Learning a programming Language

[stender]

If you were IT savvy but a non programmer and looking to learn a programming language, what would you choose and why?
Would also like to know from a job prospect point of view.

Reason I ask is i'm bored of my job and have a few opportunities and also want to open a few other doors. I've passed some exams such as ITIL and doing Prince2 but also need some programming to go with my other IT skills.
I can open some doors If I knew perl (I know some shell). I also have a job offer which will send me on some sql courses ( I know the basics, selects,inserts,updates) but no use of stored procs etc.... They would also want me to learn asp.net and asp which doesn't appeal that much as I don't believe it's that widely used????

What would you advise on learning from a commercial or other perspective?

[Skinner]

Programming depends on your field.

Web programming

Portable Executables

Hybrids (I mean Java/Flash etc).

Services

All require diffent types of language.

Web Dev, I can do ASP, Perl and PHP and I wish I'd chosen PHP from the start. MySQL/MSSQL are close enough that if you learn obe you can muddle the other. Altho with PHP its really just MySQL.

Further to this is Flash, Silverlight, Java and a few others, but I don't think they are worth considering at the point you are.

Static Programming its all about C for power applications, and VB for prototypes. Most programmers know a RAD and Low Level language, VB/C or ASM/C are popular groups. If you choose to go midway then Delphi is an option thats kinda half c and half vb but I never could get my head around it.

I would personally go PHP/MySQL/JS or C, with C you can use stdin and stdout to write web based applications anyway so its mid way.

Are you artistic at all ? If you are then I would go PHP, if your not artist I'd go for C. Logic being that being a code monkey for the web, usually means teaming up with a graphics person or hanging around guru or similar doing bit jobs.

[Ashton]

As stender stated, php is probably the way to go.

Its the best online programming language (I have tried asp, .net, ruby on rails, and more) Since your involved in domains, it fits you

Oh and don't go for the asp/.net one, seriously... dont. I have had enough controls etc to last a lifetime, they are disgusting!

[Slater]

I'd look at learning the .NET framework writing in either c# or Visual Basic.

This supports web based development using asp.net or development of Windows applications.

Microsoft Sharepoint is also built on asp.net and has a huge uptake commercialy.

Microsoft offer a number of excellent free devlopment tools in their Visual Studio Express editions which offer cut down versions of the full blown Visual Studio suite.

Lots of free video based tutorials for .NET programming, it can be quite tricky to get your head around object based programming to start off with but it is very powerful once you get your head around it. Developing in Visual Studio is nice with it's intelisense feature showing correct syntax for commands as you type.

I started teaching myself vb.net a couple of years ago and found it easier to pick up than c# this may be because I'd already worked with vbscript, that said there does seem to be more code samples on the net based on c# rather than vb.

[stender]

Thanks, I should of said this isn't really a web dev question.
I work in IT and looking to widen my commercial worth. I can move into a similar role for more money but need perl. Or I can take another job where I will mainly be doing mssql but will probably learn asp/asp.net and maybe c. Or I learn something different off my own back.

[dotNetFreak]

.NET Development would also be my recommendation (unsurprisingly bearing in mind my username).

The real difference between C# and VB is pretty much just syntax now so it doesn't really make that much difference which language you learn. VB is certainly easier to get to grips with although there are more examples written in C#. My recommendation would be C#.

The great thing about .NET is the framework is pretty much the same irrelevant of whether you're building for Web, Desktop or Mobile. Each has specifics, but the fundamentals don't change and you can learn one language and target multiple platforms.

Downside of PHP is that you're only going to be able to develop for the Web and you're not going to be creating enterprise business applications using it, but then again, that may not interest you...

What experience do you have (Windows/Linux?) and which interests you more - Web development, application development or a combination?

[accelerator]

Originally Posted by stender

Thanks, I should of said this isn't really a web dev question.
I work in IT and looking to widen my commercial worth. I can move into a similar role for more money but need perl. Or I can take another job where I will mainly be doing mssql but will probably learn asp/asp.net and maybe c. Or I learn something different off my own back.

It depends how much of a step change you want. I know little about Perl but after a very quick Wikipedia scan believe it would be quite useful, so if you just want a bit more money, this might be the route to go. I reckon you'd probably get quicker results than with ASP/ASP.net.

ASP/ASP.net and MSSQL is useful if you want to be a developer or contractor in a "big business" environment. I started out with ASP.net, for instance it powers the feeds on my first ever shopping site, and I used it for the review engine on my mobile broadband site. I'm not that gifted a coder, and I found ASP.net in particular quite heavy going. There isn't as much online help for web development, and it always felt as though Microsoft was bringing out something new and the rules had changed. It also felt a little over-engineered for simple tasks. I have since switched to PHP and find it suits me so much better, but then I am more a find a script and hack it kind of person.

If it's web development for your own sites, PHP wins hands down. If you want to code for big business, then it's ASP.net.

Rgds

[Ashton]

I would say go with perl, you will be worth more, and its a great language.

[stevebrowne]

for commercial, non-web, C# or Java.

for web C# or PHP

[cm1975]

I'd go with .Net. I have a few job alerts set up and the large number of jobs that appear in my inbox are for .Net Developers, most of which are C#.

The guys I've interviewed and brought in to the company I work for have been C# .Net. Many talk down on VB a little, as being slightly outdated. However, they are pretty much interchangeable, as they compile to the same result. The only problem is when source code is shared amongst a group of developers, then it can be difficult to share the code. The other side of the coin is that I've seen problems with C# developers sharing C# code!

Whatever you choose, then ensure cloud computing is at the forefront of your thinking.