What language should i start with??

Anon

Hi i am 15 and i am very interested in web pages that contact and use databases and i am really confused which language to start wit. I know basic html and i have Dreamweaver UltraDev. I have heard of all these languages like asp,php, cgi, cold fusion, and so on but i need a language which is:
1) Resonably easy to learn
2) Secure for databases so it can keep a few people out.

Also could you state any web hosting that hosts that language and any full tutorials which can help me learn alot about that language.

Thank You
lajonline

toma42

Well, your goals are good, but if you need to start from the beginning, I would recommend using Python.

Python forces you to use good coding styles and learning these from the beginning will make you a better programmer in any other language.

Python is an object oriented language so the combined learning curve of programming in OO and programming in general may be pretty steep for you.

If you want to go the easy way, I think php is easier to code in...others may say Cold Fusion is easier, but php is definatly more flexible and cheaper.

Anyway, if you want to write a simple web page, use php...if you want to be a good programmer and retire when you're 25 (no guarantees on this statement), go with Python.

Tom

Anon

You sound like me about 3 months ago...lol

I learned HTML with in about a week of deciding to learn it. it was pretty fun, but after a while, i got to the point where i couldnt do anything else with html.(sorta like you)

i looked at all the langs --asp, php, cgi/perl, coldfusion, python, java, javascript--

i was haveing trobules with all of them until i asked around at my school and i found this guy (blaine) that knew cgi/perl, and php...i asked him and he said that php would be the best for the things that i wanted(database access, and some other stuff) and it was very true. but the only problem is finding a server that you can run php on...well i found a free one--
lol

so, if it were up to me, i would have to say that php would be the best lang for you to learn now--it is very easy..

www.php.net is a good site to learn it at, but there tutorials are a bit hard to understand...it would be good for you to find someone that knows php or a lang that can explain what a function, array, loop, ect is...

and the server is www.f2s.com they are sorta slow, but hey- it is free. you got 20mb or room, and a 5mb mySQL db..which is pretty good.

if you have msn my contact is kennyfisher@hotmail.com, and icq is 76260268 and just say that you saw my post in the phpbulider.com forum.

anyways i need to go

-Superman / Nathan Temple
http://www.utopiandreams.f2s.com/utopia/

Anon

I started getting into html when a friend said he hand-coded his website a few years back. I thought if he could do it, I could! (I'm 17, he's about 15). I learnt HTML, and decided I wanted more, so I began looking at Perl (about 2 years ago, before I had ever encountered php). It wasn't easy, but it was really powerful, and can be used for things other than a web cgi.

I noticed a huge webmaster resource site boasting that they didn't use cgi, the used php, so I emailed asking about this. They told me it was a new easier cgi, so I decided to get into PHP.

I must say, PHP has been a lot easier to pick up (may be due to my experience with Basic, JavaScript & Perl, I already knew loops, conditions etc.), and it does a lot more for you (parsing forms etc.).

I've recently bought "The Camel Book" and started getting into Perl again, and it seems a lot easier now than it did!

Anyway, I'd say PHP's better for newbies, but Perl's fun too!

Btw, ASP is apparently similar to php (I never used it myself), but it only runs on Windoze, whereas PHP will run on Windoze and Linux/Unix (I run it on my windoze pc to test scripts)

Some free php/perl hosts:

www.f2s.com
www.datablocks.net
www.portland.co.uk
www.virtualave.com

Danny
MyBest50.com

wimvds

First of all, I'd learn to use Linux. Get (buy or download) a copy of RedHat (or SuSE), install it on a free partition and experiment. Then I'd start learning PHP, JSP or ASP. (BTW for ASP you don't need Linux :p).

Why would you need Linux I hear you ask. Well, that's easy. Most sites that offer PHP support run on Apache on a Linux/Unix OS. When you have a local copy of Linux installed you can test everything out while offline (in case you don't have a 7x24h connection it will save you a lot of money). And the major benefit is that you can install every extension that's available for PHP. Just read through the documentation on www.php.net and you'll compile PHP with whatever modules you need in a jiffy.

On the other hand, if you're more into MS Windows, you could go for ASP or the new .Net instead. ASP is easy to learn, .Net is the next generation, but remember, these will more or less tie you to the Windows platform (there are ASP emulations for Linux though, I don't know if they are any good). If you're taking this path, I would also look into writing ActiveX components, ISAPI DLLs and native coded CGI applications (ie. written using Delphi)...

Anyway, you've got a long way ahead of you, but if you're determined I'm sure you will have a lot of fun experimenting.

Anon

Contrary to what the previous poster suggested, you can design and test offline in Win 9x.

I'm a hobbyist web designer, running a P3 machine with Win98. I installed PWS (Personal Web Server) from the Windows CD, PHP4, and MySQL allowing me to design and test my code at home, before uploading to my server.

I use Homesite 4.5 (which you probably have as a part of DW Ultradev), which is particularly nice because it understands how to view pages via the server, and thus I can write and test PHP code within HS, if I desire.

But to your original question: I suggest PHP because it is a fairly simple language, and similar to C, C++, Pascal, and other mid- to high-evel languages. And once you know one language, it becomes easier to learn another later.

IMO, the key is to work on projects that interest you. Learn the project as a means to doing your project. As you work on different projects, you will learn more about the language.

Finally, for PHP, the Professional PHP Programming book by Wrox is pretty good (I've been reading it here and there).

Anon

Ok... Php by far. I am only 14, and I started learning at 12. Just checked out a couple boooks from the library and went to town.

Anon

Hi
I agree with David that you don't need Linux for a good home developement set up. Although Linux is a worthy goal for the reasons stated by Wim.
If you'd like to run PHP,Apache and MySQL on win9x then try a full dev package from www.nusphere.com it's completely hassle free.
As for what language, well I only know HTML PHP and some SQL so I'm biased like everyone else!
Though I would say that ASP is probably just as simple and useful. What put PHP ahead of it for me is the nice sense of real community found in an 'open source' setting. People are always happy to help with the enevitable problems we all have with code and of course it's free!
As is Linux
As is MySQL
etc
etc

Nick

Anon

I agree, I run windoze with Apache, MySQL, PHP and Perl (But I took weeks setting them up individually, didn't realise you could get most of em together!).

I tried to have it set up as close to my unix server as possible, so when I upload scripts they don't need changing.

I installed everything on the same drive (i:), and had perl at I:\usr\, so the exe was i:\usr\bin\perl.exe, which allows me to use #!/usr/bin/perl in my perl scripts, the same as on the unix server (on windoze you can ommit drive letters when on the same drive, and starting with a / means the root/highest level folder.

I know quite a bit of Perl, and a lot of PHP, and I'd say PHP is far easier to get the hang of.

Anon

I agree with everyone. PHP is the best language. I am 16 and have tried CGI,,Perl etc, and found PHP the easiest. In my opinion, once you've learnt the basics of PHP, try experimenting with 'out-of-the' projects from sites such as php.resourceindex.com. Download projects that interest you. EG with me, my first project was an online store from theexchangeproject.org, i was detemined to make i work and you can see the result at monstermobile.co.uk. The 'great' the thing is that you can often run into problems whan modifying things so solving them is a good learning experience.

albiejlin

If you know C++ or C, php will be very easy for you. Although PHP was NOT my first coding language, I learned C++ first, and once I started looking at PHP, i was amazed by how similar the two coding languages are. However, it should not be that bad because it's pretty straight forward, just buy a book and you should be perfecly fine