Learn Java

[rookie]

How long do you think it would take for a very bright person with no programming education to learn Java? Please share you opinions. Thanks

[Pyrrhonist]

Hey rookie,

Java and javascript are 2 very different beasts.

Personally i think Java is a great language, and is very popular as a starting language in schools. But if you're starting from scratch, i'd say learn C# first (i really hate to say that) - MS took a lot of the best features in Java and placed them into C#. Additionally, right now .NET is picking up a lot of speed, so it would be a useful technology to have under your belt.

[rookie]

Thanks Bob. I was hearing the same down here. What about Visual Basic?. I am simply seeking to be proficient. I don't plan on writing too much code but think I need to be more informed when working with programmers. Every simple task I ask of my staff seems to take forever!

[Pyrrhonist]

I like to stay away from VB. Java and C# use a much better paradigm for the language, and with a knowledge of either you should be able to pick up something else enough to at least understand what's going on.