If you're choosing between
Java and C/C++, I'd choose Java, because it's widely used, there are loads of good resources for beginners, and it spares you all that cr*p of dealing with *pointers in C, as the Java Virtual machine (JVM) insulates you from a load of hardware- and OS-specific pain that you can explore later on if you're really desperate to spoil your day! Start out with a simple text editor to write your code and use the JDK to compile and run your programs, so you can get a feel for how it all works. Then maybe shift to an
IDE when you start building more complicated applications - there is a good set of
basic video tutorials for beginners in Java/Eclipse which willhelp you get started with one of the most commonly used IDEs.
But if you were looking for a language to learn OO development quickly and easily, I'd probably go with Python (Google and MIT both use it to teach programming these days) e.g. via the
free online Coursera course.
Anyway, once you've learned some Java (which is mostly OO),
you should find it fairly easy to get started with many other OO languages, on or off the JVM.
Have fun!
). But, fergawdsake man! Pick one, and join in on the fun!
2
