Hrm... I wouldn't put VB in the same category as I would Oracle and SQL, per se.

For example, several project I've worked on required both VB and SQL, to handle mid-tier business rules while talking to an SQL server (MS-SQL, Oracle, even MySQL).

Summer, what type of work do you want to do? You've learned mostly front-end web tech so far.

Continuing those skills to the next level, I might suggest you download... oh... Apache web server and PHP. From there, you can work on the PHP GTK to create standalone apps. All of this stuff is free, Free, or really free. While you're doing that, download MySQL and learn some database skills.

The thing to do is make a project out of it, something to give you a goal to work towards. After you get all of that downloaded, download PHP Nuke and set yourself up a hobby web site using all of these technologies.

Oooh right. Now to get a book before my student pass runs out in a few weeks or so...


Work? *hides* Who said anything about work? I'll probably be stuck doing some boring thing instead of these interesting stuff in a couple of months. Am just learning for fun I'll go hunt for those things once I get my comp fixed. Thanks!

Yeah, I took Visual Basic because it was the only open computer class I could take during my free periods, since I added it in halfway through the year. I would have preferred Java or something but nope! I've just been teaching myself it, because my teacher is terrible.

I started back in the day with QB. In grade 10, I learned a bit of VB. It seemed okay at the time, but now... ugh. Grade 11, I learned some C++. Grade 12, a bit of Java. I'm in a college software develpoment program, at present. We started with C. This semester, we're also doing some ASM.

So far, we've covered everything up to hash tables. Unfortunately, I've been bored out of my mind up until this point, as this is all review. The syntax hasn't been, but the professor is mainly focusing on the theory. On the bright side, things seem to be looking up now.

As for language reccomendations, I'd recommend trying C. It's a bit harder because it's a low-level language, but there are quite a few modern languages that sport similar syntax.

If you want something that's more high-level, I'd suggest QB. I find that VB spoils you with how easy it is to make GUIs. It's harder to make the transition to pure text if you've used VB to create GUIs already.

You do have to download a compiler for C or an interpreter for QB, but they're both freely available. C Compilers can sometimes be reasonably large (Around 5 megs if you're just getting the compiler. Larger if you're getting an IDE with it), but QB is quite small.

Also, JAVA's development software is available free from java.net There was also another java compiler I've used that allowed me to code in TextPad and then compile, but I can't remember what it was.

There's also plenty of forums, help, community stuff available for the java beginner.

._. I can program in Java already!

Bleh. Yeh. I forgot you already said that. That was mainly for the ones asking after you.

if you want to learn how every language really works you have to learn x86 assembler and you will love your self for it.

mov ax,cs
mov ds,ax
mov ah,9
mov dx, offset Hello
int 21h
xor ax,ax
int 21h

Hello:
db "Hello World!",13,10,"$"


or to make your head really fry learn a language designed specifically to be impossible to code in...Malbolge

b'BA@?>=<;:987654321r`oo,llH('&%
ed"c~w|{z9'Z%utsrqponmlkjihgfedc
ba`_^]\\yxwvXWsrqSonmPNjLKJIHGcba
`BA]\\yxwYutsVTpRQPONMihgfHGcbaC_
^]@>Z<;:987SRQP21MLK-IHG*(D&%$#"
!=<;:zy765u321r/.-,+*)iX&%$dS!~}
|{zy\\wvutsUDConmlkjihgfedcFa`B1@
/

eww. intel x86 assembler It is, however, bringing back memories.

I use right tool for job. I unfortunately speak too many computer languages. What I'd /really/ like to learn is the C like language Rapture apparently uses. I've read the documentation but I can't seem to find the compiler out there for it...

Whee another programming language geek...see raan, I am not the only one...HA!

Too many languages? Blasphemy! There's no such thing as "too many languages". And as for Rapture... yeah, I wish I could find a compiler...

That Malbolge crap made my screen throw up. Goddamnit.

x86 assembler I might learn. :/ Hmm...

ive done VB and now i'm learn java i love Creatinging programs and figuring out whats wrong with it and stuff also the sence of achievement i'm actualy going into university looking to become a computer programer in the Software design spec. so i really hope i can learn somethings from the masters here i can see how they made the nps and things to be killed my friends and aye have started to create something well my friend has and he has no conscepts of mud or rp so he type something like swing (name) and (name) has died
so i hope to knock some sence into the guy specialy since he is still makeing a worms game that will run it self with out crashing into it self trust me imposible the worm gets toooo big after a while heh computer can't under stand what a human brain can so after getting to long it trys to go threw its self and dies an stuff (stupid guy)

well enough of my psyco babble and on to what ever we are programin lmao

nevermind me

bye the way HOW Do i join team Lusternia?
back to the message board

I like C# quite a bit. It's the first time Microsoft hasn't sucked. Though if I had to pick a favourite, it would be XSLT/XPath with Scheme also in the running. Ah yes, the joys of having no variables and no ability to write loops. (xslt:for-each aside...) And for those of you who think I'm joking, I'm actually quite serious!

The languages I've programmed in and how I rate them:
* PET BASIC and QBASIC - Garbage.
* Assembly (MIPS and Commodore 64) - Powerful but irritating.
* VB 6/VBScript - A worthless garbage buggy alleged "language" that is great for if you don't want to do anything advanced and want to learn bad programming techniques. Also ideal for highly skilled porgammers who want to waste time writing hacks to by-pass the pointless limitations of the languages. (A boss from an old job once got it to mulithread just like C by making an out of process .exe COM object that spawned an invisible form window that had a timer control in it. Joy!) I'd rather stab myself with a spoon.
* C# - The best thing out there right now. Learn design patterns and read the Talligent white papers on OO framework programming. (Or read my college thesis! )
* VB.NET - An exact clone of C#; just a different syntax for the exact same thing. It is ideal for people who want to do excessive typing due to its unnecessarily verbose syntax, or if you think C# is intimidating and want a placebo language that tricks you into think it is something easier than C# even though it's secretly a clone of C#.
* C - Dirty but powerful.
* C++ - Gives you the dirt and power of C with some contrived OO work poorly thrown in. If you want OO, just use C#. If you want power, just go to C. Forget about C++.
* Java - A good C# substitute, especially if you are like me and don't use Windows.
* PL/SQL (Oracle) and TSQL - Awesome stuff for what it does.
* PROLOG - The strangest language I ever used. I never liked it. Then again, I never really grokked it.
* XSLT/XPath - My favourite language, though its use is limited.
* Scheme/Lisp - Scheme is great. Lisp is OK. The syntax is irritating.
* COBOL - For those sadists that don't get enough misery from VB 6, there's COBOL.
* Rapture - Good for what it does, but when are we going to get a for loop?! (Aeyr, are you listening??)
* ColdFusion - DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE!!!
* AWK - Great for writing shell scripts that make reports from data. Many reports in IRE game are done this way, like the crystalism log summary in Achaea.

I am strongly of the opinion that all aspiring self-taught programmers should learn Python first. There's a nice assortment of tutorials, guides, and free debugger/compiler systems out there that's just not available in the same quality for, say, Java, PERL, or another novice friendly language. Avoid incarnations of BASIC at all costs, they'll teach you bad programming habits that'll scar you forever and ever.

Heh. Collage thesis? Well, I would if there was a chance I could find out who You really were. But I won't ask.

In any case, I think I'm in love. *sniff*.

I asked Roark a while back what he thought of this, and I must say I agree with him now. Learning Pascal, VB, etc. all the languages that are supposed to be easy starter languages just teaches you to code badly.

Right now I code almost exclusively in C#, and I find it a lot more useful than any other language I've used. You can do a hell of a lot quite easily because it's designed to be so flexible, and it doesn't have then!

I hate then.

Though it does have some rather redundant stuff like or expressions that you should never use because it has another version which is a hell of a lot more efficient, but there you go.

Of course these days I can't use Visual C# because all the little tooltips and weird automatic things it does screw up my flow because I'm used to just coding in a plain text editor.