I use C#, it's a great and easy to use language specially if you want to stick with Windows. I may move to C++ so I could program for Mac too.

.Net is absolutely great for things related to desktop applications.

Worth looking into.

I use Python - it allows me to write a program and compile it to run on all the major platforms. When choosing a desktop language, always pick something that works on all platforms. That way you potentially have more target users.

Good luck

will definately look into python, thanks, is it easy to get to grips with?

C#.net is what I would suggest for desktop applications

Python is a great language aswell. I have used it and loved it. It's great
for desktop applications too.

VB.net, it doesn't get much easier.

Plus you'll find thousands of free code snippets on the net for free.

C# is my choice for desktop application. In general C# and VB.Net are both great languages for programming higher level tools but if you want to get deeper into the OS you might want to learn C++ (not C++.Net). There's also some speed issues with .Net languages when compared to C or C++ but they don't matter if you are not developing a time critical applications, like software for air traffic management or something, haha

Edit: Some people might tell you that .Net languages are rubbish and only real programming can be done with C or C++ but don't listen to them! Those people are too old-school to adapt these newer languages and because the PC's come faster and faster all the time the performance difference between C++ and .Net is not a big issue.

Adobe Air, C# and Python.

Look into all of them.

i've been programming for over 16 years...i started with VB 3.0...and it was great for learning...so getting started with Desktop apps i definitely recommend using VB.NET with .NET version 4.0. VB is a great starter language, but i found it to be just too much syntax for my liking.

Once you get good with VB.NET, i suggest moving to C#. I remember that i loved VB for the longest time, and hated C# just because i had no experience with it. But when i started a job as a software engineer, i had to learn C#, and i will never regret it nor will i ever go back to VB.NET after learning C#.

C# is just the best if you ask me, i've dealt with pretty much every programming language out there (C, C++, Java, Phyton, PHP, Perl, VB, LabVIEW, and more), and i just seem to be able to get so much more done with less syntax.

Plus once you move to C#, it is very easy to learn C/C++/Java/Javascript/PHP, as these languages have similar syntax to C#. So migrating to C# is highly recommended once you get the hang of VB.NET as its alot easier to code in any otherlanguage after learning C#.

Just my two cents.

p.s. stay away from Adobe AIR, trust me on this one

go with C,C++ or C#

try Adobe Air

Java is best for that purpose...

yea i m agree with Billylatsko java is best for that purpose You can use java for desktop applications as well as web applications.