I know Java fairly well and I would like to move onto mobile programming. I've read up on the aforementioned programming languages and my understanding is that C++ is hard and C#/VB are easier, but slower. The more I read the more I am confused however. In C++, I understand that there's Win32 programming, MFC, and ATL. In C#, there's .Net. Can someone please help me make sense of all of this?
i would suggest first go for C++
and then move further
Depends on what you are going to be developing.
C/C++ is better for performance critical applications with minimal GUI.
.NET + C#/VB is easier and safer at the cost of some overhead.
You'd want to learn all if you are serious about WM development.
The nearest language to Java is C#. The difference between VB and C# is more or less personal preference, as they both use the .NET framework. Most of your programming is creating the .NET objects, setting their properties, and calling their methods, to get them to do what you want. The language that this is done in, is more or less irrelevant.
Personally I would steer clear of C++ unless you are going down the Win32 route. Here your program has to respond to the WM_XXXX messages via the 'hdc' of the screen. (Hardware device context, you can't draw directly to it.) This method has a pretty steep learning curve. ATL and MFC are wrappers to make Win32 more object orientated, and supply more usable functions. .NET rendered ATL and MFC more or less obsolete, but they are still included for backward compatability, and are still prefered by some programmers.
The performance hit on a .NET program only occurs on its load, when the loader has to call the CLR JIT compiler to create the ARM native code. C++ Win32 will compile down to native ARM code from the start. If you do not have any ATL or MFC the compiled EXE can just be copied straight to the PPC and it will run without the need for any runtime libaries, dlls etc., as the core dlls are already part of the PPC operating system.
As mentioned above you may want to try both. The C# and C++ environments are completely different.
It all depends on what you want to do.
For more lowlevel and speed-dependant things, I'd say go the C++ route. Someone above here mentions that .Net is only slower at load time - this is most definitely not true. I have rewritten several apps that started out in .Net to native languages because they were too slow. The speed difference is fenominal - though less with .Net 3.5, but this is not available on all devices yet, especially not on stock ROMs.
C# is a lot easier than the overly complicated and cryptic C++, but again it has drawbacks. It is not as easy to do 'edgy' things in C# though often it is not impossible. C# is much easier than C++ for UI's as well, which can be a real PITA in C++. C# hides many of the more intricate lowlevels things for you and does these automatically. If needed, you can always create a C# user interface that calls C++ DLLs for the lowlevel stuff or whenever you need to.
As for VB, just don't go there.
I see you say you hail from Java. In that case, C# will not be very difficult for you. C# is generally taking the best of Java, C++, and Object (Delphi) Pascal, throws them together, mixes them up, and the result is pretty good.
Personally I am of the opinion that managed languages (C#, Java) do not a good programmer make, and you should know at least the basics of a native language (C, C++, Object Pascal, whatever), their quirks, and why these things are. This will teach you a lot about how things work on a lower level, and while you don't absolutely need to know these things they can still be very helpful when writing in a "higher" / managed language.
Then again, my personal preference for development is Object Pascal (FreePascal), which combines the power of native with the ease of RAD. I wouldn't advise anyone else to go there though, it's just what I grew up with (I have no issue with using C++/C#/whatever, they're just not what I prefer).
Chainfire said:
As for VB, just don't go there.
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I don't understand why anyone would say this. In .NET, C# and VB have the same exact capabilities. They even use the same class libraries. Neither really has any advantages over the other.
@OP: I've done work in C# and VB.NET, and I can tell you that it's quite simplified and a fantastic OOP solution to mobile programming. The only drawback is that the loading time for a .NET application is a LOT slower than a C++ mobile app. A C#/VB.NET mobile app with one Form with nothing else takes a couple seconds to load, whereas a C++ mobile app will launch instantly. So, it's up to you. Do you want it to be simple, sacrificing a couple seconds at load time, or do you want to get down to the nitty gritty and work with C++ to save those couple seconds?
vb in general have a poor syntax which most programmers
stay clear off and vb have a long history of poorly designed and programmed
programs don by ½ armature's
and earlier vb's have had serious issues as not being real exe's requiring special
runtime dll's not being thread-safe and the likes
just too much ugliness and bad history in vb
for anybody to recommend it to anybody
Yeah, but that was then, and this is now. VB.NET is only slightly more wordy than C# .NET, and they both have the same capabilities and same speed. If the choice was between .NET and C++, I'd say go C++ though.
Cicatrize said:
Yeah, but that was then, and this is now. VB.NET is only slightly more wordy than C# .NET, and they both have the same capabilities and same speed. If the choice was between .NET and C++, I'd say go C++ though.
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As Rudagar said, there's a lot of bad history. What remains in VB.Net is the syntax. IMHO it encourages sloppy coding and it's frankly plain silly. If you feel differently, that's fine by me. Either way, if you're going for .Net, why would you use anything else than a language specifically designed from the ground up for the framework: C# ? To boot, C# is an awesome language as well. I don't see any reason at all why you would use VB instead. Again, that's personal opinion.
Hi, I am very interested in learning C++ or VB. I had a VB class in high school, but I forgot it all...
I've got my feet dipped in water with Java, and I want to learn to make applications for my phone. I have no idea where to start. I was thinking of starting with a simple application like maybe a today plugin that will update my FB status.
Digging a little into it, it seems that's not as simple as I figured.
I really don't know where to start. Could someone point me in the right direction?
Related
First off I’d like to acknowledge the many of you for really opening up my eyes to what these awesome devices can do. It really still does amaze me how some of you folks here at XDA can really create some truly incredible applications and programs. In fact many of you have inspired me to attempt to learn a little bit about programming myself and I have a few questions from the pros in here as to how I should start.
I do have some very basic, mostly self taught skills with SQL, Visual Basic 6.0, tcl (tool command language), UNIX, and a few other types of software but I’m not very skilled at all in any of them. I’m basically a small step above a ‘user’ but I learn fast, this stuff seems to come easily to me, and I have decent instincts on what to NOT try without consultation or research.
Anyway I’d like to become less dangerous (or more depending on how you look at it) and really learn one language on my own at first then maybe take some real classes. I’d like to gear or lean my learning towards a language that I can use to create PPC programs since that’s my main interest these days but I’m getting a little bit of conflicting info\recommendations. I’m being told to start playing with C and that I can then pretty much learn anything after that. I have someone else saying to just skip the C and start with C++ which is a little easier and has more ‘libraries’ so it isn’t as tedious to do certain things. I then have a guy who knows me and my capabilities somewhat well and said I should just jump right into .Net and the rest will fall into place.
So where would you start if you were basically a beginner and wanted to jump right in? I’d like to minimize the ‘curve’ on learning a new language and focus on one that will get me up and running and having fun fairly quickly and not have to learn one to learn another then a third which will get me where I want to be. I really appreciate all of your input in advance guys and gals!!
Dave
.Net is a great platform but you have to remember it is dependant on the .net framework. For this reason some people to use other languages such as c or c++
joel2009 said:
.Net is a great platform but you have to remember it is dependant on the .net framework. For this reason some people to use other languages such as c or c++
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Thanks joel2009!! Looks like C++ is the way I'm going to go. I appreciate your help!!
Dave
You makes your choice........
If you need to use all the fancy .NET objects then it is C# or VB only. Don't bother with the .NET version of C++, as the type castings you have to use to get it to work makes the code hideously unreadable. Dont forget that the target version of the .NET runtime has to match that of the PPC it going to run on. What version is installed on your PPC ? Run \WINDOWS\CGACUTIL.EXE and it will cough up the results.
If it is a simple application use Embedded C++ and stick to the old WIN32 programming model. It is a bit of a pain to master, but your application will run like a bat out of hell. Respond to the WM_xxxxxxx messages sent by the OS to your app, and use the primitive HDC graphics routines to draw to the screen. It's a bit old hat these days but the compiled .EXE will run on nearly any PPC. (ARM compatable)
Are there any developers using Mono for development? Looking for some feedback on it...
Galaxy Red - DJ05 - Voodoo5 using XDA app
Mono with JIT enabled won't work on the Fascinate (or any Galaxy S device) until 2.2 is rolled out. Of particular note, this causes many problems with games authored in Unity3D. Cite: h t t p :// forum.unity3d.com/threads/62410-Galuxy-S-support#post409742
If I was drinking something I would have spit it out when I read the title of this post.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App
I wonder if some of the new Kernels that are being created are having the same issue ... but Unity isn't using Mono from my quick skim of the site. And from my reading, mono has its own JIT runtime. It would be interesting to know if anyone has used it yet.
http://monodroid.net
Uhhh...no
Lol...the CORRECT answer is why the f*ck would you want to? C# is M$ lame attempt to make a proprietary language. Why did the world need C# when Java is a perfectly good language? It didn't. .Net is garbage unless you want to write windows software, but that's lame....just sayin .
jfelectron said:
.Net is garbage unless you want to write windows software
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Wait, you mean it's only useful for the exact thing it's ****ing intended for? Shocking.
jfelectron said:
Lol...the CORRECT answer is why the f*ck would you want to? C# is M$ lame attempt to make a proprietary language. Why did the world need C# when Java is a perfectly good language? It didn't. .Net is garbage unless you want to write windows software, but that's lame....just sayin .
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There is just so much that can be gleaned from this post...
1) Obviously you've never actually tried developing in C#, because it's a complete pleasure to work with. Once you've used Visual Studio, it literally pains you to use anything else, because no other IDE comes close. I've used them all.
2) The entire point of this post is that .NET is not useless; The specification for .NET is completely open. And .NET is apparently good enough that people devoted their free time to develop Mono, thus enabling .NET development for Linux platforms. There's also Silverlight and ASP.NET which enable development of Web applications.
3) M$? Seriously? I remember back when the internet was invented and people thought that was funny. Now it's just kind of ignorant.
4) Refusing to open yourself up to multiple development technologies is a great way to find yourself irrelevant in a short amount of time.
5) Obvious troll is obvious. Sorry for feeding him.
bmxdad said:
I wonder if some of the new Kernels that are being created are having the same issue ... but Unity isn't using Mono from my quick skim of the site. And from my reading, mono has its own JIT runtime. It would be interesting to know if anyone has used it yet.
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As a Unity3D dev, I can assure you that Unity3D is indeed powered by Mono. (With all the C# code I write every day it better be! )
That said: the 2.1-based kernels that are rolling out for the Fascinate do indeed suffer from this effect. In fact, Kaoscinate is unable to use Android's built in JIT interpreter due to this very effect. I was trying briefly to help him trace down the problem, but didn't have enough time to contribute. Maybe after our next game ships.
konistehrad , thanks for the reply.
I'm one of those stupid C# / Asp.Net developers, so its nice to know I'm not alone.
To jfelectron ... I wonder what the new windows phone is using .. O yea ... .Net and C# .... Go figure ...
bmxdad said:
I wonder if some of the new Kernels that are being created are having the same issue ... but Unity isn't using Mono from my quick skim of the site. And from my reading, mono has its own JIT runtime. It would be interesting to know if anyone has used it yet.
http://monodroid.net
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In addition to Monodroid(which will require you pay a fairly hefty license fee for an independent developer) there is also Koush working on his own free open source port. This can be found here: http://www.koushikdutta.com/search/label/Mono
I'm not sure what all works in either implementation but I don't think either of them is ready for prime time yet.
I'll be in heaven when it is as I currently develop in VB.Net and swapping to eclipse is a nightmare, not having the .net framework is horrible as well because now I have to reinvent the wheel for dozens of objects.
Haha, I see the C# harpies have descended to inform us how wonderful their language is. It's not a question of how nice it is or isn't to use, it's a question of why fragment the development landscape with ANOTHER systems programming language that is a pretty blatant copy of Java. I don't think C# is fundamentally better than Java, so it just fragments minds away from common development goals and creates two independent efforts. This hurts everyone. It's fine to take an existing Mono/C# codebase and want to run it on Android. I just don't see why you would want to use something like MonoDroid to develop from scratch. The best apps will ALWAYS use the native APIs, there is just no reasonable way a secondary set of APIs that wrap native APIs will provide the same experience. The Evernote people were just talking about this, they have development teams for each platform, they don't look for write once run everywhere solutions because at the end of the day these deliver subpar experiences. If you don't know Java and Android APIs then learn them. Same for iOS. I'd do the same for WP7...that is if I wanted to work for a I decide the UI for you overlord.
I'm pretty sure that everyone participating constructively in this thread has mentioned that they're currently a .NET developer who has code written in VB/C#. It surprises me how much flak this thread is attracting when we're discussing tools and libraries that allow us to effectively and comfortably develop more software for the Android platform.
I develop mostly in Java, but language wise C# is way better. Java 7 still isn't getting lambdas, an when it does it's going to be really kludgy. Java language development has kind of died. Scala is pretty cool though. And Visual Studio is significantly better than eclipse, although IDEA is quite good too. I do like eclipse but it's just not as nice to work with and slower.
Yes ... C# is a redo of Java, kinda, but they moved it beyond what the Java was ... ***** about about MS all you want, they do have some good stuff. As for the API's, they're doors for us to use ... it all gets crunched down to 1's and 0's, so who cares how it gets there. Simplistic I know, but I'm sure you get what I'm saying.
They're already porting .net to the iPhone, so I was just wondering if anyone was interested ... didn't know I would touch a few nerves
jfelectron said:
Haha, I see the C# harpies have descended to inform us how wonderful their language is. It's not a question of how nice it is or isn't to use, it's a question of why fragment the development landscape with ANOTHER systems programming language that is a pretty blatant copy of Java. I don't think C# is fundamentally better than Java, so it just fragments minds away from common development goals and creates two independent efforts. This hurts everyone. It's fine to take an existing Mono/C# codebase and want to run it on Android. I just don't see why you would want to use something like MonoDroid to develop from scratch. The best apps will ALWAYS use the native APIs, there is just no reasonable way a secondary set of APIs that wrap native APIs will provide the same experience. The Evernote people were just talking about this, they have development teams for each platform, they don't look for write once run everywhere solutions because at the end of the day these deliver subpar experiences. If you don't know Java and Android APIs then learn them. Same for iOS. I'd do the same for WP7...that is if I wanted to work for a I decide the UI for you overlord.
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By your logic why did anyone ever move away from programming in machine code? It was the purest and fastest executing code ever!
jfelectron said:
Haha, I see the C# harpies have descended to inform us how wonderful their language is. It's not a question of how nice it is or isn't to use, it's a question of why fragment the development landscape with ANOTHER systems programming language that is a pretty blatant copy of Java. I don't think C# is fundamentally better than Java, so it just fragments minds
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Well, I didn't like J++. I felt the same way about C# until I did a test project with SharpDevelop. It really is a pleasure to use, most especially when coming from Java. Both languages also read very similarly and are easy to bounce between. In terms of fragmentation, it tends to come with the territory and might as well be accepted.
Learning something new isn't necessarily evil.
MS does decent development tools. CLR is open and in many aspects better than JVM. C# as language progressing way faster than java and puts it to shame way to often.
Read here from Koush. I guess that name rings a bell?
So, why not? Competition is great!
Unity and Mono
As a long time .Net developer I was drawn to Unity with significant suspicion of the Mono framework, I had always assumed that mono was going to be a slower, poor cousin of the official framework, but for my needs it has proved problem free on a range of Android devices. I chose Unity and Mono as a framework for game dev on android because I had a significant amount of code in c# from Windows Mobile 6 dev back in the day, and Unity had the 3d rendering capabilities I needed.
I'm using Unity game engine that uses Mono. C# is a great language that addresses many shortcomings in C++ and Java. However it is not possible to do everything in the mono-runtime on Android. C# to Java bridge is pain in the ass to implement.
Lets be realistic...
First came C and then that evolved to C++. Today the vast majority of operating systems are written in either C or C++. I have NO idea what Object C is (iOS) but I am sure it is evolved from one of these as well.
Java was an attempt to produce a machine generic programming language where the code runs on any machine. This language was based on C (C++?) and as such is very similar to C(c++) in many areas. However to reach this generic level all compiled code is compiled to a machine independent code and run on an interpreter. This code then is slightly slower than if the same program was written in C or C++. But can be run on MANY machines without porting which is not the case with C or C++.
C# was intended to be an extension of C++. After MS's failed attempt at J they put their energy behind C#. C# has now become a very viable C++ replacement on MS machines to a point it doesn't make much sense to write in anything else unless you are writing system level code for which C++ or C makes sense. Somewhere along the failure with MS's attempt at a Java clone they decided to make .NET a "standard" library which allowed Mono to become reality. C# has evolved over time to incorporate many of the great ideas that Java has included but have come up with many new ideas of their own. Realistically it comes down to which do you feel more comfortable programming in. Java or C#. C# with it's .Net libraries can be much easier to write for than Java simply because of the Libraries available.
On another note, I saw a product recently that looks very promising. dot42 is a product that appears to be looking to make a compiled C# program for Android. This by passes the need for the code interpreter and could potentially be as fast as C++ or C code for running on Android.
Hey everybody
I've been thinking about taking a computer programming class this semester to help start my knowledge in developing apps for android. My question, is which language tool would be the most helpful and why? Java, or C++? Right now, the college I am thinking about taking it through only has Java as an option (I want to take it online). I'm at the point in my college career where I need to decide a major because I have all of my general ed's out of the way, and I think taking a cheap class that might benefit me in multiple ways might be a good thing to do. Thanks in advance!
I'm new to programming but I do know a little bit I guess...someone may have a better answer. As I understand it, Java is based off C++ and based off of C. So there won't be much of a difference between the two, but either you will need to know some amount of C/C++ for the Java course, or they will teach you enough C/C++ for you to understand Java. I don't know how important it is to know all of the basics though, since the common languages today have much easier ways of coding basic things.
If it were my choice, I would have to decide if I wanted to learn the basics of coding, and then learn all the shortcuts that today's SDK's provide, or just learn everything current, and have a harder time understand how some things work.
Ironically, I've been learning Objective-C, despite owning only Android since the G1 first came out. It's my first programming language ever (although I do have background in HTML/CSS and what not, but that doesn't really count). I've got a good grasp on how everything works, but I never had quite the understanding of how everything worked until I started learning more about basic C. It may be the same for Java, in fact I imagine it is to some degree.
My opinion, take C/C++, and just learn a new syntax later.
Thanks for the reply! I will plan on taking C/C++, but that brings my to my next question: C or C++? I'm assuming C++ is just advanced C, so it would make sense to take C first, correct? Or am I missing something?
I guess you kind of answered my question in your post already . Looks like basic C should be the way to go for starters!
If your ultimate goal is to use C++ and/or Java, I wouldn't recommend learning C first. Java and C++ are object oriented languages, and C is not. If the first language you learn is C then it will simply teach you an approach that you'll have to 'unlearn' when you start on one of the other languages. A long time ago, C was often taught as a stepping stone to C++, but these days it is regarded as a bad idea that makes it harder to learn an OO language later.
I also don't see any benefit in learning C++ before Java, unless you really want to learn C++ for its own sake. Java is probably easier to learn than C++ so, if your real goal is to be a Java programmer, I'd start with Java.
Please don't get the impression that I've got anything against C or C++ by the way. I've used all the languages mentioned (as well as C#) and, if anything, prefer to use C++.
so whats the advantage of becoming C++ programmer over Java Programmer and vise versa ?
how about Visual basic?
arvinghost said:
so whats the advantage of becoming C++ programmer over Java Programmer and vise versa ?
how about Visual basic?
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The platforms that are used by each. Java is a very versatile language, and is used in almost all mobile platforms. C++ is mainly used for desktop and stand-alone applications.
Truthfully, it doesn't matter which you learn first. The concepts and theories are the same in both, the only thing you have to re-learn is the syntax and specifics.
That being said, don't learn visual basic first, it is vastly different from the other two.
arvinghost said:
so whats the advantage of becoming C++ programmer over Java Programmer and vise versa ?
how about Visual basic?
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I'm sure that Google will provide lots of info on Java vs C++ comparisons, so I'll only mention a couple of things! C++ can be more powerful and versatile, but is easier to screw up. It also provides better performance (since it is a compiled language) but, these days, the speed of the code is often less important than the speed of data access or comms. Both languages are theoretically cross platform, but in practice Java achieves that better than C++ (usually). Java has a better set of standard libraries - in C++ the libraries for things like user interfaces are usually platform-specific. On the other hand, C++ (and C#) gives you access to Microsoft's Visual Studio IDE and the .NET libraries, which are still by far the best IMHO although, clearly, are pretty much restricted to Windows development.
In more pragmatic terms, I've found both languages to be in more or less the same demand by employers. There's a lot of old legacy C++ code out there, however, so I'd say that, as a Java programmer, you've a better chance of working on nice new projects rather than maintaining ancient software! To be honest, I don't know which way I'd go if I was starting out now - sorry
Oh, and I can't think of a single reason to learn Visual Basic - it's totally different to everything else, not as powerful, and not much easier to learn than the vastly superior C# or Java.
Yea, gcogger has better answers than I do Hope I helped at all. Thanks gcogger
Honestly I prefer straight C for a lot of things because it has the most strict code. It is so strict that code in and of itself is easier to follow. C++ being a superset of C is nice, and of course it adds OOP functionality. I just think C++ can get a bit too confusing sometimes, and I am always learning about new ways to do things that I never knew before.
Java is quite the opposite with syntax and garbage collection (which I am generally not a fan of outside of scripting languages). It is easier to use OOP in Java than C++ sometimes you forget about performance that way. You start initialising objects left and right, forgetting about their overhead and faster, more creative ways to do things.
Alright before you all have a go on him, I know this isn't the right place to post neither this website but I am active in this site so don't want to create account on another site just to ask this question. I am student and n00b in terms of Programming. I am thinking of joining extra classes in summer vacation. Of course I want to become software engineer. I want to know which will be best language for me to start. C, C++ or dot net? Visual basic looks easy to use but not sure if it has much value in future. I am confused so thought I may get help from these experienced developers. I am in the last year of High School btw.
I am n00b so don't go hard on me If I said anything stupid
friend863 said:
Alright before you all have a go on him, I know this isn't the right place to post neither this website but I am active in this site so don't want to create account on another site just to ask this question. I am student and n00b in terms of Programming. I am thinking of joining extra classes in summer vacation. Of course I want to become software engineer. I want to know which will be best language for me to start. C, C++ or dot net? Visual basic looks easy to use but not sure if it has much value in future. I am confused so thought I may get help from these experienced developers. I am in the last year of High School btw.
I am n00b so don't go hard on me If I said anything stupid
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Studying C/C++ will be kick start in programming. For future scope, studying Java is good, because Java has its own different fields like Standalone application, web application, and Android of course.
If you're opting for .NET, be sure you're learning the latest version, as .NET versions change from time to time.
And also there are several modern languages like Python, Ruby, Perl etc. Don't know much about its scope.
But everything just emerged from C or Java. So first making a base is what it matters.
EDIT: Don't study Visual Basic as a separate Course, if its included in .NET then its fine. As VB is somewhat a dead technology, most companies are not using it. Studying Silverlight with .NET would be a good choice though.
The best language for me and easy to learn is python programming even noob can create thier own project or apps. bcoz it is embedable in all apps u can understand even if u r n0t a programmer..
Actually any programming language is good to get to know programming in general and to exercise your brain to think/work this way.. oncve you advance a little bit, you will also have the knowledge to know which language to go specific on..
because of my studies, I started with assembler and C, C++, Java, C#.
it depends on what you want to do.
you want to program Android application, use Java, Windows Phone use C#...
i neglected programming on my studies.. i was too lazy. but now i want to be a developer somehow..
so Java for Android applications?
so how about Developing a Rom/Kernel?
Python will be easiest and once you know how to program in one language all others will be much easier to learn.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA
Thanks guys, looking forward to it.
The first programing language I used was C.
I've started with C++. But You should try .NET at the beggining. It's so simple. Almost drag&drop method. I used it to create a lot of code generators for my game and other projects.
You should also try AutoIt. Maybe quite harder, but still useable.
I would say, start either with Java or Python.
Why? No specific reason, but they are easy to learn and have a wide area where they can be used later.
I would start with ActionScript 3.0 and/or Java. The first one is the easiest and most fun to program in
If anyone is interested in applications for Android, you should try App Inventor.
http://www.appinventor.mit.edu/
You should try python, becase as others say, it's pretty easy, and if you want to be more motivated, try udacity.com. This is university that operate entirely online. You can view lectures, do quizes, there are also final exams. They start 101 Computer Science (where you learn basics) at 16 april. And guess what, they use python! Even on harder classes.
I wouldn't encourage starting with C or C++. Java and C# are a bit higher level languages and thererfore help you get started faster and let you consentrate on the things that matter most. I would prefer C# over Java as Java has gotten a bit messy in some places, has some gaps in it's standard library, and lacks in standard user interface tools.
Another option to C# would be JavaScript, CSS, and HTML, but the compiler in C# can help you by pointing out mistakes that JavaScript tools can not. Also, if you go this route, don't try to make your code run well on many browsers as that will only cause extra headiche while you are trying to learn the basics. Actually, if you want to use JavaScript over C#, Windows 8 WinRT programming could be a good place to look at. However, it's still in development and lacks in documentation and learning materials when compared to more mature technologies.
If u want work in buisness then go Java. But its very expensive to use because it needs large resources. If u want go for new language try Scala.
JAVA and C++ are the most widely used languages in the world of work today.
But if you want to do web, starts with PHP. It's fairly simple to understand and you can quickly get to Object Oriented concepts, and use simple Design Patterns.
I absolutely hate Java and view it as a violated corpse of C++, documentation on the language itself is absolutely horrid, I would rather use C++ to develop however google apparently discourages the use of anything but java. My questions is can I use C++ to a fairly good extent without much trouble or am I forced to use java? (Note: I'm looking to do UI/Touchscreen etc work I'm perfectly aware that I could do some terminal applications with very little effort)
Try MoSync.