Where should I start?

[foshizz]

I want to learn more about programming. On Wikipedia, I understand most of the information pertaining to apache and MySQL and such, but I don't have any context. I understand what it's trying to say, the LAMP architecture and all, but I need a foundation. If I want to learn a computer language, which is easiest?

 

[The Stealthinator]

There is no "easiest" programming language. It is the logic you need to fully understand - one you know that, the only difference between the languages is the syntax.

Different languages are also used for different tasks, so it depends what you are going to do.

 

[sam_p_lay]

+1 to that. If you plan on using the skills you're trying to develop professionally, then I think learning C++ is the way to go for software development, though I'm not sure if that's an easy option. Python is fairly popular in the open-source community, and Linux is a popular environment for open-source development. If it's websites you're looking at coding, get your basic HTML and CSS skills, then start learning PHP. w3schools.com is a good resource.

 

[Ijack]

I'd recommend that you have a look at C#. It is easier to learn than C++, is a very well designed language, demand for it is growing more than for any other language, and it has an excellent run-time library in the form of the .NET framework. This really only applies if you are using Windows as your platform, in which case download Visual C# Express and have a look at it. There are some very good resources from Microsoft teaching you how to use C#, but I would recommend that you buy at least one book (that applies whatever language you choose) as you will probably need to go through some topics more than once before you understand them fully.

If you are more interested in programming dynamic web applications then PHP is probably the best choice (although C# can be used here also).

 

[majestic1805]

Also, functional languages are very intuitive. Generally speaking, the only things going on are what you define unlike other languages where there are lots of other operations going on that impact what you're doing like garbage collection.

 

[hdeezie80]

The easiest way to get into programming would be to take a couple classes at a community college, if that's not something that you would be able to do than there is actually quite a few books out there to get you started, so if your serious about learning you will definitely need a text book. I would recommend starting out with C++, that way you can learn all the basic control structures and slowly ease your way in to object oriented programming, the language its self is unforgiving so it forces you to learn to pay attention to your syntax and how to use a debugger. So if you want to develop general applications Java, C#, C++, or Objective C (apple's C#) would be your best bet.

 

[The Stealthinator]

You can always search online for tutorials. There is a full documentation for Python on its website. Or there are pages and videos you can search for teaching you about other languages like C++. As sam_p_lay stated, w3schools is a good website. I've used it before and it teaches you HTML, HTML5 and CSS.

 

[The Stealthinator]

Python is good for beginners - but then any language is - since all that's different is the syntax. However, I've found that there aren't many good compilers for Python. Python is only good for open source programs; if you want to compile to maybe iPhone or Android, you would need to learn a more popular language like C++. I started learning with Python, but I think I want to switch to C++ due to the reason I stated earlier.