What's The Best Programming Language To Learn for a Beginner

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Hello everyone!

I have no knowledge at programming at all and i really want to get into it as soon as possible.

So as the title says i am wondering what one would be the best for a beginner like me to start with?

Every answer is much appreciated, thank you!
#programming #beginner #language #learn #programming
  • Here you can learn almost anything the interactive way.

    https://www.khanacademy.org/

    Also a site for interactive learning of Ruby , JS, HTML/CSS, iOS,

    https://www.codeschool.com/courses

    Learning jQuery the interactive way.

    Code School - Try jQuery

    This was copied from. >>> Awesome Site To Learn Programming In Interactive Way.

    And for bigger things you can go Stack Overflow and ask a question.

    It depends what you want to do but I will compare 1 thing in JavaScript and C# .

    In JS when you want to declare a variable you just write

    Code:
    var a = "" ;
    All variables are treated as a text variables. If you want to make it a numerical variable you write

    Code:
    var a = 1 ;
    If you want to declare variable and later use it as a numerical or textual you just write

    Code:
    var a = null ;

    This is a beginners level.

    In C# if you want to make a variable a textual you write it

    Code:
    string a = "some text" ;


    And if you want to create variable and later use it as a text or numerical variable you declare it as int, string, char, float , double and so on... and depending on how much data you can store in that variable it can be long, short and so on. (I don't do much C# so check that on your own)

    So as a beginner it's much easier to work in JS.
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  • I would recommend finding a project you would like to work on. For example a website or a tool of some kind. Then teach yourself the languages you need to complete your ideas. That way you are not just learning from a textbook/website but are using what you are learning. It really will help your motivation.
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  • What do you want to use programming to do?

    If you want to work in a corporate environment:
    .Net or Java

    If you want to make websites with no backend (databases):
    HTML, CSS, Javascript

    If you want to work on Wordpress websites:
    PHP

    If you want to eventually work on websites for a startup or smaller company:
    Ruby or PHP
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  • You can do just about anything you want, I started with Fortran, in college back in 1982, back then we had to print out our code and make hand notes on each line of code, talk about messy, )

    Now with compiler less, code, you can learn a fourth Generation language, without having to learn machine level code, its all about how much time you have to invest in learning.

    Saw some good, alternatives and resources posted, I suspect there is a certain level of knowledge that you need to acquire, before you can effectively learn and actually begin developing,

    learning the basics, like variables, strings, Plus Syntax, to make along story short, when you look at a programming script, if it all looks like a confused bunch of symbols and those symbols have no meaning, then its time to hit the books, (or the learning sites)

    When I look at a program, its not much different than a regular book to me, but I have been doing this for more than 30 years too, as the old saying goes we all have to start somewhere, )

    I would learn the basics and then go for a forth generation language. See what attracts you to a particular language, once you have a basic understanding of how programming works then you can begin to learn at a faster pace.
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  • If you want to really learn programming then you want to g with C++, Java, or .Net. If you just want to learn some basic web stuff I would go with PHP.
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  • Do you have any preferences, such as web application, websites, phone apps or windows/mac software?
  • It depends on what would you like to create. Web, mobile or desktop applications.

    If you haven't decided yet, then go with Java. It's a good language to learn the basics and the concept of OOP. After learning the fundamentals you can specialize with it: mobile apps (Android), enterprise web applications or desktop software.

    If you're more interested in creating websites then go with PHP OOP. It's really popular, easy to learn the basics in it, you can find a lot of books and tutorials out there. From small to large (e.g.: Facebook) web applications can be built with it.
    While learning PHP you'll learn some MySQL (storing data), HTML & CSS (displaying things in the browser), Javascript (manupulting website elements in the browser). After a while you'll be able to specialize in backend (PHP, MySQL) or frontend (HTML & CSS, Javascript) development.

    If you're more interested in creating mobile apps, then go with Java (Android) or Object C (iOS).

    I don't know which one would be the best for desktop development.
  • Its depend on your interests and scope. Anyhow, php is the best to learn and make more and more practice to be expert.
  • I'd recommend HTML/CSS
  • There is no simple answer to this question, it depends mostly on what you want to do. Generally, my advice would be, decide what area of programming you want to get into (web, applications, what kind?), pick the most commonly used language and framework (because that's where you will find most support), and start getting your hands dirty early on -- meaning don't waste too much time on tutorials trying to show you every aspect of a language's syntax. Pick a small project to work on instead, one that seems doable in a short amount of time even for someone starting out, and finish it.
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  • C programming language is the best for beginner. After the clear concept of C programming you can learn java , C++ etc.
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    • This is what I did. I wanted to develop a software package and I spent two years mastering the skills I needed to complete it.

      This is kind of "old school" advice these days, but I still fundamentally agree with it. My first three languages, in order, were C, C++, and Java. I can't even imagine trying to learn them in the opposite order, but that's exactly what a lot of people try to do. I think that's why so many people find C to be so intensely painful.
  • C# or Java are great if you want a solid career in IT. I don't know about the rest of the world, but the C#/Java job market is white hot right now.

    Stuff that's good to get into now are mobile apps, web services, JavaScript frameworks, MVC, Agile development, TDD and of course databases.

    Some solid TDD experience alone can add $10K a year to your salary.

    The downside is that getting your first job is tricky, but if you create a cool looking sample site then you can get the foot in the door.
  • In my case, I started learning programming using Pascal then when it was phased out or should I say no one already used it today, I switched to C/C++. I think most programmers have used these languages before taking serious lessons in Java, PHP, ASP and other high level languages.
  • It's not so much the language but the principles.

    Java as a language is a piece of crap but companies like it because it's good for team environments even though it's awful. Also Android apps are written in Java so if you're willing to put up with it ...

    PHP is ok but doesn't scale well unless you use memcache or something similar.
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  • I work as a 'corporate' developer in my day job. I work as an ASP developer for one of Microsoft's cloud based offerings (boo!). I also use a lot of Java in my day-to-day for data synchronization jobs.

    However, in my free time I mainly write in Python. Python is easily one of the most approachable-but-powerful languages out there. It is quick, you can run from a command line whatever you want in order to test something quickly.

    Python is what is known as a "duck typed" language. As opposed to most languages, which require a strong-typed syntax.

    For example, if you want to make a variable in C# which a list of intergers, you would need to do something like:

    List<Int> myVariable = new List<Int>(){1,2,3,4,5}

    This would give you:
    [1,2,3,4,5]
    as a list.

    In python, the same code would be:
    myVariable = [1,2,3,4,5]

    You don't have to say anything about its type, it will just be figured out when it needs to be.

    Further more, you can use Python for your entire stack. You can use Django for your website which will offer you a great deal of flexibility, and has huge amounts of support for it. Instagram was written off of this stack, among many other major websites.

    My two cents. Best of luck.
  • If you want to become a programmer then you can go for c# .net or if you want to become an website developer i recommend you to go for html5 developer. this 2 are easy to learn and expose your level best.
  • It depends if you want to do front end or backend. I would start with HTML and CSS, then you can expand this onto PHP & MySQL, then there is Java/Javascript/Ruby/Python C# C++ .net. There is quite a lot of languages. So its really what you want to do.
  • If you want to be good all around and not a complete moron of a programmer, learn in this order:

    HTML
    Basic CSS
    Basic JavaScript (Not Java)
    PHP
    MySQL
    Advanced JavaScript
    AJAX

    Ruby/Python/Java/C# etc you should not learn as a new programmer if you want to be IMMEDIATELY USEFUL for a WIDE VARIETY of projects.
  • Hi,

    I think PHP is the best programming language for beginners, it is so because of the popularity aspect and for the fact it is also easy to digest, especially for beginners.

    Thanks,
    • [1] reply
    • Javascript is one of the most popular languages in the world an it is dead simple to learn.
  • JavaScript is a great start, but you do want to learn PHP or C++ exe for the server side so you can interact with the browser end user
  • One thing you will learn about PHP is the limitations
    Try to learn the basics, like about memory
    If you learned C or C++ you would know more about memory

    Like if you have a large PHP file and want to see memory usage, put at the bottom of the file

    <?php
    echo "Memory Usage: " . (memory_get_usage()/1048576) . " MB \n";
    ?>
  • Well I just want to say javascript is awesome and can do what PHP does plus more. Learn node.js you can build your own back end with javascript as well as your front end.

    With cool things like cordova/phonegap you can build an IOS, Android, win8 app all in javascript. So I would say javascript because of the breadth. Obviously HTML5, and CSS are a must.
  • HTML/CSS/Javascript. It is better you have a project to work on and learn along the way.
  • It really depends on what you want to write but if it is web based stuff I would start learning Javascript and CSS and master those as much as you can. Then look at frameworks like Bootstrap and Jquery.

    I am a full time developer and find that my front end experience is much more valuable than my back end experience. These days, I do not care what the back end is written in, I focus on the front end and the back end is just a way for me to store and retrieve data and nothing more. I do as much on the front end as possible, this allows me to move the app to new platforms much more easily than if I put most of the logic in the back end.

    Feel free to PM me if you have any questions, I was in the same spot as you were and finally got a developer gig and love it.
  • I think Python is actually one of the best programming languages to start with. A lot of the structure almost reads like English and there's loads of tutorials out there for it. In web development, it's a very popular tool, with many web services and servers built with Python.
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    • Edward, curious if you agree with this. It's a comparison of programming languages to learn first. Does it reflect the reasons you like Python? I guess it does really depend on the what you want to do with it, but it seems like codecademy etc focus on either python or js for beginners.
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    • Agree with learning C/C++, build a CGI program, maybe a web server to listen on a port
  • Programming first and foremost is a process of problem solving. Once you have internalized that you are then ready to go and choose your first programming language.

    I would recommend starting with C# or Java because first they are widely used when trying to get a job and secondly they are pretty easy to learn.

    Best,
    Avo
  • I vote for Python. It's easy to get started, has a clear syntax and there are A LOT of tutorials out there. It does really depend on what you want to do with it, but in general I suggest Python and if not, Javascript as it's pretty much 100% required to learn if you want to do web development.
  • I'm casting another vote for Python: it has the rare mix of being both beginner-friendly to learn yet powerful and known enough to be used in the business sector.

    I've done a fair bit of software contract work, and for the last few years I've always recommended using Python to clients. Development time is faster than most of the old-school languages, and there's a plugin or recipe out there for just about anything you want to get done so you can get a functional program going quickly.

    In terms of web development, I've used Django and definitely recommend it for web server projects (as SquaredSoftware mentioned above). There are other options (Flask comes to mind) as well.

    Lastly, jobs: depending on which job network you use as a data source, Python is consistently in the top 5 most popular languages that people are hiring for. Some job surveys put it above Java in fact, though my understanding is that overall Java still has a slight lead. Of course, when you're an experienced programmer speccing your own jobs you can pick whatever language you want.
  • If you want to go in Programming side you should go with C++ or .Net or If you are intrested inweb development then choose PHP or HTML5 Development
  • First of all you need to learn basic language c and c++ as they are the base of being a good programmer. You have to know all the things used in these programing languages. After that you choose a platform language as PHP, asp.net, Java etc. According to me PHP will be good for you.
  • dear for the simple static website you should need to use html css and javascript and if you want to dynamic website means with databases and back end then i prefer you to try php .
  • This is interesting. I wish I also had the skills in programming. I hope you get the suggestions mentioned.

    Thanks for sharing this here
  • If you want to jump straight into programming for the web, go with PHP.
    If you want to do pretty much anything else, Java or C# is my recommendation.
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  • I think since you are a complete begineer. Don't hurry into learning anything for startup. I think C or python would be best for you. Atleast learn the basic of c or python and then you can skip to other languages according to your choice.
  • It depends on you,If you want to go with software development then C/C++/Java are the best and if you go through web applications then you can use php,.net,java.
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  • Nick,
    You have not told us the reason for learning programming. You will get good advice which may not be suitable for you. I would suggest you be explicit when asking such questions.

    Everybody will be telling what they would have wanted to know when they began their programming journey. This may not be relevant for your situation.
  • C language is best programming for a beginner to learn.By clearing all the concepts of c you can learn the java and many other languages.
    for java tutorials please visit this link https://www.facebook.com/ProfessionalJavaTutorials
  • i recommended you to lean C#
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    • According to me C is the best programming language to learn for beginners.C is one of the most widely used programming languages of all time, and C compilers are available for the majority of available computer architectures and operating systems.
  • Java/.NET are one trick ponies don't learn either as your first language. Aside from that it doesn't matter though some do teach you "bad" habits they all have their pros and cons. Better question:

    What do you want to achieve?
  • If you are looking to get a good base for learning programming, you should definitely start with learning the basics of C. Then move into something like Python. Python has been around a long time, has a great community and tons of support. I would avoid php and/or javascript to start off, both of these languages are too easy to pickup bad habits and should be very cautiously looked upon.
  • I think it would help to know if you are trying to go on the web world or desktop application.
  • C & C++ are becoming archaic languages which require more work than necessary. I do agree that Java is an excellent language, but not for a beginner with zero experience. I started with QuickBasic years back which lead to VisualBasic, and from there took off to some C++, C#, and now Java.

    QuickBasic is way too old, although its replacement is an excellent place to begin: Small Basic. Its very easy to start writing code & seeing the results of your efforts. This language will teach you logic, code structure, and intro to object-oriented programming.
  • if u need easy language with average power then your best choice is Visual Basic , "it's the best for beginners and u will find a very very huge community who know it and will help u.
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    • For start work many languages are good c++, java, c#, php... there is market for all.
      But if your goal now is study to acquire good foundation, and have time,
      for me a good start is buy some good books and follow a program like this

      few weeks of c language and learn structured programming

      few weeks of c++ object oriented programming,
      object oriented analisys and uml.

      learn basics of database programming
      entity relationship modeling, build and organize tables, stored procedures, and sql query, you can start with mysql or sql server express edition.

      learn basics of html, css, jquery

      after this... you can move to anything else, .net, java, php, cms but have good foundations
  • C is best for beginning, but now a days python is also very popular because its syntax is very easy. So you can start from any of them. The main problem is only for starting 3 to 4 days, after that when you will be familiar syntax, every language has mostly same logic of working.
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    • How do you deploy python in a real life context?
  • Oh Nick, if you are still reading these responses, you must be so confused! I've been programming for over 20 years, lots of languages, platforms, applications. Your question is simply too vague to answer. Do you want to learn for fun, for knowledge, for full time job, for contracting, for the web, smartphones, robots, ...

    Anyway, I do have an answer, but it is a contrarian one. If you are considering a career, you don't want to be a programmer. Think bigger. You want to be the business owner, you want to hire programmers to implement your ideas. Programmers are trades people like carpenters, and companies are hiring them from Asia, a trend that is accelerating. Your future is much better in business!
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      I would say assembly and C.

      What I've found was that if you start with something like C# or Java,
      you're really grasping at straws albeit you will be able to produce something useful much faster.

      You know the symbols, but you don't really know what you're doing and so when you find a bug, it's a lot harder because you don't know what's really happening under the hood.

      I actually started down the path as a programmer of sort (or at least I was very seriously considering computer science or software engineering) but I arrived at the same conclusion.

      What would you recommend for people who wants to take care of the business side of programming? Any books in particular?
  • Personally i started with C Programming and C++, after understanding their basics and structures it becomes easy to learn other languages such as java and php.

    I suggest you begin with C and C++.

    You'll find what suites you or what you prefer along the way (web development, Mobile application, programming etc...)
  • if you really want to learn programming Language then the best language and basic is c,c++.
  • I would recommend Python. Python is easy to learn for absolute beginner but powerful. Python is multi platform (windows, mac, and linux), can develop both of desktop and web application.
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    • I know this is an old post and by now you are surely a master at whichever language you selected, but I thought I'd throw in my .02.

      I've been coding since 1979 and I've coded in more than 20 different languages.

      I went pro about 20 years ago.

      The language you learn is dependent on what you want to use it for. If you intend to remain a hobbyist then you can choose whatever floats your boat.

      If you want to get a job, I'd recomment C# .NET because there is a glut of jobs available for C# coders. I literally have jobs show up in my inbox 3 or 4 times a week.

      Now if you want to build stuff yourself, I'd go with a group of 4 languages. SQL(mySQL), PHP, HTML, Javascript.

      why?

      You can build anything with that knowledge. You don't need to build desktop apps if you don't want to, you can build anything on the web that you want to do for the most part.

      Cpanel accounts are cheap and you can use the editor in the CPanel account to do your code or you can use external IDE style editors.

      And if you can grasp the concepts involved in this type of an architecture, you can figure anything out. You must understand what's happening on the client side versus the server side as well as the DB side.

      Most of the internet is powered by this group of languages and technologies.

      Good Luck and feel free to shoot me questions if you ever need any help.
  • I suggest python for understanding all the basic funcionalities and the logic of programming.

    The main goal of python is readability of the code and ease of use. Is distinguished by the fact that many libraries have greatly facilitate several common tasks and speed of learning.
  • C is the best programming language for the begginer.C is a easy and simple language.If you know about the c then you can easily study about the PHP and java, c++
  • Lots of answers. Take it from a new age coder .. get familiar with a CMS like wordpress, joomla, or drupal, and dive head first in to understanding what makes up an MVC framework.

    Dont worry much about which language to code in, as this is irrelevant to fundamentally understanding best coding practices. After this, move into something higher level like NodeJS, Ruby on Rails, Python or Java & C.
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    • If he's going to get into patterns he should do a small java intro that teaches things like poly, factory and closure.

      He's dead on though, learn the base concepts, the language is a afterthought.
  • According to me in order to start learning about programming language begineer have to start with C language because it is the back bone of any programming language. After C you must know C++ and java as it contain the concept of Object oriented programming. For desiging purpose you may learn HTML and CSS. After learning all basic concept you may select any web development languages such as php, .net etc.
  • If I had to start, I would start in this order:
    HTML (metatag - not really programming but the basic building block for web development)
    CSS (style sheet)
    PHP (programming language)
    MySQL (database to store data)
    SQL Query language (used to communicate with MySQL)

    Optional but helpful:
    Javascript

    I would highly recommend visiting W3Schools Online Web Tutorials - they have so many examples and languages and it's very easy to learn from them.
  • The Most-Often Recommended Programming Languages for Beginners
    Most of the "mainstream" programming languages such as C, Java, C#, Perl, Ruby, and Python can do the same or nearly the same tasks as the others. Java, for example, works cross-platform and is used for web apps and applets, but Ruby also can do large web apps and Python apps similarly run on Linux and Windows.
  • People say Ruby is quite easy to learn, and there's a framework for Ruby called Ruby ON Rails, which is very powerful.

    You can give that a try.
  • Learn client side scripting language because now a days it growing very well
  • python 2.7 would be best imo. not too syntax heavy easy to get the hang of. You can develop web apps, desktop apps, work w/ servers, etc.
  • I would say, go with Javascript.
    Very nice language and do your training on code school and khan academy. Best resources Ive found.
  • The learning curve is very steep for programming be easy on yourself, start with something easy and once you get the thing you will be able to program in any language you want.

    Easy, YES YES YES
    ----------------------------
    Python
    Ruby
    PHP
    Javascript
    Swift (apple only)

    Tough, NO NO NO
    -------------------------
    Assembler
    C
    C++
    Java
    C#
    Objective C (apple again)
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