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Survey Results

What is the best starting language for a new developer?   [Edit]

Survey period: 7 Apr 2008 to 14 Apr 2008

Some developers start with scripting and move to high level languages, while other start with ASM and continue from there. What do you think is best way to start? (Suggested by Christiaan Rakowski)

OptionVotes% 
Assembler (any flavour)512.43
C30614.59
C++28713.68
C# / Java69633.17
Lisp150.71
Pascal / Modula / Delphi1266.01
Python361.72
VBScript241.14
Visual Basic26912.82
The first language will depend on what area the developer will want to work24111.49

View optional text answers (93 answers)


 
GeneralC# vs. C++ Pin
The Cake of Deceit13-Apr-08 7:51
The Cake of Deceit13-Apr-08 7:51 
GeneralCredit Card Transcactions Pin
jamesmani2k511-Apr-08 20:28
jamesmani2k511-Apr-08 20:28 
GeneralRe: Credit Card Transcactions Pin
NormDroid12-Apr-08 1:52
professionalNormDroid12-Apr-08 1:52 
GeneralRe: Credit Card Transcactions Pin
Enquiren13-Apr-08 10:01
Enquiren13-Apr-08 10:01 
GeneralRe: Credit Card Transcactions Pin
Paul Conrad12-Apr-08 9:31
professionalPaul Conrad12-Apr-08 9:31 
GeneralWhat is the difference between these languages ? Pin
Madhu Kampurath11-Apr-08 17:28
Madhu Kampurath11-Apr-08 17:28 
QuestionRe: What is the difference between these languages ? Pin
Danila Korablin12-Apr-08 19:53
Danila Korablin12-Apr-08 19:53 
GeneralRe: What is the difference between these languages ? Pin
Petr Prikryl15-Apr-08 0:47
Petr Prikryl15-Apr-08 0:47 
GeneralLanguage is not as important as age. Pin
snorkie11-Apr-08 9:39
professionalsnorkie11-Apr-08 9:39 
GeneralLearning with Pascal Pin
AmauriRodrigues11-Apr-08 8:45
AmauriRodrigues11-Apr-08 8:45 
GeneralRe: Learning with Pascal Pin
AspDotNetDvlpr11-Apr-08 9:02
AspDotNetDvlpr11-Apr-08 9:02 
GeneralRe: Learning with Pascal Pin
Ed.Poore12-Apr-08 13:02
Ed.Poore12-Apr-08 13:02 
GeneralRe: Learning with Pascal Pin
AmauriRodrigues12-Apr-08 13:41
AmauriRodrigues12-Apr-08 13:41 
GeneralMaybe it's the wrong question.... Pin
bwilhite11-Apr-08 5:58
bwilhite11-Apr-08 5:58 
GeneralRe: Maybe it's the wrong question.... Pin
Member 9611-Apr-08 7:50
Member 9611-Apr-08 7:50 
GeneralRe: Maybe it's the wrong question.... Pin
bwilhite11-Apr-08 8:05
bwilhite11-Apr-08 8:05 
GeneralRe: Maybe it's the wrong question.... Pin
Member 9611-Apr-08 9:44
Member 9611-Apr-08 9:44 
GeneralRe: Maybe it's the wrong question.... Pin
Shog912-Apr-08 5:57
sitebuilderShog912-Apr-08 5:57 
GeneralRe: Maybe it's the wrong question.... Pin
Member 9612-Apr-08 6:47
Member 9612-Apr-08 6:47 
GeneralRe: Maybe it's the wrong question.... Pin
Shog912-Apr-08 7:29
sitebuilderShog912-Apr-08 7:29 
GeneralRe: Maybe it's the wrong question.... Pin
Member 9612-Apr-08 7:48
Member 9612-Apr-08 7:48 
GeneralRe: Maybe it's the wrong question.... Pin
Enquiren13-Apr-08 9:43
Enquiren13-Apr-08 9:43 
Shog9 wrote:
In the past year, i've had to deal with two different consultants. [...] the former, who happily replaced carefully optimized datastructures with DOM + XPath, killing performance in a way that took months of work to undo and whose fast-and-loose attitude towards coding resulted in numerous crashes that we're still in the process of tracking down and fixing. There's nothing wrong with a high-level abstraction... so long as you understand what's being abstracted.


Perhaps your issue is not the language used, but the person hired. A fast-and-loose coder is not the typical fruition of learning C#, but a result of that specific person's attitude towards work performance. The stereotype you suggest is really a red herring argument of the foulest order, but I still feel your pain Big Grin | :-D

Having little exposure to programming, but much to IT, I found both Basic 5/6 and x.NET languages extremely easy to learn. It also helps that I'm developing an IS for my college job (to get that so desired documented [Hmmm | :| ] experience before I graduate).

Regardless, I'm of the mind that learning a language is best if placed in the results-oriented framework. Get it done and done well, or don't get paid. That seems to put a nicely sized rocket up people's behinds, and a few more neuronal connections take place in the process. Big Grin | :-D

The language learned is a matter of semantics, really having little to do with, indeed, any being better than the other. All of them are pretty fat these days, so my advice to those reading this: Go with what you feel most comfortable, whatever will give you more options as a career, or whatever your work (coding project or occupation) requires. Learn, however, as much as you can about as many launguges as you can!

Life is like a dollar bill: It may not seem like much, but, if spent wisely, it can yield great rewards. - Ian Westerfield
GeneralRe: Maybe it's the wrong question.... Pin
cp987612-Apr-08 18:09
cp987612-Apr-08 18:09 
Generalc# ;) Pin
pmartike11-Apr-08 2:25
pmartike11-Apr-08 2:25 
GeneralRe: c# ;) Pin
Enquiren13-Apr-08 9:57
Enquiren13-Apr-08 9:57 

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