[zugumzug]

I also wanted to learn to program and some friends recommended Ruby and Rails. I can't tell you if it's <i>the best</i> but it definitely does have a few things going for it.

1. A robust online community. This is not to be underestimated, 98% of problems I run into are solved by a quick Google search. 2. A number of strong tutorials and books, many of which are free online. I would link to them but there are already good lists out there for the googling. 3. Fairly easy to understand. I came from literally no programming experience. I've had a number of different jobs, but none was really computer related. My last job was managing a bakery.

With all that said there are a few things I'm glad I did. First and foremost you've got to have somebody willing to take the time to help you through when you get stuck. Fortunately geeks love to geek out. If you find a friend that will geek out and explain stuff to you, buy his beer as often as possible and ask away. Second, realize that it is going take a lot longer to do what you want to do than you wish.