[PostOnce]

I often recommend Python because it enables you to do a lot, quickly, and is easy to read.

I learned C first, stopped studying C when I tried to make a GUI for win32. ~2 pages of code for an empty window. ~5 lines in Python.

So, the ideal first language is whatever is easy to understand and fast to accomplish something. Instant gratification, in other words.

[olalonde]

IMHO, the real debate lies in "just in time learning" vs "just in case learning".[1]

Should one learn the fundamentals first (assembly/C) or the practical first (python)? The answer will depend from person to person. I personally took the practical first approach.

[1] http://www.johndcook.com/blog/2010/03/03/just-in-case-versus...