But Which Programming Language?

So you're all ready to start learning computer programming, and now you are researching on the topic of where to start! You need a language to code in? Which do you pick? Python? Java? C++? Lua? C#? Javascript? HTML? (kek)

You get the point by now. Some of the languages I've listed are probably the popular ones you hear about. And with so many fish in the sea you are left to wonder which one is the most beginner-friendly. Maybe you research this topic and hear Python is for X reason, then you hear Java is for Y reason, and C++ is because you will have to do it for a business project anyways so becoming familiar with C will be helpful... AHHHHH

Let's try to focus here.

How do I choose MY language?

If you scour my repositories on Github you will notice this trend of me picking Java in almost every project. Java this, Java that, Java everywhere! But why? I have worked with practically every programming language in existence and in almost all cases the differences lie in syntax and target features. Every language has things it is good at doing, and things it is bad at doing. Java is a language I am very comfortable with using because it has a lot of flexibility when it comes to object-oriented programming and is very easy to get running on any system because you just download a virtual machine that compiles and runs your code. Classes, interfaces, packaging, subclassing and object inheritance, it's got it all. But chances are if you are reading this with the original intent of choosing a language, then you care about none of that. Not yet anyways...

My language of choice happened naturally and once you are in the comfort pick it is hard to use something else without looking up how to setup your project, how to get your Hello World! going, and how to get things on the screen. We will talk more about "analyzing" your success points in a later article. Let's analyze what you need right now.

My Language of Choice Is...

Choose Java.

Go to Google and search for Eclipse. Click the Download link. Download it. Don't know which one? Do the latest stable release for personal use. Or choose LTS for long term support. It works well, either way. Start up Eclipse, click Make a new Java Project. Name it whatever, use the defaults. You will have a default package, create a new Test.java file. In there put the following:

class Test{
	public static void main(String[] args) {
		System.out.println("Hello World!");
	}
}

Press F5. Your program will run and the console outputs "Hello World!". Boom, now you're Java.

Choose Python.

Go to google and search for python download. Download python. Install with all defaults. Open Command prompt/terminal or IDLE (just search for it). If you opened command prompt/terminal, type the following:

python

then press Enter. Then type:

print("Hello World!")

If you opened IDLE, just immediately type the above code. See "Hello World!". Now you're Python.

Choose Javascript.

Go to google and search for npm download. Download it. Install with defaults. Create a file in your favorite text editor (I use Notepad++) called test.js. Type in the following:

console.log("Hello World!")

Save the file. Open command prompt or Terminal, type in:

node test.js

Press enter. Now you're Javascript.

...

Are you starting to see my point? I literally just bootstrapped you into through three programming languages in less than a page worth of notes to get you to see that the language you choose doesn't really matter. I think you need to focus on the core components of what you are trying to achieve with them. Every language will do the basics. Every language will have ways to do the advanced things. Will they be easier in some and harder in others? Sure. But part of the fun in programming is figuring out how to work around these limitations and develop them into beautiful works of art. Or at least, into the programs they were destined to be.

Take it from me, any of these languages I've listed today and any others you find online will work. Choose one, look up how to Hello World into it (or use any of the instructions I typed above) and you have setup the framework.

I am going to be talking about more on how to determine if a language meets your requirements in the next article. And hopefully your language of choice will fit your requirements!

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