What language are you trying to learn?
At the moment, I've been told that a very high-level language such as Python is a good place to start. Though I'm also having a poke at Java. Thoughts?
I think a good place to start would be something along the lines of C++ or Java. They're both low - mid level and teach good habits. Plus, once you have a grasp on them it will be very, very easy to pick up higher level languages like Python.
Sorry for the late reply, but I've decided to go with C++, more or less. Thanks for the advice ^^
Python is a good place to start. The Django framework is pretty good for web development, I hear. I've played around with Python's syntax a bit, and it seems pretty high level. Not necessarily Ruby high level, but more along the lines of a higher-level Javascript. Java is a good place to start. Take a look at Processing, a language that is based on Java with higher-level syntax. There's a JavaScript port for web development, too. Don't burn yourself out on programming before you ever make something. Always work on a small project on the side so that you can apply what you're learning in a real-world scenario. Web development is a good idea because it allows for you to share your projects easily with friends/other developers.
Thanks, that's very helpful. I'll stick to that more or less. Which IDE would you recommend for python + java?
Been a little while since your post, but I highly recommend Sublime Text 2 for python work. A full IDE really isn't necessary if you're just starting out, but when you do get more proficient, sublime's quite extensible and can add lots of great python-specific features. Plus, editing text on 30 lines simultaneously is just awesome.