Comments on: What Language Would You Recommend To a Beginner? http://www.thedevshack.com/what-language-would-you-recommend-to-a-beginner/ Technology and Programming Blog Fri, 16 Dec 2011 16:12:12 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 By: Mike Fleming http://www.thedevshack.com/what-language-would-you-recommend-to-a-beginner/#comment-176 Mike Fleming Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:02:33 +0000 http://www.thedevshack.com/?p=342#comment-176 Ben, much like yourself I enjoy seeing how things work as well. So while learning, anything you can do that works will boost your self confidence and push you onwards. I could easily see a beginner getting frustrated quickly learning C++. You also bring up another good question I am curious about. How do most people learn programming? I am one of those that learn the best through self teaching. I enjoy just building a small app using something new to further my skills. Ben, much like yourself I enjoy seeing how things work as well. So while learning, anything you can do that works will boost your self confidence and push you onwards. I could easily see a beginner getting frustrated quickly learning C++.

You also bring up another good question I am curious about. How do most people learn programming? I am one of those that learn the best through self teaching. I enjoy just building a small app using something new to further my skills.

]]> By: Mike Fleming http://www.thedevshack.com/what-language-would-you-recommend-to-a-beginner/#comment-182 Mike Fleming Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:02:00 +0000 http://www.thedevshack.com/?p=342#comment-182 Ben, much like yourself I enjoy seeing how things work as well. So while learning, anything you can do that works will boost your self confidence and push you onwards. I could easily see a beginner getting frustrated quickly learning C++. You also bring up another good question I am curious about. How do most people learn programming? I am one of those that learn the best through self teaching. I enjoy just building a small app using something new to further my skills. Ben, much like yourself I enjoy seeing how things work as well. So while learning, anything you can do that works will boost your self confidence and push you onwards. I could easily see a beginner getting frustrated quickly learning C++.

You also bring up another good question I am curious about. How do most people learn programming? I am one of those that learn the best through self teaching. I enjoy just building a small app using something new to further my skills.

]]> By: Ben Nadel http://www.thedevshack.com/what-language-would-you-recommend-to-a-beginner/#comment-175 Ben Nadel Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:52:10 +0000 http://www.thedevshack.com/?p=342#comment-175 How are they going to be learning? Self-taught? Taking a class? For me, I love to see how things work; as such, whatever the lowest-hanging fruit would be to write some code and have it work would be the answer. Sounds like something Javascript would be great at. Runs directly in the browser. NO compiler, NO additional software, NO application server. Also has OO and non-OO principles, closures, functions, event-driven programming; it's a super robust language. How are they going to be learning? Self-taught? Taking a class?

For me, I love to see how things work; as such, whatever the lowest-hanging fruit would be to write some code and have it work would be the answer.

Sounds like something Javascript would be great at. Runs directly in the browser. NO compiler, NO additional software, NO application server.

Also has OO and non-OO principles, closures, functions, event-driven programming; it’s a super robust language.

]]> By: Ben Nadel http://www.thedevshack.com/what-language-would-you-recommend-to-a-beginner/#comment-181 Ben Nadel Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:52:00 +0000 http://www.thedevshack.com/?p=342#comment-181 How are they going to be learning? Self-taught? Taking a class? For me, I love to see how things work; as such, whatever the lowest-hanging fruit would be to write some code and have it work would be the answer. Sounds like something Javascript would be great at. Runs directly in the browser. NO compiler, NO additional software, NO application server. Also has OO and non-OO principles, closures, functions, event-driven programming; it's a super robust language. How are they going to be learning? Self-taught? Taking a class?

For me, I love to see how things work; as such, whatever the lowest-hanging fruit would be to write some code and have it work would be the answer.

Sounds like something Javascript would be great at. Runs directly in the browser. NO compiler, NO additional software, NO application server.

Also has OO and non-OO principles, closures, functions, event-driven programming; it’s a super robust language.

]]> By: Mike Fleming http://www.thedevshack.com/what-language-would-you-recommend-to-a-beginner/#comment-174 Mike Fleming Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:37:43 +0000 http://www.thedevshack.com/?p=342#comment-174 James brings up an interesting choice with C++. I browsed around Google a bit and many folks also recommended learning C++ as a first language. James brings up an interesting choice with C++. I browsed around Google a bit and many folks also recommended learning C++ as a first language.

]]> By: Mike Fleming http://www.thedevshack.com/what-language-would-you-recommend-to-a-beginner/#comment-180 Mike Fleming Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:37:00 +0000 http://www.thedevshack.com/?p=342#comment-180 James brings up an interesting choice with C++. I browsed around Google a bit and many folks also recommended learning C++ as a first language. James brings up an interesting choice with C++. I browsed around Google a bit and many folks also recommended learning C++ as a first language.

]]> By: Bob Courchaine http://www.thedevshack.com/what-language-would-you-recommend-to-a-beginner/#comment-173 Bob Courchaine Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:23:01 +0000 http://www.thedevshack.com/?p=342#comment-173 Given your description of what the beginner wants to do ("...interested in building web based applications"), I would recommend Coldfusion! Somewhere I heard CF referred to as a good example of a Domain Specific Language (DSL) for web applications. DSLs have the benefit of bypassing many hurdles encountered when compared to trying to do something with a more general language. Since the beginner is already placed in the web application domain, start using the best DSL for the job! Plenty of time to learn other tools as the need arises! Given your description of what the beginner wants to do (“…interested in building web based applications”), I would recommend Coldfusion!

Somewhere I heard CF referred to as a good example of a Domain Specific Language (DSL) for web applications.

DSLs have the benefit of bypassing many hurdles encountered when compared to trying to do something with a more general language.

Since the beginner is already placed in the web application domain, start using the best DSL for the job!

Plenty of time to learn other tools as the need arises!

]]> By: Bob Courchaine http://www.thedevshack.com/what-language-would-you-recommend-to-a-beginner/#comment-179 Bob Courchaine Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:23:00 +0000 http://www.thedevshack.com/?p=342#comment-179 Given your description of what the beginner wants to do ("...interested in building web based applications"), I would recommend Coldfusion! Somewhere I heard CF referred to as a good example of a Domain Specific Language (DSL) for web applications. DSLs have the benefit of bypassing many hurdles encountered when compared to trying to do something with a more general language. Since the beginner is already placed in the web application domain, start using the best DSL for the job! Plenty of time to learn other tools as the need arises! Given your description of what the beginner wants to do (“…interested in building web based applications”), I would recommend Coldfusion!

Somewhere I heard CF referred to as a good example of a Domain Specific Language (DSL) for web applications.

DSLs have the benefit of bypassing many hurdles encountered when compared to trying to do something with a more general language.

Since the beginner is already placed in the web application domain, start using the best DSL for the job!

Plenty of time to learn other tools as the need arises!

]]> By: James White http://www.thedevshack.com/what-language-would-you-recommend-to-a-beginner/#comment-172 James White Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:59:45 +0000 http://www.thedevshack.com/?p=342#comment-172 I think C# is a good language and so is Java. However, I think the best language(s) to start with are C/C++. yes they are complex, yes they give you way more power than a beginner programmer will ever need, but C/C++ has impacted almost every language that has come after it directly or indirectly especially C# and Java. if you can wrap your mind around C++, then C#, Java, are a lot easier. I wish I had started with C++ years ago myself. I did later learn it, and was glad I did. I think from a scripting perspective, the first language to learn should be JavaScript, it sets the table for many of the scripting languages used today. I think C# is a good language and so is Java. However, I think the best language(s) to start with are C/C++. yes they are complex, yes they give you way more power than a beginner programmer will ever need, but C/C++ has impacted almost every language that has come after it directly or indirectly especially C# and Java. if you can wrap your mind around C++, then C#, Java, are a lot easier. I wish I had started with C++ years ago myself. I did later learn it, and was glad I did. I think from a scripting perspective, the first language to learn should be JavaScript, it sets the table for many of the scripting languages used today.

]]> By: James White http://www.thedevshack.com/what-language-would-you-recommend-to-a-beginner/#comment-178 James White Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:59:00 +0000 http://www.thedevshack.com/?p=342#comment-178 I think C# is a good language and so is Java. However, I think the best language(s) to start with are C/C++. yes they are complex, yes they give you way more power than a beginner programmer will ever need, but C/C++ has impacted almost every language that has come after it directly or indirectly especially C# and Java. if you can wrap your mind around C++, then C#, Java, are a lot easier. I wish I had started with C++ years ago myself. I did later learn it, and was glad I did. I think from a scripting perspective, the first language to learn should be JavaScript, it sets the table for many of the scripting languages used today. I think C# is a good language and so is Java. However, I think the best language(s) to start with are C/C++. yes they are complex, yes they give you way more power than a beginner programmer will ever need, but C/C++ has impacted almost every language that has come after it directly or indirectly especially C# and Java. if you can wrap your mind around C++, then C#, Java, are a lot easier. I wish I had started with C++ years ago myself. I did later learn it, and was glad I did. I think from a scripting perspective, the first language to learn should be JavaScript, it sets the table for many of the scripting languages used today.

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