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Visual Basic or Visual C++

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Ath:
Would love to see that backed up with any real statistics...
-db90h (July 06, 2012, 02:19 PM)
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Something like this ohloh graph ?

It shows that Java is quite dominant in what they measured, but MS/VS doesn't have a Java-language any longer (though C# is close in some areas). It also shows that C# is quite a bit more used than VB or C++.

Ath:
Java, using the Eclipse or Netbeans IDE, could be a feasible alternative to any of the suggestions, but you can't (easily) create a single-exe application from that, also requires the installation of a runtime environment, and selection of a GUI library/technique where .NET comes with 2 built in (WinForms and WPF) (both support web).

Renegade:
FWIW...
Just my $0.02...While I love C#, I'm not so sure that I'd recommend it for beginning.

VB.NET is much more forgiving and you'll have less in the "&^(# I forgot the &*^%& semi-colon/brace/bracket/punctuation/whatever" cursing. Basic really is a lot nicer that way. Once you are comfortable with the most common things, then it's pretty easy to jump into C# or whatever.

But don't bother with Visual Basic 6.0. It's dying. Nobody is starting new projects with it. (Well, few anyways.)


As for popularity, I'm inclined to agree with Ath about the numbers. If it isn't C#, then it's C++. But I'm just guessing.

wraith808:
Would love to see that backed up with any real statistics...
-db90h (July 06, 2012, 02:19 PM)
--- End quote ---
Something like this ohloh graph ?

It shows that Java is quite dominant in what they measured, but MS/VS doesn't have a Java-language any longer (though C# is close in some areas). It also shows that C# is quite a bit more used than VB or C++.
-Ath (July 07, 2012, 03:58 AM)
--- End quote ---

Thanks for that!  I never knew about that site!

And my .02 is that if you have already done work in QBasic, VB.NET, while a totally different beast, would feel more like what you've been doing in syntax and such, so the new concepts being stacked on top wouldn't be that much.

If you are starting from scratch, I'd actually recommend Python.  I'm not a big python enthusiast (some here are), but I know my brother-in-law, who had no little aptitude for the subject, was able to pick it up from this book with little help from me, and it helped his transition to programming conceptually.  There's also a tutorial on google code.

But, if you're determined to delve into Visual Studio, and don't have that much experience, I'd definitely recommend C# over C++ or VB.NET.  There's more resources for C# than VB.NET, and it's more forgiving than C++.

Just my .02.

Renegade:
Oh oh oh~! Forgot one thing...

No matter what... DO NOT got for any language that doesn't have an IDE with code completion.

Code completion (or Intellisense) is BRILLIANT~!

You can basically learn a language on the fly with it.

And, even better, go for Visual Studio 2005 or 2008 but NOT 2010+ because VS 2005 and 2008 have dynamic help. It's a f***ing incredible help that is just way beyond amazing!

You can learn VB.NET or C# in VS 2008 with almost zero effort with Intellisense and dynamic help. They're THAT good.

I CANNOT emphasize just how helpful code completion is. (Similar for dynamic help.)

But 110%, DO NOT get an IDE without code completion. Forget it. Too much work. Way too much.

Like seriously, do you give a shit whether it's "toString()" or "ToString()"? Yes. That is a very real example and will throw an error and mess you up. Code completion solves that 110%.

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