Not srue about the others, but php is easy to pick up. Start from learning the basics and expand on that.

It's more about thinking logically than just learning the functions of a language. There are many different ways to solve one problems when it comes to programming.

I started writing functional and useful scripts within a couple of weeks of delving into php and mySQL.

It's quite addictive, and once you reach a certain level, the world is your oyster and your ideas spring to life.

PHP is VERY easy to pick up, especially if you have previous experience of other programming languages or even markup languages like html and css.

It's also very powerful for creating web applications. That's what you need to ask yourself, do you want to create web applications or desktop applications?

Certain programming languages can do both, but php can only create web applications.

Personally, I think any programmer who works over the internet should at least know a little html and css so I'd start there if I was you. Then move onto a powerful language based on your goals (web or desktop).

Well there are lots of languages to be learned.it depends upon what your priorities are.there are many options available in the opensource community like php,python,ruby on rails etc and then there is microsoft's .Net platform,which is very good and supported by most sophisticated IDE called Visual Studio.So take your pick.

I learned some basic Java.
It took a year.

The thing is the language on its own is only part of your toolbox when it comes to building apps. You will soon need to talk to a database so will need SQL and any connectivity (ADO/ADO.net/ODBC), lots of languages have frameworks that improve productivity but add an additional learning curve.

You can get Sam's books that say as short as 8 hours.

A real cheap place is Virtual University if you want to learn things like basic perl and things of that nature.

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