[chaos4001]

But I don't really know how to start. I think I'm going to start with BASIC and work from there. Someday, I'd like to be able to program in C and Python and stuff like that.

So, does anyone have any tips or websites on getting started?

[imranf]

Don't start with BASIC. Start with C or Pascal instead, I've had trouble developing programming concepts when shifted to real programming languages e.g. C/C++/C#/Java etc.

You can find lots of programming material on the Internet. Just use Google Search with keyword 'Beginning'. for e.g "Beginning C", "Beginning C# Tutorial" etc.

There's no substitute of a full fledge book. Depending on what you want to start with, you can choose from 'Deitel Books'. Coz I had my start from there and I found it very helpful. 'Wrox' books are also great.

[dyw]

I actually think that perhaps starting with BASIC is a *good* idea; it just depends which BASIC you start with.

I think that VB.NET is a really good idea. The VB.NET Express compiler & IDE is available for free and does most anything you want. There are also lots of tutorials and videos available from Microsoft to learn it. The language itself is very, very powerful.

BASIC got a very bad name because it started out as a beginner's language, and was designed to be simple, but it was so popular for that very reason that everyone wanted to use it, however it had many limitations, and it was a 'toy language' compared to C/C++ etc. With Visual Basic 5 and 6 it became a prime choice for rapid application development. But it still was toy-like. However now with VB.NET it's a really powerful language just like the rest, and still with the easy-to-learn syntax that made BASIC so powerful back in the old days.

http://www.microsoft.com/express/vb/

[dyw]

I should add that the downside of VB.NET is that it's from Microsoft, and therefore your programs will only run on Windows (although with Mono and Silverlight that could change...)

Plus any other disadvantages of being with Microsoft, but I think it's a bit overplayed.

[iwassnow]

BASIC is a good place to start if you want to learn simple programming theory. It can be a good stepping stone if you learn it properly, but it is very limited. You can start there if you want, but you will find yourself needing to learn a different language after a year or two.
The benefit to this is, that while you may need to learn a new language, you only have to learn what the commands are in comparison to the old one. Get your mind used to those after you've switched over, and then start learning more advanced stuff like ques(I can't spell this word>.<).

It all depends on how fast and easily you think you can learn it. If you think you can pick it up easy, start with something else. If you need it in black and white before you see the colors, then try BASIC first.

I learned basic first, and it's still the only language I know, but it helped me learn theory very well. I finished that class at #2. Beat out by a freshman who was top of his class, so I felt pretty good about it.

[squidboy]

If you've never programmed before, I agree start with BASIC. Since it is a procedural language, you will carry that over to practically every other language. That 'procedural' way of thinking will help you in the long run. I've found if you start in C, you'll get overrun by all of it. The problem with C is, you need to learn just about *all* of it before you can start doing something useful.

It's true many of today's languages are more complex, but can do much more. And the various object oriented languages add a new level of complexity. But I sometimes yearn for the days when I could start drawing graphics within 1 line of code versus dozens of lines of code today.