Yes 99% of programming is the higher level thought process behind making a program, and that skill transfers between programming languages. The specific syntax doesn’t matter that much.

If Zig is easy than that means C is easy (as Zig is pretty much nicer written C) and if C is easy than, oh wait everything is written in C. I guess the only thing left to do is learn an unnecessary overcomplicated abstraction of C like java or C++.

As for the question, pick a task than pick a language, servers? Go seems to be replacing Java for the next generation, Games? Zig C# Odin C C++ Lua, Rewrites? Rust. Random small scripts? Python. Bare metal? C C++ Zig.

Also Zig Odin and Go are all C like languages if you learn one you learn about them all (with the exception of manual memory management for Go). My biased self recommend Zig as I think its the nicest, you almost certainly won’t get a job in it but the skills will transfer directly to C or Go where you can get jobs.

Is this bait? Zig and Go are very much serious, especially Zig.

Generally python/Javascript is good for learning the basics. To know how types work learn c#/java/go. To learn how the memory works Zig/C are good. To learn about what a fully defined behavior means in a program you learn Rust. To learn what actually happens on the processor you learn assembly.

Honestly, if you’re hyped about Zig go for it, although I’d suggest “warming up” by doing a tic tac toe in python.

A lot of basic principles remain the same from one language to another. Some have more features than other, some have slightly obtuse grammar, but as long as you stay in the same class of programming language, it can be a good learning experience. Learning from “simple” languages and building up was the way to go for a long while.

I’m not sure I’d call Zig or Go “easy” programming language though. Most languages you’ll hear about these days are quite high level (even C++ and C got there over time). These days, I’m not sure where one would start from scratch. “scripting” languages are a good idea, since they are extremely easy to experiment with, and unless you start poking too much can’t do any harm.

But basically, if you stay with imperative programming (most used languages are like this) 80-90% of the knowledge you’ll get in one translate into another; there’s no bad way to start.

I would suggest a different approach. Think about what you want to achieve with programming. Look at the languages which can be used to do this task. Choose one and try some tutorials, I recommend freecodecamp it helped me a lot.

I can’t really comment on zig and go but I think they are pretty serious languages tbh.

Exactly don’t start with easy languages you should start with the best programming language HolyC, the divine language.

It’s…sort of not a question of easy vs hard. Why would anyone make a hard programming language?

It’s more about picking a language that is suitable for what you want to do with it.

C

I don’t think most languages you’ll encounter in the wild are too “easy”.

Universities here start you off with Python in the first semester because it’s easy for beginners to grasp. That doesn’t mean it’s not “serious” though, the whole AI/ML/Big Data ecosystem is ALL Python, largely because there are excellent data processing libraries for Python and stuff like PyTorch for offloading work to the GPU.

Just don’t try to use Powerpoint for programming, it’s possible but you’ll go mad.

I found it easier to start with something considered medium difficulty, because “easy” languages abstract away a lot of problems of programming. So when certain problems arise, its hard to understand what is happening behind the scenes.

If you want to build something, python is great. If you wanna learn programming, it might be confusing.

Where did you get the idea that Zig is an “easy” language?

Anything is better than nothing.

Go and Zig are serious languages. Go is especially established and has a big ecosystem and capabilities. You could stick with Go forever if you don’t want to expand afterwards.

Starting ‘simpler’ is better because it gives you successes. It keeps you going.

crazy to call zig, a low level systems language, an “easy” language

no. You must start with malboge

I get paid a whole lot to work solely in Deluge. which is the most painfully simple language ever. you want a join() built in? fuck you. sleep()? not allowed. you want a “for i in range()”? nope, they don’t do that here.

simple languages are often the most used in production unless you’re doing something highly specific that warrants a specific language.