I've been programming for a little while now. I've done stuff with C, fortran,php and Unix scripting. I just felt like starting a debate, so I thought I'd ask everyone what they think the best language is, (and of course why). Hopefully it'll be good for beginers (and me : )) so they can learn what differnet languages do and why that's better for different objectives. I like C because I know it best, and it seems pretty functioanl. Input, output and memroy alocation is a bit of a headache though.

Well it depends on what you want to do - if you want to do object oriented stuff then use java, huge matrix manipulations then use matlab, recursive programming then use prolog (although really why?) For newbies - i like Java. Its fairly simple to understand and code and garbage collection and pointers are not a problem. My fav's are Java, C, and Matlab. I try to use them whenever I can. I really dont like prolog. rob

Well... In my personal opinion, there is no ONE best language... all of them have there pros and cons. Like Rob said, "It depends on what you want to do." For object oriented, learn Java / C++. For a easy GUI development, throw out some VB. Easy to learn? well, they teach Pascal and C as beginning CS courses at the local University. If you want to make money... learn Java, C++, and web based languages. Infinite Recursion

To prance along and declare that a single language is the best language of all languages is downright absurd and ludicrous. It's like saying this 'hammer is the best hammer in the whole world because it's shiney'. Of course you do have those kinds of people who would like to think so. I look at programming languages as tools. Programming languages are a variety of tools or in this case different kinds of 'hammers' if you follow me. There are sledgehammers, clawhammers, ball-pin hammers, mallet hammers, and variations of each kind of hammer. Take this for example, would you go ahead and use a sledge hammer to pound a finishing nail into your grandma's antique rocking chair which has been in your family for generations? I know for a fact that I sure as hell wouldn't unless it was termite ridden or if I hated my grandma (which I don't). The same principle would be applied to programming and choice of programming language. You have to take into consideration the size of your project, what kind of project you're planning on developing, and most of all the level of difficulty involved in the project. This is applied to real world examples that I read of (and one day will be a permanent part of) everyday. Projects will be trashed, incomplete, poorly designed, and may even be abandoned because someone decided to go ahead and use a fork to pound railroad spikes. This is commonly one of the factors associated with building such large projects. Implementation of these languages are also of great importance when developing such large projects, especially in that of small programs. Although now I do a lot of programming in C++, I don't use it to develop web pages. I use HTML, or JavaScript for the simple things that I need to do and it gets it done well. C++ simply can't do this without taking a number of trivial steps in writing something that will generate an HTML page for you. You have to be able to see what features each programming language offers and build on it. And the only way to do that is to give it a try for yourself. I myself do not like VB as much as I would like to. I have developed many programs and have completed game projects with it as well, including system calls. But the main reason why I do not like it is because my first language was C++. I regressed and decided to take a Visual Basic course. Big mistake for me! Switching logic from something so deep as with C++ to something so much easier to use as with VB was a nightmare for me. I was used to slaving over algorithms 1/2 an hour before assignment deadlines to get things done. I was just dumbfounded as to why things could be done much easier, especially the development of GUI's with VB than it is with anything else. And that I just did not like. However, needless to say VB is a very good language to use. I like to use it for designing simple little games and writing programs where people need a nice interface that you can bash out in no time. Although I program more with C++ because, well, it's just plain and simply put; lovely. Not contradicting what I had said earlier, all languages have their ups and downs. Some people feel more comfortable with a particular language than others. When developing projects, a group of developers makes compromises and this is things are. You need to be able to pin point what it is that you need EXACTLY and choose a language according to those needs, and hope everything doesn't come crashing down on you. I think there's already a little debate going further down the forum list here. Just putting that up here if you guys wanna check that out. - Rolos

Rolos > Your analogies cracked me up... lol I needed a good laugh, Thanks man... :) *hides the broken pieces from Grandma's chair* Infinite Recursion

Hi, Programming languages are like spoken languages. People who speak many languages sometime chose which languages to use to say something. When I want to be romantic I use French or Spanish. When I'm mad, I use English. For normal, everyday conversation, I use either language. Depend on what you want to say, it takes more words/Syllables to say it in one language than another "my heart" would translate in Spanish as "Me colason". This is the reason why foreign people use words from different languages while speaking. A French person would rather say “Weekend” than "Fin the la semaine" which is a mouth full. Naturally people like easy things. People stick to the language they know best because it seems easier to them. If you know C/C++ going into VB could a nightmare. The reverse is also true. If you know VB very well going into C/C++ is a bigger nightmare. VB is a very easy language. One can complete nice professional looking applications in fraction of the time it would take to finish the same applications in C/C++. I love VB because it is easy. Some people take pride in learning the hard stuffs. In my opinion, VB is more advance than C/C++, that is why it is easier. I know a lot of C/C++ would not agree with me and want to raise hell at me. You see how easy it is to install programs as well as new hardware those. This simplicity is due to the development of plug and play technology. Advance technology hinds the difficulty from the user. C is a old language therefore it has the advantages of having a wider library than VB. If you notice, Visual C++ is an imitation of Visual Basic decorated with C++. My advices are learn BV very well and understand c a bit, or learn C very well and VB as well. Peace!