What exactly do I need to get started if I'm a beginning programmer, and what language should I choose to learn?

Other threads address this. Set your display threshhold to show older threads.

You'll need a compiler/interpreter depending on what language you want to learn...C/C++, Fortran, use compilers...while Perl, PHP, Python use interpreters.
If you want to learn C or C++, you can find a nice Windows IDE and Compiler at http://www.bloodshed.net .
and a nice beginning C book at: http://crasseux.com/books/
Good luck!! (^_^)

Poor ItinitI answers the same question as has been answered a million times before.

ServerComp, if you're still looking at this thread, you can check out this page at the Wiki that we are developing to replace this site:

http://wiki.tpu.org/coders/LearnProgramming

This _is_ a Wiki, so anyone can feel free to improve the page in a reasonable way. In particular, if you think a good first language has been skipped and you want to add it, make sure that you have good reasons for your recommendation and that you include them in the page.

Ugh, this is one reason why I don't like Wikis:

"Choices like BasicLanguage and PascalLanguage, both created..."

Their names are BASIC and Pascal, not BasicLanguage and PascalLanguage, but a Wiki won't let you use the correct names.

- taubz

Actually, it will. It's just more convenient to use WikiWords because they are automatically linked.

yes there are other threads which adress the topic you are interested in.. however I would like to suggest python... www.python.org its fast, easy to learn and good for large programs..

Apparently diegoskryptic did not follow the link I posted, since it makes this same recommendation in more detail.

C++ is my first love, I don't care what anyone says, it is a hell of a lot easier to learn than java, java was a thorn in my side. I mean, who can think that a language that uses crap like this:

BufferedReader stdin = new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(System.in));
StringTokenizer reader = new StringTokenizer(stdin.readLine());

can be considered easy? I don't need to write 1000 characters per line of code when I am using C++, and I didn't need to print my C++ projects in landscape mode either (paper horizontal).

I completly agree with that. Couldn't have said it better myself.

Yeah Java is verbose but if it's the only reason why you are using C++ instead of it, you should really check out some alternatives.