Rune S. Johansen <run### [at] get2netdk> wrote:

  > Now, I don't know any programming languages or what is required to make
  > programs, so what I would like to know is which programming language I
  > should choose to start with.

Python, and if that's too slow, straight C. then you can write the
speed-hungry parts in C, and wire them up with Python.

http://www.python.org/

  > A description of which languages have which advantages and disadvantages
  > would be appreciated.

C is nice, simple and portable, but you'll get bitten a lot by pointer errors
while learning. make sure you're on a solid OS.

C++ is complicated, after reading some Guru of the Week questions in
comp.lang.c++ I just quit C++ altogether. way too many obscure pitfalls for
me.

Java is a quite nice language, but current environments are way too slow. if
I have to take a speed hit, I'll take all the niceties Python offers rather
than all the baggage a "real" programming language like Java has. OTOH, Java
compilers are now becoming available, although I haven't tried any yet.

Pascal and Delphi are weak in the OO department. and before anyone starts
jumping up and down: Delphi's notion of interfaces is unusable. something
like Java's Collections is, AFAICS, impossible. those are already a
compromise, Collections not being type-safe, but Delphi doesn't even have
that. eww. maybe in the next lets-steal-a-feature-from-Objective-C round.

this besides the obvious vendor-lock issue with Delphi.

  > There's one more thing, I can't spend any money on this programming hobby,
  > I guess that limits my number of choices?

Python is free, as are a few C and C++ compilers. http://www.gnu.org/
the Sun JDK is also free.

it is beneficial to learn a "real" language anyway, even if you do go
with Python. knowing a real language is about the only thing that can really
shed some light into the magic black box that is your computer.

Lodewijk

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