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I'm thinking about learning how to program.

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wraith808:
Anders Hejlsberg was senior architect on Delphi (language) and was the same on C#(language).  It wasn't really the RAD/drag and drop stuff... it was more the language constructs and the low level .NET architecture.  Drag and Drop isn't really anything to learn, IMO.  You just do it.  There might be intricacies in UI design, but other than that, there shouldn't be a significant learning curve.  The language idiosyncrasies are the issue (not even the language itself if you already know how to program at all, truthfully).

MilesAhead:
I think memory fails after doing stuff for a long time.  I can remember Resource Editor dialog stuff in MFC fumbling around trying to figure out how to add a handler to a button.  Finally double-click and bingo! Not the same property editor Delphi had.  Also Delphi had a bunch of Action stuff that i never bothered with.

For a first time programmer I think  For Next  and If Then Else is enough without delegates classes inheritance and frameworks. You've done it so long you can't remember being bewildered.  A first timer actually thinks the command name has something to do with what happens other than the programmer gave it the name to give the user a clue. As I say, most of the correlations are illusory.  First timers don't realize it's all charged not charged one zero electronics that's interpreted to mean something.

wraith808:
I guess my point is that you *can* do it that way.  Then when you're ready to move up, you stay in the same language/environment.  My first C# program:


--- Code: C# ---[assembly: System.Reflection.AssemblyVersion("1.0")]namespace HelloWorldNamespace{  public class HelloWorldForm: System.Windows.Forms.Form  {    public HelloWorldForm()    {      this.Text = "Hello World!";    }    [System.STAThread]    public static void Main()    {      System.Windows.Forms.Application.EnableVisualStyles();      System.Windows.Forms.Application.Run(new HelloWorldForm());    }  }}
Compiled from the VS2005 command line with
csc HelloWorld.cs /reference:System.dll /reference:System.Windows.Forms.dll

A little more work than other options, but the long term payoff is worth it, at least IMO.  And you could do the same using console options, and not have to worry about any of the things that you talk about.

But in the end, it really depends on what you want to do with the skills that you learn, IMO.  That should dictate where you start.

MilesAhead:
Each person will have a different aptitude.  That's why these "what's the best first programming language" discussions just end up being what each poster likes. You can't predict how someone else will handle a different type of programming language.  Some people can jump right into assembler while others would rather die than use it. It's going to vary with the person.

The languages designed as teaching languages have a bit of an edge in that they usually have something that looks like words for function calls instead of just some mathematical mumbo jumbo.  Other than that it's all a toss up.

wraith808:
^ We can agree on that!  ;)

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