Programming language for noob as a hobby?

[Fluxedo]

I've wanted I get into programming for a while just because it seems like a good time investment but I don't real know where to start. I'm looking for a quick language to pick up and I one I could code quickly with being I don't have much free time anymore. I was thinking Java but I don't know enough to make that assumption.

 

[Kickback]

Try BASIC.

 

[XCVG]

BASIC is easy to pick up but not terribly useful. C or C++ are pretty universal but not exactly easy. Java provides a good balance, IMO, and I've heard that Python is good for beginners too. You have to learn similar concepts in any language, some are different than others of course. I'm tired as Heck so I'm rambling, but basically find something that looks good.

 

[Prog]

FORTRAN
Java Bytecode
ARM asm

 

[Antome]

Python is very simple and practical, I'd wholeheartedly recommend it. Very simple to read and understand, and in cases has much wider potential application compared to basic (I think there would be more cases where you might "want" or "need" to make use of python in a given situation or project, compared to basic).

Though, why not both?

From an industry standpoint though, the best language to learn at the moment would be javascript. Literally anything which connects to the internet can probably run javascript.

 

[laingsoft]

Learn python if you want to get stuff done.

Learn lua if you have no class.

 

[suchipi]

FORTRAN
Java Bytecode
ARM asm

Oh, you.

Learn Python, Ruby, or Lua.

 

[gnounc]

I suggest C.

Python is great for jumping in and getting simple flax done, its best used as a scripting language.

C++ is just too broad to start out with, and the benefits of that complexity are often unused.

C is has a very small featureset. That means its easy to learn in its entirety, and everything after that is learning how to use it. It also means you'll be doing your own boilerplate code. You've got to put in a bit more work up front.
Also once you're comfortable with C, you can expand to C++ if you desire.

For a compiler i suggest tinycc. its small, fast, simple and portable. And for a text editor i suggest sublime text. It's...its just amazing.,

If you want something a bit more visceral, quakec will teach you a lot about C, and bypass a lot of the difficult setup. In addition, its for quake modding, so you can make a quake mod and see the results. A whole new set of frustrations, but it really helps take some of the abstractness out of programming so you can get your head around it.

 

[zharrhen]

Python is pretty useful and easy.

 

[chocoboy]

I suggest trying out Code Academy. I'm terrible at coding, but this helped me focus a lot more than just reading through a book or tutorial.