What Programming Language Should I Start With?
If you've never programmed a "Hello world" in your life, you might want to try HTML first. HTML might seem elementary, but it's an excellent introduction to the ideas of syntax and basic programming. In addition, all web programming languages are pretty much useless without HTML.
When you've got HTML down, a popular beginning language is Visual Basic. Some people claim VB isn't a "real" programming language, but it is powerful despite its simplicity. Most computer-literate users also find the IDE (Intergrated Development Environment) to be pretty friendly, if expensive. Almost all Visual Basic books come with a working model edition that serves the needs of most beginners.
If you've had some prior programming experience or you are exceptionally good with computers, you might want to try something a little more advanced. For desktop programming, you'll hear C++ from a lot of people; C, C#, and JAVA are also good options that won't lead you astray. PHP is a good choice for web programming that's very up-and-coming; PERL and ASP are also popular web programming choices.