NET is certainly the best programming language in here. I have completed my Masters in computer applications and am working in the industry for almost 2 years now. I have a good grasp on C, C++ ,C# ,Java and many others. I still find VB.NET the best one among them all. Compared to Java it has a really faster development time and is lightweight. Whereas the smallest Java application will take 64MB of RAM for one application a .NET application takes merely 16MB. . NET rocks. I cant understand why people are taught to hate Microsoft products in college. How can people earn money if all their products are made open source?

The gist of this is VB.NET is lightweight,faster development time, more possibilities,easy to pick and overall the best
Mar 16 '07 #19
I am windows application programmer 7y old ,my advise to begain learning
vb or vb.net ,if u want get more power enter c world or if u like vb be more
concerned with WIN32 API using vb or C++
Mar 23 '08 #20
ronverdonk
4,258 Expert 4TB
I still stick with my previous recommendation, > a year ago:

To get started somewhere, for PCs you could go from VB, C, C++ to Java and pick up on Perl, JavaScript, SQL (strictly not a programming language) on the way.

And, most important, don't deliver yourself to Microsoft or any of its proprietary environments or languages!! It's a cold world out there.

Ronald
Mar 24 '08 #21
Hi,

No one can say this is better than this ..becoz every programming language having its individuallity..Initially i also had the same doubt..

In my point of view,first u should learn the basic thing like data structure...how is it used,why is it used .....This and al u have to know before u enter into writing programs.This data structure will be same for almost all the languages...

After this step,u have to decide this is our problem,to which, which programming language wil be suitable to get solution.....

For example:if u want to work with network or internet,u can choose java.But before dat u have to learn C.My point of view ,i can say-C wil give u a nice and basic idea abt programming language.

If u want to create an application with simple and userfriendly environment,u can choose VB.VB is evergreen one.But before the same ,u have to learn C...Becoz C wil give enough idea for almost al languages.

For Database management,first u learn MS-Access,after dat SQL queries.

Finally ,wat i want to say is watever u want to learn dats not a matter,first get a basic idea of dat .....


Best of Luck..
Cheers.
Mar 25 '08 #22

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