Advice for a newbie

[Thaddeus]

Hello all,

I enjoy computer programming, and I intend to make it my main hobby. But I'm just getting started. I'd like some advice, if it's possible, regarding what programming language to begin with.

Is C++ a good choice? I have a book on C++ and have already written some simple programs in it. But I hear C# is starting to dominate programming in Windows these days. At first I'd be programming purely for entertainment. But eventually, maybe a number of years from now, I would like to be able to put it to practical use. So I want to learn a language that is interesting and useful, and is not in any danger of becoming outdated any time in the foreseeable future. Does this apply to C++? If not, what should I learn?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[AlexV]

A big adventage with C++ is that many "newer" programming languages took their fundations in C/C++. The C++ syntax is useb by many other popular languages.

It is true that C# and .Net are somewhat dominating Windows development. You can start with anything... Once you know programming fundamentals, switchiing language is not a big challenge for most of us.

Depending on what you wnat to do (Windows or Web programming), I would start with either C# or PHP.

Delphi is also a good learning programming language since it's a bit more intuitive but it have it's own syntax and particularities...

[Thaddeus]

Thanks for that. Much appreciated.

Hmm. How closely related are C# and C++? Also, does anyone know a good C# book? I have one called "C# Complete", which I don't seem to like. It just throws at you a load of apparently unrelated facts. I'd prefer a book that takes its time, gives you a feel of the logical structure of the language, and has programming exercises.

[AlexV]

C# is not a "new version" of C++. It's a different language. C# syntax is really similar to C++...

As for the book, try the O'Reilly one. O'Reilly do good IT books usually.
http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596527433/