 |
|
An interesting question. I started out on BASIC at the age of 12 in 1972, then progressed through classics like FORTRAN IV and 66, obscure languages like JEAN (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JEAN), and on through Algol, Snobol, Algol 68, Pascal (horrible to learn after A68!), C, Occam, Lisp, Prolog, Scheme, ML, FP, POP-11, C++, Java, VB, C#, Perl, PHP, Javascript, and probably quite a few others that I have forgotten. Oh, and a few different assemblers too. Does SQL count as well, with its various extensions?
I have met many people over the years who claim to be able to program and when you dig a bit deeper they have never looked beyond VB or VBA. As has been commented here by others, the language itself is actually rather less important than an ability to think in terms of data structures and the algorithms that manipulate them. Just for laughs, try writing something just a bit beyond the "hello world" level in a variety of languages; say a simple implementation of a factorial function. It'll look completely different in most languages, but there is a core idea in there which should be pretty much the same in most cases - that core idea is what is important. Learn the benefits of different styles of programming (try writing in a straight imperative style in Prolog, or writing in a functional programming style in C, for example).
These are just tools that we use to implement our own and other peoples' ideas. People who get hung up on the perceived benefits of one language over another are just missing the bigger picture.
|
|
|
|
|
My first one was python, and to be honest , the experience was a mess, I officialy learned unltil I met pascal
|
|
|
|
|
Then C then C#..
with a bit of Perl, Python and Java on the way. 
|
|
|
|
|
... is the programming language.
A programmer first makes the effort required to understand the problem. He then mentally prepares a roadmap to the solution, be it through decomposition into functions, subroutines, classes, objects, etc. (take your pick here).
Once a solution is laid out, he chooses the appropriate language to express his chosen solution. Since most programming languages differ mainly in syntactic sugar (proponents of C++, C#, Java: don't flame me over this) the final code should be trivial to write and debug.
That has been my experience.
YMMV.
|
|
|
|
|
My first programming language was a macro programming language for Ultima Online
It had a very interesting feature. You could use "." to concatenate variable names (not variable contents). So you could have a variable named a, another named b, and obtain another another named ab concatenating the two.
If memory still serves me well, you could write something like
a = 1
b = 2
a . b = 3
and the last line would be the interpreted the same as ab = 3
This was useful to simulate arrays in the language, since you could for example concatenate a base variable name with a number and assign a value to it! Something like
for i = 0; i < count; i++
arr . i = 5
Now I realize this could be accomplished with a giant hashtable or basically using in any dynamic language, but back then I wasn't even sure what a programming language was.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You wash your mouth out!
~~~~~~~ <;,>< ~~~~~~~~~~~
|
|
|
|
|
with soap ? 
|
|
|
|
|
with alcohol if you prefer...
~~~~~~~ <;,>< ~~~~~~~~~~~
|
|
|
|
|
i do prefer 
|
|
|
|
|
Started with
Fortran 77
Cobol (I think it is Cobol 95)
Turbo C/C++
Classic ASP
PHP
ASP.NET/C#
...
Vasudevan Deepak Kumar
Personal Homepage
Tech Gossips
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep!
|
|
|
|
|
I was going to put C64 machine code since I did not have an assembler, but then I remembered that I would call the machine code routines from Basic.
Steve Maier
|
|
|
|
|
FORTRAN - Forever!
| "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein |
| "As far as we know, our computer has never had an undetected error." - Weisert |
| "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you are seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
I have also stated with Turbo C
|
|
|
|
|
|
I started with programming in "C" and then went on to learn..
C++ -> Java -> .Net -> HTML, JavaScript, CSS, PHP, AJAX..
F# is my next target..
|
|
|
|
|
My First was Machine Code on an RCA 1802 microprocessor. I then Learned FORTRAN 77. Don't use either of them any More. But I do use 9 of the Top 20
|
|
|
|
|
ffulton wrote: My First was Machine Code on an RCA 1802 microprocessor.
Same here, but I still have my old computer and have replaced all damaged parts and undone all (not always wise) 'improvements'. It's now in good shape again and that's how it's supposed to stay.
Sometimes I still write some code for it, but now I have become lazy. I use a cross-assembler on the PC and then transfer the binary. As a WAV file  I simply connect the PC's audio output to the old computer's cassette input, play the WAV and load it. 10 years ago I wrote a program that can load WAV samples from the old cassette tapes and reconstruct the binary files on the PC. This way many old programs could be rescued and made available to other users over the internet. Creating a new WAV sample from a binary file to play to the old computers was not so hard after that.
Ooops, that reminds me again to keep my promise to finish a new version of that program, which supports the tape formats of the Netronics Elf II, Quest Super Elf and now also the RCA VIP.
|
|
|
|
|
Does GW Basic ring a bell?
|
|
|
|
|
Yes
Regards,
Mike
|
|
|
|
|
GW Basic at an Amstrad 6128
|
|
|
|
|
That was it, back then in school.
After each change, you had to hit "Enter" at the end of the code line. Otherwise the change would have no effect.
Ciao,
luker
|
|
|
|
|
Yeah, who could ever forget a language with line numbers!
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that. - George Carlin
|
|
|
|
|
I would love programming in C even today and reminds me of good old days.
(Now-a-days, I have my hands on C#)
// ♫ 99 little bugs in the code,
// 99 bugs in the code
// We fix a bug, compile it again
// 101 little bugs in the code ♫
|
Tell your manager, while you code: "good, cheap or fast: pick two. "
|
|
|
|
|
..even if it's totally pointless??
|
|
|
|
|
Any philosophers care to answer that?
|
|
|
|
|
Did you have to post your question?
|
|
|
|
|
Especially if it is pointless.
m.bergman
For Bruce Schneier, quanta only have one state : afraid.
To succeed in the world it is not enough to be stupid, you must also be well-mannered. -- Voltaire
In most cases the only difference between disappointment and depression is your level of commitment. -- Marc Maron
I am not a chatbot
|
|
|
|
|
I seem to be a very old person here...
My first language was Algol 60 in 1975-1976. The second one was Fortran (IV and CERN editions) in 1976.
|
|
|
|
|
Join the club (Geriatric Programmers United). Apart from some stats work on a KDF9 using Autocode in the mid 60s, Algol 60 was the first language I earned my bread and butter with. That would be in 1968. I also used some NEAT assembler to drive a 24bit parallel interface we had designed and build, to connect a 250kW alternator up for real time analysis. All good stuff in those days.
I am well past retirement age, but am still earning my bread and butter at the same game. Though now it's C++, PHP, JavaScript and the like. She Who Must be Obeyed thinks I should retire, but I still enjoy it too much (the programming, that is).
Rob Marsden
Rob in the West Riding
|
|
|
|
|
Here's another OM.
I started programming in ALGOL and PL/M to arouse an SBC 80/10, one of Intel's first processor boards. Now it is mostly C++ which I make my bread with.
|
|
|
|
|
It's always good to start with Basic('s)  at my eighth grade,
However I hardly remember anything! Point(,) in csharp translates to Location(,) I believe...
|
|
|
|
|
I dont know how to measure the popularity of programming language .
I learned C and C++ at first.I hope its still among the popularity list.
Thanks and Regards,
RK_PRABAKAR
modified 3-Oct-12 1:34am.
|
|
|
|
|
Assembler 8080, Z80 were my first language, I wondering that assembler are in position 22 today
|
|
|
|
|
22?? I'm also an assembly starter but I hardly believe I could get a good job with it... I loved asm and reverse engineering too.
|
|
|
|
|
My first was "KDF9 Mercury autocode", but then Algol 60 became available and what a revelation Algol68 was when it arrived (so many new ways to do things wrong).
Rob in the West Riding
|
|
|
|
|
This is one of the worst constructed polls I've seen here, and that's scaping the barrel.
1. There is no list of the 20 most popular languages.
2. The Tiobe list is skewed to languages popular now.
3. It provides no meaningful information to anyone.
Try harder next time.
|
|
|
|
|
|
"It's for FUN, Rob"
Grace + Peace
Peter N Roth, President
http://PNR1.com
|
|
|
|
|
"2. The Tiobe list is skewed to languages popular now"
Isn't that the point?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Although, with that point in mind, maybe it would have been easier to ask folk their age?
|
|
|
|
|
Quote: or the sake of the survey we'll use this list as our Top 20
Feel free to send in your poll suggestions anytime, Rob.
cheers,
Chris Maunder
The Code Project | Co-founder
Microsoft C++ MVP
|
|
|
|
|
Ah, I just noticed that "this" was a link - it didn't exactly stand out. Maybe there's a requirement to make links stand out a bit more there.
|
|
|
|
|
Me old...
Panic, Chaos, Destruction. My work here is done.
Drink. Get drunk. Fall over - P O'H
OK, I will win to day or my name isn't Ethel Crudacre! - DD Ethel Crudacre
I cannot live by bread alone. Bacon and ketchup are needed as well. - Trollslayer
Have a bit more patience with newbies. Of course some of them act dumb - they're often *students*, for heaven's sake - Terry Pratchett
|
|
|
|
|
Me old too. Learn COBOL then Fortran, Basic (on a teletype 33), Assembler (Burroughs Medium Systems, B263, Z80), ALGOL, SDL/UPL, C, C++, sjioasr.. Sorry, no longer can type. Hands hurt from knuckles dragging on ground. Must go hunt meat.
|
|
|
|
|
But the first language I did in uni was Java.
|
|
|
|
|
Started My first Language in C
|
|
|
|
|
0. Surely the question was which language you learned first, not the language you used to write your first language.
1. How many languages have you finished?
|
|
|
|
|
General 
News 
Suggestion 
Question 
Bug 
Answer 
Joke 
Rant 
Admin 
Submit an article or tip
Post your Blog
