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Which is your First programming language ?

Priya Bapodra on December 08, 2023

Hello Everyone! It is my first Post here! I just want to know that, which should be first programming language for beginners? If I am talking abou...
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Jon Randy 🎖️ • Edited

Sinclair BASIC on the ZX Spectrum... 1983

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mortylen

I didn't expect to see it here, I started with it too. I had a compatible version of the Sinclair ZX Spectrum called Didaktik. It was made in Europe in Slovakia.

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Abhinav Kulshreshtha

Mine was GW-Basic and Q-Basic. around 1996. I still think those were better beginners programming language than scratch or all these low-code no-code bulls**t

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chikega

It's good to see that Q-Basic lives on in modern iterations such as QB64 PE with a C++ backend.

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Monty Harper

I can one-up you on that. I started with BASIC on the ZX81, precursor to the ZX Spectrum, which I also got later!
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Jon Randy 🎖️

I guess in a way, I probably got the programming bug a few years earlier. Technically you could write programs on this, but it was hardly Turing complete! 😛

Big Trak

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Priya Bapodra

Okay, i am not familiar with language but i will try learn for sure ! Thank you for sharing your opinion! :)

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Ben Halpern

Java!

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Priya Bapodra

great ! :)

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Jean-Michel 🕵🏻‍♂️ Fayard

Ada is the first language I learnt in my engineering school.
Ada is an obscure but good language.
Ada is also an obscure, alas, but incredible woman.
Ada Lovelace is a programmer from the XIX° century

Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace was an English mathematician and writer, chiefly known for her work on Charles Babbage's proposed mechanical general-purpose computer, the Analytical Engine. She was the first to recognise that the machine had applications beyond pure calculation.

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Thomas Bnt ☕

Hello, and welcooome on DEV! 🚀
My first programming language is CSS. I love the web dev, and even now I continue to develop with this language, and to push the code further, I do it with SCSS (SASS). ✨

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Priya Bapodra

thank you !

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Ivan Zakutnii

Damn, is this a bite? Please say it is.

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Ryan Brown

My first language was Integer Basic on the Apple ][e (pronounced "Apple two E" for the younglings.) It was great for cutting teeth and getting a handle on some basics (har har!)

Later, again in the Apple world... HyperCard/HyperScript the combination of a visual and scripted interactions in one package, easily deploy-able... was great.

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Diona Rodrigues

Welcome to the ball!! :)
I firstly learned ActionScript (by using Flash to create animations) and a little bit of ASP (which was the language that the company I worked for used to use at that time). :)

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Priya Bapodra

hello! Thank you for welcoming me ! :)

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Brian G.

Love this thread and seeing all the varied responses!

Mine was CSS and HTML. I learned it during the 90s while customizing Geocities websites. I learned a tiny amount of JavaScript but not enough to feel confident.

Next up was PHP. I inherited management of a WordPress site at one of my first jobs, and needed to figure out how to customize it. This was where I really learned how to program. Confession: I love PHP and use Laravel quite frequently now.

A couple years after learning PHP, I inherited a DNN site and had to learn C# and ASP.NET. My career took me through a lot of Windows organizations, so I came to love C#, and programming PowerShell scripts.

I've picked up a lot more in the last decade or so. Currently, I'm learning Go.

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Priya Bapodra

Thank you so much for sharing with us ! :)

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DR

JavaScript is goated as a language, but I'd probably go with Python as the best first language to learn.

I personally learned the first steps of programming from Scratch (which I now don't recommend), but JS took me to the next level and it's been my go-to ever since.

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Priya Bapodra

Javascript is in trend! thank you for sharing your opinion ! :)

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chikega

C is the Latin of many programming languages.

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Alex (The Engineering Bolt) ⚡

Visual BASIC but not many people have heard it before

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Alexander B.K.

While I was only able to code using FoxPro for DOS, other people at the office used VB and Delphi for developing GUI apps for Windows.

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Abhinav Kulshreshtha

If FoxPro was not bought by MS I would still be a foxpro programmer. A language and db in one bundle. Killing foxpro was the first reason I started disliking microsoft, even before I learned about open source philosophy.

I wrote my first complete application in foxpro and got a year worth of library membership as reward. Proudest moment in my childhood.

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Alex (The Engineering Bolt) ⚡

Actually I just remembered, it was just BASIC and it was literally copying a program from a book line by line. It was Space Invaders which I really enjoyed. More importantly it did work at the end.

Visual Basic did come at later point.

P.S.: I just learned that BASIC stands for Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code

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Alain D'Ettorre

Started with basic C for a college course, although it was not advanced enough. Spent countless hours with ancient JavaScript for fun, then countless hours with the PHP/MySQL/jQuery stack, then countless (more of the previous combined) with modern full-stack TypeScript which I currently work with. These days my minor is Go.

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Best Codes

My first one was HTML. I then bought some robotics kits and learned Blockly (Scratch), then went on to CSS and JS. Now I even do Node.js, Perl, Bash, C++, Python, and more, but I like to call myself a full-stack web developer.

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Eckehard

Maybe you should think first about the platform than about the language.

You can proably run C++ on any OS, but to build applications, you need more than just a language. You need some toolboxes, learn the basic concepts an probably will use an API to build your UI. In moste cases, this is very OS-specific and an app developed for Windows will not run on any other operation system. There are some approached to build cross platform apps, but in most cases you will end with a fluffy compromise.

As many people are using their mobiles, tablets and whatever today, I started to build apps with Javascript in the browserr. Javascript is not the best language I can think of, any my productivity was much higher before, but browsers provide a fairly uniform environment today. So, my apps will run on any platform.

In theory, there may be much better languages, but if they are not available on your target platform, you will need to go with the best you can get.

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MrDoe

QBasic (1992) at middle school for programming a step motor, a few years later we learned Visual Basic.

At home I also used batch programming in accordance with COM file compilers and ASCII art to develop simple launchers for my installed DOS games (even with mouse support).

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Vincent A. Cicirello

I think it was Pascal or maybe some dialect of Basic or possibly Fortran. It was around 1990. And I was starting with all of those. Not sure which was first.

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Julien Dephix

I started with Borland (Turbo) Pascal back in 1995/6.

What you pick as first language is not that important IMHO. Once you've managed to think as a developer and understand the most important concepts and patterns then you can switch to another language without too much trouble.
Becoming an expert in a language requires a lot more work though.

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Vladimir Ignatev • Edited

When I was seven, my father bought 80286 with 640 KB RAM and MS DOS 5.0. I learned to program in QBASIC. Later in school Borland Pascal. Then Delphi, C++, Perl, Java (very little experience with JBOSS and JavaEE stack), JS, PHP, Python (since 2.6 until today).

If you love Python, follow me and guess at daily 5-min quizzes about Python and PEPs.

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Karvendhan Nagaraj

Hello Webs, my first programming language is Python, but I am currently working on PHP and a framework. I have always loved PHP; it is very popular and widely used. Laravel, in particular, has significantly elevated the PHP market with its innovative features and robust capabilities

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Peter Aba

hi Priya!

I think that should depend on what you are looking for.

  1. If you're looking for making a living and you're generally happy with C / C++, then you don't need to learn anything. C and C++ are here to stay, just make sure your knowledge of the language of your choice is decent, and start diving deeper into some specific platforms or topics. Embedded systems, Windows, whatever you feel happy dealing with.

  2. If you're looking for a language that fixes a lot of the problems with C/C++, then again you have many options: Go and Rust being the two most obvious ones. I would start with Go because it is super simple. You can try it out in one weekend and see if it's something you like or not. Rust can be a bit rough to start with, but it's very safe and provides a lot of useful abstractions / tools. It's quite easy to find work in both.

  3. If you're generally curious, then try Odin or Zig. I don't know them well, but I understand they aim to be somewhere between Go and Rust both in safety and simplicity. Odin is getting a lot traction with game developers, Zig is loved for it's "macros" implementation.

  4. If you want to try something very different, than OCaml might be interesting.

Recently I started listening to Primagen on Youtube, maybe give it a shot. He's pretty knowledgable about programming languages and rather entertaining.

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Priya Bapodra

hello! well explained and inspiring. Thank you for sharing your opinion! : )

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Alexander B.K.

The 1st one I know was Basic, followed by Fortran, but only by reading from book, didn't have access to any PCs. But the one that made me earn money for the 1st time was FoxPro 2.6 for DOS which was a family of dBase.

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Bryson Schiel

Java in a high school CS class... unless we are counting Scratch!

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Dan Eisenhut

Benton Harbor BASIC. 1979

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Kauê Gatto

pascal

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Velek • Edited

That would have been Atari 8 bit BASIC. Then through my insatiable desire to learn how everything worked, I learned how to program 6502 machine language.
One of my older brothers was going through engineering school and he brought books on Pascal home.
My first exposure to C and GUI programming was reading articles on GEM programming for the Atari ST in A.N.A.L.O.G. when that was new, but there was no way I would have been able to come up with the money for one of those.
First programming language... Everyone is going to suggest one of the modern managed everything languages where it's assumed that CPU power and memory are infinite. I would try something like an Arduino. You'd get to start with something where you could play with blinking lights and real world interfacing with limited resources.

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Miko

my first programming language is HTML at age 12 ;)
Visual Basic in High School, C, C++ and Java at university, and HTML+JS+CSS+ASP at my first job.
Welcome to DEV!

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Ganesh Wagh

Interesting perspective! What specific skills from C/C++ do you think are most valuable for beginners?

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Ketan Patel

Hello and welcome to the programming community! It's great to see enthusiasm for learning and sharing experiences.

Starting with C and C++ in college is a solid foundation. These languages indeed provide a strong understanding of the fundamentals of programming and are widely used in various industries, forming the backbone for many other languages.

Your choice of the first programming language often depends on your goals and interests. Some beginners find languages like Python or JavaScript more beginner-friendly due to their readability and ease of use. Python, in particular, is known for its simplicity and versatility, making it a popular choice for beginners.

However, learning C and C++ first gives you a deeper understanding of how computers work at a low level, which can be valuable in certain fields like systems programming or embedded systems.

Ultimately, the best language for a beginner is the one that aligns with their goals and learning style. It's fantastic that you've started with C and C++, and you can always explore other languages based on your interests and where you want to take your programming journey.

Keep exploring, enjoy the learning process, and feel free to ask for advice or share your progress. Have a wonderful day and happy coding!

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Priya Bapodra

thank you so much ! :)

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Jatin Sharma

C

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AstrixGame

My first language was C for arduino, but then I started coding website so I learnt JavaScript and PHP...

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Alessandro Pischedda

My first programming language was Turbo Pascal which I used during the high school.

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Mike Talbot ⭐ • Edited

Sinclair BASIC on the ZX81 was my first. I learned C quite early on for game development.

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Justin Cooksey

Looks like it's been taken as what was your first language as opposed to what language should you begin with.

I saw a few started with BASIC back in the 80s (so did I) but I wouldn't recommend learning it at all these days. BASIC & Pascal is what I started with, both are pretty much dead I think.

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Nitish k

Java

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Hoangnhvt

pascal

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King

Hello and welcome! It's great to see someone enthusiastic about diving into the world of programming. Learning C and C++ as your first languages is a solid choice, as they provide a strong foundation and are widely used in various applications, including system programming and game development.

Having a good grasp of C can indeed serve as a strong base for understanding the intricacies of other languages. C++ builds on C and introduces object-oriented programming concepts, expanding your toolkit for solving different types of problems.

Best of luck on your programming journey! Feel free to explore different languages and find what resonates with you the most.

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Priya Bapodra

Thank you so much for appreciation!

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Jean-Michel 🕵🏻‍♂️ Fayard • Edited

There are many many programming languages.
But I see no programming language called "First".
Is that a new one ? :P

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_prog...

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Priya Bapodra

yes, but first means the language you learned at the starting of your programming career!
BTW thank you for sharing your opinion! appreciated! :)

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Ankit Parmar • Edited

Welcome! It's great that you started with C and C++. They provide a solid foundation. For beginners, Python or Javascript is often recommended due to its simplicity and versatility. It has a readable syntax and is widely used in various domains.

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Jaykaravadra77 • Edited

it depends on you in which field you want to jump in. like if you want to go for web devlopment then you should learn JS .
if you want to go in advance fields like Data mining , Machine Learning the you can choose python.

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Showrav karmakar

C

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alex

I can’t remember which was my first programming language! May it was JavaScript for Web or Java for Android Development

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otisgbangba

Python

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Edu

Showing my age here but I also started with Basic -> ANSI C -> C++ as the foundation. Great for learning!

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Priya Bapodra

Thank you for sharing your opinion! : )

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Behan kumar

Python

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Buzzpy 💡

C# !

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Pxlmastr

My first language was Python. I wish it was JS though.

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Kaamkiya

The first language I learnt was Python. It was awesome! Now, I recommend Go and Python for beginners. Maybe JavaScript too, but it can get really strange and wonky really fast.

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Elmurod

My first programing language is C#

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kevinrawal

C++

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Shshank

PHP

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enilu

I learnd c in my college to.I write Java in my work

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Marko Meic

C 😄

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Arafat Hossain Ar • Edited

My very first language was Java and C.

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rutvikjani

Mine was Java but now I am learning languages related with web development

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Akash Dev

Java

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ishrat

Hello and welcome to DEV! 🚀 My first programming languages were C and C++.

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M

turbo pascal 7 ;)

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Ntombizakhona Mabaso

Java.

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Raquel Fishes

My first language was Pascal at the first year of University!!
Good one to start but pretty old...

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Adonis Ramsey

Javascript

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Shakeel.eth/Areon/UBD Network

Wow that's great thank you so much.

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Fagner Oliveira

Pascal. Yeah, I am getting old

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Samuel

My first language was AppleBasic on the apple II. when I started taking programming seriously, I moved to REALbasic. When I went into web development after that, it was Perl.

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Herbert Breunung

QBasic

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Shakeel.eth/Areon/UBD Network

Get ready for an exhilarating journey as Areon Network launches an epic Hackathon with a jaw-dropping $500k prize pool! Unleash your creativity and innovation at hackathon.areon.network.

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Oscar

Hello and welcome; I love that you started with C! I think C can be a little overwhelming at first, but as you're finding out, it forms a base for many other languages, which can be quite useful.

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Priya Bapodra

hello, Thank you for sharing your opinion!

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Abhi

JAVA!

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AsurNikul

html

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Ramoju Rishi Sitaram

C but I would like to say Javascript as well.

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Dan Vin

Basic on Commodore 64, that gives me the drive for the passion of my life that is computer technologies.

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Calypso Johnson

html then scilab then c then matlab then c++ then assembly then ...

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Mariam Lawal

C++

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Aditya Ghosh

The 1st programming language I learnt was back when I was in my 5th grade and that is QBASIC.
After then it was all java throughout my school life.

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Pritam

C !

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Namya Shah

C

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sai-TEJA-saitej123

First in my college ,it was C language but right now it was changed to javascript

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Mamdouh Hussain

C as a start of my way to know the basics

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vaken90 • Edited

visual basic, but the real first one c#

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Argo devBst

Technically I started with C# using Unity but my first official language was Visual Basic (today I still don't understand Visual Basic XD)