What is the best programming language to start with before advancing to PERL? I am someone who has no programming experience at all. I am using WinXP and Suse 9.3 Linux. I am trying to learn a language which is versatile enough to run in MS Windows, Linux and will help me the most when building websites with regards to incorporating Flash and Fireworks. I also want to learn a program which will help me understand Linux more (tweaking files, editing, installing,etc).

I was a Mac snob for years but decided to come back to MS WinXP because of the expense and versatility. Then I found Linux and loved it because it gave me the best of both worlds. I just want to become better at using Linux.

I'm sure it is not rocket science, but I don't know where to start. There are so many choices and I need to learn quickly. Whatever I use needs to work with Macromedia 8 if possible. Could I truly learn to program proficiently in a week? I would love to take a boot-camp class, but don’t want to slow anyone else up or waste time. Also, if Perl or Python is your language of choice, which program editors do you recommend? I have used google tremendously, but with so many opions, it's all confusing. So, I decided to come directly to the linux community for the best answers.

Lastly, what are your thoughts about Python? I could greatly benefit from your expert inputs.

Thanks in advance for your time and consideration,

trox

I think Python would be a good choice.

Thanks,

What about PHP?

Go for PHP too, since all three of these will cover a ton of ground in the programming field.

Well speaking personally here, and I don't want to start a flame war, but I cannot stand Perl. I started learning both Perl and Python and about the same time, and while I am quite proficient at python now, writing or reading anything in Perl fills me with dread, and writing even the simplest script becomes a baffling ordeal. I guess Python just works closer to the way my own brain does...

Ruby is another good choice for beginners, if you are interested in purely OOP experience.

Strangely enough, I'm exactly the opposite. I'm attracted to Perl for the sole reason that it flows exactly like my train of thought, whereas Python just seems... off. I realize that sometimes a change is for the better, but I'm used to programming in languages with a syntax similar to C, which Perl offers and Python does not. As a starting language though, without any previous "tainting", I can see it being a very powerful starting language.

im looking into learning perl. I'm obviously going to need a book, and do the hole self taught thing. Any suggestions of books that dumb it down and get you going pretty good. I'm told to go the O'Reilly route, but which one?

I'm currently working for a company where I'm incharge of about 20 linux servers, and we only have about 4 windows servers. So i'm looking for something that will help me better toward the linux side of things.

We have scripts and such in perl, and the mean nothing to me. So i would like to learn to be able to understand them, read them, modify them.

Thanks

You'll find that once you learn a programming language, learning others are pretty easy.

A Google search will lead to many tutorials for Perl or Python:

http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/Perl/start.html - Perl
http://honors.montana.edu/~jjc/easytut/easytut/ - Python (this tutorial is specifically geared to those with no programming experience)

I wish you the best of luck.

Start with "Learning Perl" -- it's a fantastic resource. Next would be "Intermediate Perl" though the learning curve relies on you knowing 'Learning Perl' down pat. Don't worry, you'll get there. After those is the massive "Programming Perl" and it's trusty sidekick, the "Perl Cookbook." If you can get to the point where you can routinely do any of the exercizes in any of those books without complication, my hat's off to you! I'm in the middle of my Perl education right now, and I'm loving diving into a new language.

I learned perl as my first programming language, and found it very easy and fun to use. I also started with learning perl, the o'rielly book.

Yep thats what I'm going with. I just ordered learning perl fourth edition. Thanks for all your posts.

P.S. go get a used book off of amazon. Only 20 bucks sometimes, as in this case.

Yea 'The lama' is the best book to get. I am happy to say that I have just graduated from 'The lama' and am now going to use 'The Camel'. For those who don't know it's the O'Reilly books.

I learnt Perl as my first real language. I had experience with R, a statistical language. Perl is great, however to think in a programming way and make the algorithms it took me just under 6 months. It's hard to start with but keep pushing yourself.
The great thing with Perl is that if you know Perl you can read PHP and some sense of Java (not just Javascript). I have never used Python but hear that it's really a sys admin language?
Has anyone got a good link/book for Perl-> C learning?

I'm a bit of a novice myself though I've looked at javascript and PHP and I still find Pearl difficult to comprehend... maybe it's just my learning style

I am currently taking a programming class at my high school, and although technically im supposed to be learning VB (ick!) my teacher is letting me learn perl instead. I got the o'reiley llama book. I managed to get my teacher to let me install linux on some stand-alone computers for perl, however I wont be able to get online from them, this means no updates. I was wondering what I needed to use perl, obviously the interpreter but anything else? I will be using either FC6 or Ubuntu. If you could help me out with rpm's or something apt-get can handle that would be much apriciated thanks.