programmers in C/C++, java, visual, web design, ruby on rail

i've been studying tutorials for rpg maker to get a understanding for ruby and a stepping stone into ruby on rails, im having problems getting rails to work, but i haven't pinned down why yet(first it was regional language now something else). i was hoping to find people who have experience in these languages in case i hit road blocks and i need help or indexes to helpful places or answers.

i also wanted an idea of what order i should learn at, i have confidence in my ability to learn 2 at the same time, and i think i can get to a point of programing in a month or 2, no distractions from rl atm. i choose rails as first, but at some point i need to get a job (cant see myself dealing with customers (again) or doing manual labor so programing is the way i want to go) and C/C++, java, web design seem to be the the desired points for most online jobs.

in conclusion, im looking for some sempais who could help me out if i need it, web searches help but there time consuming and exhausting. (ps ive always hated flash but always wanted to learn it, last on my list)

Would say start on c/c++. If you get a good understanding then other languages become more manageable, least that how my classes went. Also a month seems a bit too short but hey everyone learns differently just don't get burnt out on it.

thanks, ill start with C/C++, i felt like going that way but wasn't sure.
burning out is a problem for me, but ill manage.

can i ask, whats the difference between the C families?

Bad at explaining differences but this sounds about right.

C - an older programming language that is described as Hands-on. As the programmer you must tell the program to do everything. Also this language will let you do almost anything. It does not support object oriented code. Thus no classes.

C++ - an extension language per se of C. In C code ++ means increment 1. Thus C++ is better than C. It allows for highly controlled object oriented code. Once again a very hands on language that goes into MUCH detail.

C# - Full object oriented code resembling the style of C/C++ code. This is really closer to JAVA. C# is the latest version of the C style languages and is very good for developing web applications.

so what i want to learn is C++ (and if need be moved down to C) it sounds like. in it for the game programing, but i lack a pc capable of playing/making 3d games past 2009, i had been self teaching myself unity3d till my pc hit its limit, but i always lacked the java/C necessity for... tweaking. thank you, you helped me understand it very well.

I would say that C# is better for creating Windows apps rather than websites.

C# is also a much easier language to pick up than C/C++ as it is strongly-typed, therefore less prone to silly errors by newbies (and veterans alike). Another plus for C# is that the main development tool, Visual Studio, is packed with features, and its IntelliSense makes coding much, much easier than any other language since you do not have to remember the entire method name (it auto-fills for you).

Just my 2c as a C# programmer.

All languages are essentially the same. Go with C++ play around, then once you get comfortable (get a good grasp on how to make polymorphic functions) you can literally do anything you want to do programming wise, with the problem being where to find specific info.

There's this misconception that the languages are different animals - they're not. Also, if you want more in depth help ask around at Stack Overflow.

The problem with learning C# as your first language is the memory management is abstracted from you the learner. Memory management is a key component to learn in programming, but C# and Java don't force you to think about it.

i decided to go with C++, using a book called "jumping into C++" and a site by the name of cprograming. i've been procrastinating on it for awhile but im geting my way through chapter 1. my goal for now, is enough ability and experience to find a job on, i live in california, a lot of programing opportunities here, and a lot of companies are willing to ignore a lack of a degree.

Frostea, thank you for the recommendation, but ill probably stick with C++, id prefer knowing as much of how C (in general) works and extensive capabilities as i can. though i am skipping over C i feel as though that would be even more time consuming than C++, so i can put it off till im comfortable with C. if i find C++ too complicated i may go to C# till im fluent enough to try again at C++. now that i know that there is an easier option it helps a lot.

Fruid, ill remember polymorphic. there seems to be a lot of terms used that i don't understand, but that i should know how to, that i need to learn. thank you for the site as well, i had ran into it a few times for ruby but never really payed attention to it, i did not realize the extent of how much it covered, thank you for having me look at it again.

One can never have too many (good) books about programming.
For C/C++ Bruce Eckel's Thinking in C++ is a valuable addition:
http://mindview.net/Books/TICPP/ThinkingInCPP2e.html

Bruce made his books (he also wrote about Java) available for free.

thank you for these, alternative material will be great, i love the ability to compare and contrast, ill be able to gauge how well i'm learning by alternating between the 2.

he also has java books, i can pick up java after im comfortable with C++ without hesitation. thank you for this!