I agree, however the only reason I included it with C/C++ is because I started learning them around the same time because that is when I also started messing with Linux for the first time. Since then I have used C/C++ for many more applications other than Linux.
Very good and from a self taught expert, also. Python should be separate since it can be interpreted line by line. It even alows display of computed values without Print statements.
I have been self-teaching myself programing languages for about 9 years (Since I was 14) and I started with what I believe was the easier of the languages first and then slowly went down the list.
HTML, CSS, PHP, Java/ Javascipt - I started off with these because they are all pretty simple and easy to learn. All of which are also used in web development. I started with HTML and CSS first because I believe they are the easiest to learn and both are great languages for anyone to first start off with. I then went on into PHP, Java and Javascript. Java alone is used in so many different applications that it is almost a must know.
Python, C, C++ - Like Java, C and C++ are used in so many different applications they are almost a must know, albeit in my opinion they are a little more difficult especially if you are self taught like myself. I included Python with C and C++ because I started learning these three pretty much around the same time because of Linux. Although other languages are used with Linux, these three are the main ones.
BASIC - I don't really want to talk about BASIC.
Other, there are so many other languages out there that "other" is a lot easier to use, rather than listing them all. This list in this poll pretty much covers the most common programming languages however, so I won't really go any further into which ones I have learned.
I learned Fortran and it was the language of choice for EE by in the stone age of computers LOL! But better now Python first and then maybe a C course...
I was gonna suggest c/c++ but few days back I got my hands on python and I am in so much pain now, why I did not tried it before. It is so simple that a 8 year old can master it and yet so powerful. You can learn it in few hours. Try to rewrite some example codes and you will learn it simultaneously while writing such lines. (Just like that). Good Luck
As an EE you are going to need to know what is going on at some point, so you need to understand assembly language - start with the simplest one you can find, maybe even a pseudo assembler. After that programming is just a tool to get the job done, so escalate through the various levels to the highest level language you can find as fast as you can. The one that fully solves your problem in the least amount of time is the best one. For example Visual BASIC is actually a higher level language than C (fewer lines of code and generally faster to complete a solution). There will be times when your high level language of choice is not able to solve your problem and you have to resort to more tedious languages, you may even need to get all the way down to assembly language if the timing is tight enough. C is one of those languages in the middle, there may be many times when it is the best language to use, but it should only be used if a higher level language can't get the job done quicker. Hand trowels may be the best tool for some jobs, but not if you have to move a mountain. If you don't program every day, pick a high level language that uses descriptive operators instead of oddball punctuation based syntax as it will save a lot of time getting back to productivity. Can any of you who had to learn APL remember any of the syntax? On the other hand, EEs that have not programmed for decades can still remember how to program in BASIC.
You can of course make a convincing argument for just about any language, and it is certainly a topic of interest and controversy, so I thought I would stir the pot a bit...
So what is the highest level language that is easy to remember?
Personally I would go for python as a start. Of course it depends on how you are coming to programming, kids with the Pi can not go wrong with Scratch as it teaches the basic constructs that they will need whichever language they move onto.
A common language is no more practical than a common tool - sometimes you need a hammer and sometimes you need a chainsaw. I've just bought an instrument (Keithly 2 channel source meter 2614B) which uses Lua as it's command and embedded scripting language and that seems to work really well. If I want to write embedded code for a small micro-controller I would use C. Swapping the two over wouldn't work very well at all. I think we're always going to have lots of computer languages.
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