What OS should i use and are pearl and C++ good to start with? and what programes should i buy to start off?
Thanks

OS = If you want to develop professional programs eventionally go for Windows (sorry guys, i know it goes against all that is Linux, but its true) or if you just want to develop for fun, choose Linux (go for mandrake, it's easy on beginners put still a powerfull OS)

Lang = Again, if you want to be a games programmer, of make large business apps choose C++. If you want to male small apps, choose C++. if you want to program anything, choose C++. basically, choose C++. Unfortunatly though if you have never programmed C/C++ will be quite hard on you. best language to learn first would be QBASIC as its very easy to pick up. Don't stay with it too long becasue it can enfore bad habbits. Perl is ok, but its a web language, for intranets and the Internet.

Programs = Depends on your OS and lang. if using C++ and windows get yourself a copy of MS Visual C++ which is about ý70 / $80 or pick up a book with a intoduction version on. If you cant afford it, check out www.bloodshed.com. They produce Dev C++ which is a completly free compiler for windows which rivals VC++. If using C++ and linux, dont worry, almost all Linux distributions com with GCC which is a C/C++ compiler.

if using perl with any OS just check out www.perl.org (i think)

Marc

For OS get as many as possible. I recommend Windows9x, a main stream Linux distro such as Mandrake or Red Hat, and if possible MacOS X(they even have a GNU/Darwin kernel version for Intel Boxes). You can never learn to many OS.

Everybody seems to want to start with C++, I say start with C, it isn't much different but all *nix machines use C as standard and most programs today are still written in C. Perl is a great language to learn, it is a barrier language between scripting languages and true programming languages. Go to http://www.activeperl.com/ for a free version of the best Perl build. http://www.perl.org/ is a great place to learn it.

For programs, same as metamorphic's post.

Mandrake is the easiest for beginners but if you want more power move on to RedHat. I wouldn't use MacOS unless you just want experience since most programmers hate MacOS. VC++ and Borland C++ Builder are the top choice for professionals in Windows but DevC++ is fine for beginning. I agree with metamorphic on starting with QBasic first because it's easy to learn and still lots of fun to play with.

Um...AREM, your MacOS comment is outdated. Maybe you used MacOS 6.0 in the early 1990's but obviously you have never used CodeWarrior. CodeWarrior is just as good and maybe better than VC. MacOS X is Unix based, thats right Unix based so you have gcc, and commercial grade compilers its just like programming in a Linux Environment but more stable. Maybe you should check up on your facts before you bash an OS.

Eeeewww... Codewarrior...
I *have* used codewarrior, and I think it is awful.

Believe it or not, I used to be a huge fan of Macs... I learnt BASIC on the mac. But then, I tried to start doing C, and I must say, I began to despise them...