training

[Sam Kreimeyer]

Michael,

I'm also pretty new to the programming scene, so take my advice with the
full daily recommended value of salt. I know a little bit of C, Perl,
Python and PHP. Overall, I would say the easiest to get into is Python. It
is simple, intuitive and very capable. The libraries that come with the
installation (and are probably already present on your linux machine) will
cover just about any needs you have. C is the baseline, I suppose; however,
I find it very easy to create buggy programs with it. Your program might
compile just fine, but very small oversights can lead to potentially
serious problems. It does give you some control that you wouldn't have with
a simpler language like Perl or Python, but you could go a very long time
without taking advantage of these subtle differences.

Ultimately, the syntax of programming languages is not that difficult, and
most languages I've encountered are pretty similar in that respect. Once
you learn one, you'll adapt to the others pretty quickly. I guess the real
question is how much work do you want to put into creating your first
useful programs. I would liken the difference between Python and C to an
electric or straight razor. They both do the job, but one gives you more
control and much, much more room for error.

Python.org has some excellent tutorials and references. You could easily
get a grasp of the basics within a few evenings.

Hope that helps!

Regards,
Sam
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