Easiest code language to start with?

[Manhands]

C++ is generally used in many universities in their general programming courses.
If you know NO coding languages, C++ and object oriented programming is a good start. Once you get a handle on that, go into specifics - PHP seemed really easy to get into going from C++.

(IF this was 10 years ago, you'd use java, but yeah... not any more).

But then again, my programming experience started 10 years ago, and I found starting with Java to be a mistake, but to each their own - not because of ease, but because of usefulness

I wish I could downvote this.

C++ is definitely not "generally used", with Python and Java as top: http://cacm.acm.org/blogs/blog-cacm/...ities/fulltext

I also completely disagree that people don't use java anymore. I don't even know why people say this. Example article: http://www.theneweconomy.com/technol...ll-not-die-out

I also started over 10 years ago, and Java was a great language, then. It's still as hire-able now. Anecdotally, I work for mid-sized web application and we are entirely a java shop. So...I don't want to tread on your experiences in the industry...but it just doesn't track at all with mine or those that I know.

@OP
I guess the best recommendation is to pick someone who seems to make sense, like Zoibert the Bear's answer above, and then go hard. No programming knowledge is useless, even if the language is deemed archaic. It's really learning to solve tech problems with tech toolsets that's the most valuable piece, the language becomes transmutable easily after that.

[Seramore]

If you're looking at webdev as your primary area of interest, definitely start with Python. It's easy, clean, and in moderate demand. Once you feel confident in your conceptual skills, learn PHP, then Java, if you like; both are in high demand, PHP moreso and Java less so each year as a general market trend.

If you're only planning to do web, don't bother with C++, you'll never use it. If you are looking to get into compiled software development, C++ is a fundamental, but a difficult place to start.

Ignore the ruby fanatics. Its only remotely mainstream use is Rails and that commands a very tiny market share of the web. It's not worth your time.

Sorry, but why is Ruby not worth any time? I agree that Ruby seems to have the most obsessive fanbase but I see lots of gigs involving the language and disagree that it's not worth learning.

[tss]

I wan't to start code-ing.

This is too funny.

[Adam552]

At university we started with Java in first year. Then we went to C, then C++ and then Objective-C pretty soon after.

[Independent voter]

Tabs or spaces?

[tehealadin]

I fucking hate this:

function()
{

}

I just despise it. If that makes me a noob or a bad person, I don't know. Don't do that extra, pointless newline.

I find it improves readability. I prefer going for this method, though sometimes I won't, but I mostly do.

[callipygoustp]

I also completely disagree that people don't use java anymore. I don't even know why people say this. Example article: http://www.theneweconomy.com/technol...ll-not-die-out

Yeah, I see this said on non-industry forums from time to time. My LinkedIn linked yahoo inbox begs to differ given the number of recruiters that ping me every month to see if I am looking for a new Java related job. I've been a java developer since ~1999; c++/c from 1990-1999. I'm never lacking for opportunities for Java, NEVER. You might be thinking, "well, yeah, look at how many years of experience you have" and that's certainly a valid observation to make. But, I'll tell you what position I have the most turn over in and is the hardest to fill : entry level java developers. We get knew "kids" every year. We train them up and they move on with in a year or two; which I expect them to do. The point is there are plenty of Java jobs for both entry and senior level. I don't know any Java developers who are out of work. Granted, with the way the market is in the SF bay area currently, I don't know anyone wanting to work who isn't currently working.

But, what are you going to do, this is, after all, primarily a gaming forum. Ask this type of question on stackoverflow or any other professional more heavily moderated forum, and the discussion looks significantly different.

Some good, relatively recent, info here :
http://stackoverflow.com/research/developer-survey-2015

[Draeth]

Sorry, but why is Ruby not worth any time? I agree that Ruby seems to have the most obsessive fanbase but I see lots of gigs involving the language and disagree that it's not worth learning.

I answered your question before you asked it. The only thing anyone will ever hire you for in Ruby is Ruby on Rails, and the market share commanded by Ruby in webdev is miniscule.

https://w3techs.com/technologies/ove...g_language/all

[Raggamasta]

If you want to build something quickly and see the results then Javascript is a good start. Use vanilla JS initially and once you are comfortable with it then learn NodeJS for backend and React, Angular or something similar for frontend development.

If you're into iOS app development then Swift is also a very enjoyable language to learn and use daily.

Another option is also C++ 11 and beyond. C++ has recently evolved quite a bit and the syntax and additional functionality is much better than it used to be in C++ 98 for example. I've been using it for cross platform app development and it's quite nice to write some of the business logic only once and then it works on iOS, web, windows, OS X and so on.

[Kuntantee]

I fucking hate this:

function()
{

}

I just despise it. If that makes me a noob or a bad person, I don't know. Don't do that extra, pointless newline.

That's my style. I think it's more readable. It's a matter of personal preference or company policy. Hating that doesn't make you a noob, inconsistencies in a particular style does.

[Deleted]

This is too funny.

Please do explain. Or was that all your planning to contribute?

[Kuntantee]

I wish I could downvote this.

C++ is definitely not "generally used", with Python and Java as top: http://cacm.acm.org/blogs/blog-cacm/...ities/fulltext

C and C++ is the choice of programming language if you are going to build something fast and reliable and big. Guess what, those attributes are the nature of pretty much every single giant project. C and C++ are infrastructure languages and you are going to use them when you are writing an infrastructure. Go a head and write Java Virtual Machine in Java, and see what happens. With new additions c++11, c++14, c++17, C++ is going strong to be a business-logic oriented programming language.

[Masark]

If that makes me a noob or a bad person, I don't know. Don't do that extra, pointless newline.

It makes you a K&R (or Sun) partisan.

[Beazy]

I fucking hate this:

function()
{

}

I just despise it. If that makes me a noob or a bad person, I don't know. Don't do that extra, pointless newline.

LoL I do both. Same line with JS, next line with codebehind.

VS intellisense does it, its not my fault.

[Felya]

Sorry, but why is Ruby not worth any time? I agree that Ruby seems to have the most obsessive fanbase but I see lots of gigs involving the language and disagree that it's not worth learning.

It's not really used by the big industry giants and as he said, I only ever see Ruby on Rails in any demand.

[Seramore]

I answered your question before you asked it. The only thing anyone will ever hire you for in Ruby is Ruby on Rails, and the market share commanded by Ruby in webdev is miniscule.

https://w3techs.com/technologies/ove...g_language/all

Yes, Rails is fairly popular with Ruby. Your link doesn't change the fact that somebody could score a pretty good gig from it, though. Again, I don't think it's the ultimate language to learn and do agree that it's overhyped, but I also don't think it's as useless as you seem to be making it out to be.

[Manhands]

C and C++ is the choice of programming language if you are going to build something fast and reliable and big. Guess what, those attributes are the nature of pretty much every single giant project. C and C++ are infrastructure languages and you are going to use them when you are writing an infrastructure. Go a head and write Java Virtual Machine in Java, and see what happens. With new additions c++11, c++14, c++17, C++ is going strong to be a business-logic oriented programming language.

I was responding to C++ being used in introductory programming courses. Python and Java are used more nowadays. I didn't say *anything* about the best way to build an infrastructure from scratch.

But since we're on the topic, do you have any sources to back up the general statement that C++ is the best/most used for "fast and reliable and big"? Because I think you simply meant, "C++ is still really useful in some cases," and no one would disagree.

[Kuntantee]

But since we're on the topic, do you have any sources to back up the general statement that C++ is the best/most used for "fast and reliable and big"? Because I think you simply meant, "C++ is still really useful in some cases," and no one would disagree.

I don't need any source, I myself am an expert on the issue. C++ is designed to be reliable and efficient. It is efficient because it is low-level, and native. It directly copies memory layout of C, which is flexible and fast. C++'s efficiency further boosted by inlining and scope allocation, which is not an option for objects in managed languages such as Java or C#. Furthermore, C++ offers by far the best resource management method, namely Resource Acquisition is Initialization (RAII). Why RAII is better? It frees the resource once it's out of scope, unlike managed languages which the process to free a particular source is not deterministic. It's leak-safe because the deallocation of resource is guaranteed on destruction and is automatic.

C++'s RAII is a reliable way to handle resources, which is important part of any infrastructure software. Together with its undisputed speed, C++ is the perfect fit for any sort of resource intensive project. C++ is not suitable for web applications, but it is your best bet on writing that virtual machine or GUI engine.

Some notable projects using C++:

- Majority of Microsoft's software
- Entire Facebook infrastructure
- Entire Amazon infrastructure
- Entire Paypal infrastructure (not completely sure)
- Entire Google web search engine infrastructure
- Chromium
- Firefox
- Opera, and the rest of the browsers?
- Havoc Physics Engine
- A good portion of game engines. C++ dominates gaming industry
- Several Virtual Machines, including ones developed by Sun
- GCC
- LLVM
- MySQL
- KDE
- Qt

In addition to these, Apple, MS, Google and Intel tend to do everything in C++. And there is a reason why.

Finally, not quite sure but F-35's OS might be being written in C++.

The question is, is there a big project that is neither written in C nor C++? Go a head and enlighten me.

--

Our university starts programming with good old C, offers C++ in the second semester to teach OOP. In my opinion, the difficulty should not be concern when teaching to CS or SE/CE students. If you (not you) can't handle bunch of pointers, don't waste your time being a programmer, you are not smart enough.

[Vash The Stampede]

I hear Python is all the rage but I never tried it.

[zealo]

I don't need any source, I myself am an expert on the issue. C++ is designed to be reliable and efficient. It is efficient because it is low-level, and native. It directly copies memory layout of C, which is flexible and fast. C++'s efficiency further boosted by inlining and scope allocation, which is not an option for objects in managed languages such as Java or C#. Furthermore, C++ offers by far the best resource management method, namely Resource Acquisition is Initialization (RAII). Why RAII is better? It frees the resource once it's out of scope, unlike managed languages which the process to free a particular source is not deterministic. It's leak-safe because the deallocation of resource is guaranteed on destruction and is automatic.

C++'s RAII is a reliable way to handle resources, which is important part of any infrastructure software. Together with its undisputed speed, C++ is the perfect fit for any sort of resource intensive project. C++ is not suitable for web applications, but it is your best bet on writing that virtual machine or GUI engine.

Some notable projects using C++:

- Majority of Microsoft's software
- Entire Facebook infrastructure
- Entire Amazon infrastructure
- Entire Paypal infrastructure (not completely sure)
- Entire Google web search engine infrastructure
- Chromium
- Firefox
- Opera, and the rest of the browsers?
- Havoc Physics Engine
- A good portion of game engines. C++ dominates gaming industry
- Several Virtual Machines, including ones developed by Sun
- GCC
- LLVM
- MySQL
- KDE
- Qt

In addition to these, Apple, MS, Google and Intel tend to do everything in C++. And there is a reason why.

Finally, not quite sure but F-35's OS might be being written in C++.

The question is, is there a big project that is neither written in C nor C++? Go a head and enlighten me.

--

Our university starts programming with good old C, offers C++ in the second semester to teach OOP. In my opinion, the difficulty should not be concern when teaching to CS or SE/CE students. If you (not you) can't handle bunch of pointers, don't waste your time being a programmer, you are not smart enough.

Even the runtime of game engines like Unity are written in C/C++. Kinda funny that, when most devs use C# primarily for their purposes with it.

There really is no other choice than C/C++ for embedded systems and other low level stuff (aside from things like Assembly) where being able to squeeze performance matters. That said, id still argue that anyone who chooses c++ as the introduction to programming is a fool.