Having found some motivation, I've decided to go back to programming. What language do you think I should learn, then maybe point me to a decent compiler. My "skills" are limited to BASIC and some HTML right now which I admit is pretty shitty by itself. So, halp?

My choices right now are:
Python
Java//JavaScript
C/C++ <- lol too hard

Then follow web programming with:
Moar HTML
CSS
PHP

if you wanna work, then learn c/c++ (compilers: watcom; some microsoft one i dunno) and php.
if you wanna mobilephone and portable shitz, then java;
all looks pretty much the same (well not entirely).

if you want it for hobby your choice is assembly (flatassembler.net), pascallike language (delphi) and/or also c/c++, because it is more developed compilers having mostly.

C++ isn't very hard to learn. I learned all the basics during one semester. The hardest parts are getting a decent book/reference and getting your compiler to work properly.

PHP also isn't bad at all. Takes a lot of patience since it's got quite a lot of functions but the syntax is relatively easy.

The main problem with learning a programming language is what are you going to use it on? If there is no project then I really see no point. I learned PHP while I was working on my website about 3 years ago and never used it since. C++ learned on the Aug-Dec 2007 semester and I haven't used it since.

If you want a challenge, go do some work on an Assembly Language, damn bitch is simple to understand but insanely hard to program through. (It's programing in numbers and everything is done manually, even defining variables)

If you're looking to make basic games, Java could be for you.
If you're looking to make more in depth games, C++ could be for you.
If you're looking to just build websites, learn XHTML, CSS, PHP and SQL.
If you're looking to just make mini-games without any real effort, Macromedia Flash's Actionscript could be something to look into.

If you're looking to learn good programming fundamentals, Java is by far the best language to start with. Its strict syntax forces you to think in an object-oriented manner and always pay attention to scope and to clean up your code. It is also the native language of the Eclipse IDE Project: http://www.eclipse.org

Once you learn programming fundamentals in any language, it is relatively easy to branch out, because all programming is fundamentally similar. So, if you're looking to develop programming skills, I would start with Java.

Anyone who says Java is the best language to start out with doesn't understand the most basic things of low level design. Java will not teach you anything that is relevant to the programming field and forces you to use object-oriented style which is one of the stupidest things about it.

I also recommend against learning Assembly at the beginning. Although this would teach you more about what the computer is doing than any other language, it's little difficult to understand without understanding how the hardware works.

I would highly suggest either Python, C or C++.

Python because it has great flexibility without introducing stupid keywords at such an early stage (like Java) and it's so easy to learn (easily learn the basics in a week or less).

C or C++ is also suggested because they have memory management. This might seem like something bad but it is, by far, one of the most useful things that exist in programming languages. Not only that, but if you come to understand pointers, you'll know a little bit more on exactly what the computer is doing at the lowest level.

Java

Screw cheeze, listen to DTBK.

YOU GUYS ALL FAIL! FORTRAN FTW

Java is dead. VB FTW.

C and C++ are good for learn advanced programming stuff. However it takes time and skill to master them.
Javascript is only useful for making webpages and Java for making games and gadgets for mobile phones and that stuff.
I don't know python ;o

Why is Java categorized with Javascript?

I suggest working on anything that will keep you busy. Learning a language is harder when you are working off of tutorials and just following someone else's ideas. You NEED something that you are interested in to use it on.

I would learn C++, it has all the basics of a programming language and it's easy to learn most other languages once you know C++, as it has basically every aspect every other language does.

C/C++, Javascript, PHP, and more all have similar syntax. Learning any one of those will make the rest easy/easier. They all have thier differences, of course.

No idea.. JavaScript is a bastardized pile of shit

Well fine, it's not that bad, but I still hate it.

C or C++ for employable game programming. That's all I can offer through experience. Specialize in low-level C and you'll see your job outlook increase.

If you want to program a game by yourself, and don't plan on doing this as a career, C# - XNA. I don't know about the rest of the world, but in Florida, you're practically guaranteed to get a job somewhere if you even just have a basic understand of C# or Java. The pay is shit though ($10-$15/hr).

And if you read his post closely, he didn't lump Java and JS together.

Python has a really nice built in help command. So you don't have to look online all the time or even buy a book to learn it. You just have to download the software and stuff. I haven't played around with it too much yet. I get distracted by wanting to learn other things.

Right now I mostly program web related things, but once university starts I'll probably get into other languages. I think they mainly teach Java, which I'm currently learning as-well.

If you ever learn to use Lotus Script, you'll love javascript. Lotus Script is a script that writes Javascript to write the page using mainly javascript and ajax. It's mainly used in businesses that have bought the software for it. It's fun to use. Because it is used in mainly businesses, and you have to buy it to use it, businesses won't really expect to find someone who knows how to use it, so instead will be looking for someone who knows how to adjust to a new language quickly. (The business I went to for work experience said that)

I won't deny, like everyone has said, that Python is easy to learn. It is, so if you're looking for something simple to get you programming, you could try python.

Matt, it's not that I dislike the function of JavaScript, it's just the fact that it's not object oriented and lacks any kind of Thread.sleep equivalent that drives me up a wall any time I try to use it for complicated design.

Well, I have looked at Python and yeah, it seems pretty easy to learn.
Maybe I'll start with Python, learn some PHP or Java, then go C/C++.
I'm not looking for a job, god, I'm a 13 year old living in the Philippines
Actually I'm just trying to learn a programming language as a hobby; chances of doing some serious shit are really low.

Also, you guys can either lock this, or turn it into a topic concerning the best programming language for beginners, which I believe will eventually turn into minidrama, flame and lots of exploding vans.

Thanks for all the help

P.S. lolfortran

I learned basic C when I was 11. What's your excuse?

I learned Liberty BASIC as my first language, then a little bit of LOGO. I then chose C as a language to learn all the way, since, I'm probably going to use it most often.
Python was fun to learn. It's named after Monty Python, ya know.

My excuse is that I won't be using it much here in the Philippines. The hot IT jobs they're looking for here are more on web programming stuff. And Liberty BASIC; used it to port some of my QBASIC programs and give them a GUI. It was fun for a short time but I was "distracted" by Frets on Fire and Call of Duty 4
And one of the reasons I want to go back to programming is the fact that I have much limited time than before, and instead of wasting the precious time to press on F1-F5 keys and "pick" with the Enter key, I decided to do something productive.