easy choice. dont learn vb, it gives you bad habits you will suffer from when you learn some real languages. go for java.

Have you developing your java application that will run automatically on Solaris server when it is on or rebooting?

One more person to recommend Java. If you need to use VB later on in life then you will be able to pick it up fairly easily in your own time, especially if you already have knowledge of java.

I started off using VB, then went onto Linux and learned languages such as perl and java. I'm currently studying C++ as a natural progression.
Like many have said, the more you learn the better, but what is even better to learn are the software engineering techniques that are used in the programming projects, as each language differs slightly with syntax, the concepts remain the same.

For me, learning java was a foregone conclusion - it was a major part of my course (by the way I just graduated with Dip It (multimedia and networking))

I found that java was a language loosely based on C. but simplified a bit.

Go for it

Craig

er, what is this supposed to mean? sorry, i'm just a bit confused.

hey juliana... you from sg???

sorry gusgorman, just ignore my question.. i got it anyway... thanks..

ya i'm from singapore why?

eeehhhhh.... alright! first sg person i met on LQ... another guy i talked to was from malaysia(shoot2kill)... i also from sg... nice meeting you...

you java developer?

heeey! i also from sg leh!

i'm not a java developer, in fact i'm really new to this stuff..

well nice to meet u as well..

Hi all,
My first post, wow!

For those interested in performace of Java vs VB vs C++, this is a good article:

http://www.devhood.com/tutorials/tut...utorial_id=203

It does seem to focus on Microsoft( .... sorry Micro$oft) languages tho.

one thing i alwas take exception to is the bad rap java has, especially in the c dominated world of linux.

Java is not "C++ lite" "loosly based on C", or a "toy language". Java was an attempt to create a more modern low level language that is truly OO, instead of procedural with OO extensions. Personally, I much perfer coding in java. it is cleaner, its syntax is nicer, it is designed with object oriented developement in mind (ie dont reinvent the wheel). On the flip side, C++ is faster, more powerful, and has stood the test of time longer then java has.

imho, c++ is more powerful, java makes more sense. any more discussion about it is comparing apples to oranges. JSP/Java/Oracle is currently the most powerful stack for webapps, with every release the JVM gets significantly faster, with swing java is truly cross platform, the java class library is the thing dreams are made of.

Java, but learn Python on your own time and you will be better for it

Seriously though, I'd say that over 90% of the coding that I have learned has been from online resources (be it documentation or forums or chatting with peers). I find that most people that I find are "great coders" learn programming on their own as well. It seems to me that CS curricula are always several years behind not only in language choice, but in paradigms as well. To get "up to date" with programming, you have to go out there and actively pursue programming as a hobby.

I would say Java. VB limits you to microsoft and is of little use. Java is a lot more difficult to learn than vb.

I've just started programming and I've decided to learn c++ as it doesn't limit you on platforms and it enables you to write efficient and powerful programmes (java is slower).

Just to be different, I would say VB, but it depends on what you are doing and your general goals.

Given that you are learning c++ and depending how far you go with it, it will cover many concepts that will overlap with java, in addition to being syntactically similar. The difference becomes more apparent the higher level you use it and the more you understand - for beginners there is not that much difference, well imho anyway, and you can learn at a fast pace when you have a better understanding (and need to break those bad habits from c)

VB, as had been pointed out, is a completly different kettle of fish and will give you a much broader skill set. While any language is partly a matter of practice, it will (should) introduce you to the whole Microsoft-Way-Of-Doing-Things from apps like Visual Studio, to MS Office, Databases and this .NET they seem to be so keen on.

I don't know if you are think about getting a job, or have specific needs in mind but just because MS isn't that popular doesn't mean that you should (or can) ignore everything they do.