10 replies to this topic

[SBN]

Hey guys I am a programmer wanna be.... im very much interested in creating programs about applications, database and networking... what programming language do you suggest to start with?

[Lop]

Java is a good beginner language as is ANSI C++. If you want to do web development with databases I suggest PHP.

[v0id]

I will suggest Python, or Pascal (or Delphi)
All of them have a simple and clean syntax which doesn't make it overwhelming for a beginner. Beside that, they're all pretty powerful, so they're not only beginner-languages, but a language you can keep using for a long time...

[TcM]

Pascal is a simple and good starting point, although you will not use it in real life.. but it still helps you to get the concept of programming.

[WingedPanther]

Considering I use Delphi at work (which is Object-Pascal + a library + RAD), I can't completely agree that you won't use it in real life.

[TcM]

Hmm but Delphi is somewhat more useful than Pascal.

[WingedPanther]

True, but that's like saying that C++ is somewhat more useful than C :)

[SBN]

is there such this as general purpose programming language?

[v0id]

I would define all of them (C, C++, Delphi, Python, ...) as pretty general purpose languages. All of them are able to do graphics, desktop applications, text-processing, and so much more. Some are better to something than others, of course.

[WingedPanther]

There are many. Finding a non-general purpose language is somewhat trickier. That said, different languages have different strengths. Some languages are designed to make certain tasks easier, or to have different performance goals.

If you look on SourceForge.net: Welcome to SourceForge.net you can get a good idea of what different programming languages can produce.

[TcM]

Well Pascal is more for Mathematical functions, but can be used for general purposes too. Can't make GUI apps.