I have been curious about programming for some time, but never got down to actually starting. Now I wonder: What language would be a nice portal into general programming, just to get the idea of how languages in general work? I'm looking for a language that is easy to get into, but is powerful enough to allow me to later on create "whatever I want" or thereabout :D (relax, I don't ask for The Ultimate Language). So: A language that is easy for beginners, powerful and will teach me as much as possible that I can use in other languages.

Also, are there any on-line tutorials, docs and so on on that particular language?

TiA

I recommend you C++ (I only tried the DOS version made in 1992), since I managed to learn how to work in it at the age of 13 with the help of a teacher, and there are also children at my school who can work in it and are 9, so I guess that this one is pretty easy. As for guides, just search the net. Google is your friend. Also, try to get the Windows version, not the DOS one. Still, if you want the DOS one, assuming that it is not warez (I don't have a clue), I can send it to you. :)

Thanks mate! I got a C++ visual (whatever that means?) and a hefty turorial. Let's see if I got the brains for this. "Hello world." :D

C++ is quite a complex programming language, but if you are serious about programming and are especially interested in game programming then it would be a good one to know.
C and C++ requires knowledge not only about syntax but also quite a bit about data structures, memory allocations, pointers ect.


Java and Python would be an easier introduction to programming I think, but it really doesn't matter where you start, the first programming language will be the most difficult to learn because you will have to adapt to the way of thinking you need to solve problems with it.

Hehe, well there are 9 year olds that could beat most of us in chess, that doesn't mean chess is an easy game (neither that we are just stupid :blink: ). A 9 year old could certainly program in any language given some intelligence and hard work, though he will in no case be good at it at that age, since with a language like C++ it really takes 10+ years to master it (meaning not mastering the language, but mastering the process of creating effective and good code with that language).

He he, get to plug my thread.

First of all, there's a free complier for C++ called DevC++, which you can get here.

Second, and this one should be easy to find becasue it's pinned (gloat) but "Guesst's Games" has several fine examples of C programs, if I do say so myself.

I read that thread :), but without enough explaination on the stuff, a newbie like me is rather lost in all that. I'm currently reading some basic stuff (I think) just so I can see what, for instance, your examples are all about. Don't worry. I will probably use that thread in my studies :ok:

more free compilers:

Open Watcom (http://www.openwatcom.org/)

GCC - gnu compiler collection (http://gcc.gnu.org/)
(also take a look at Code::Blocks at http://www.codeblocks.org/ as a free alternative to visual studio)

And the probably best IDE today and one of the best compilers, also in a free edition: Microsoft Visual Studio Express.

although not much used, Visual Basic is quite simple (i wrote down two text games in old dos Qbasic) and HTML code, although it's not what you wanted to hear, is it? ^_^

Visual Basic is easy to learn and has enough functionality to write complex applications (I'm currently writing a RTS game in it, using an 3d engine that was written in vb6, works great! :kosta: ). Also it has an easy interface to design forms with.

Although, the release of vb.net (2003 / 2005 / etc) ruins the language in my opinion, and makes VB look more like Java. And VB is slower in doing cpu intensive stuff.

If you never programmed in the past, I wouldn't start with C++. It's 'unfriendly' as in it doesn't warn you when things go wrong (writing to memory places where your application shouldn't be etc), and I found it hard to learn. Java and VB are much more helpful in that.