Which languages to learn

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Hi,
I`m pretty new to programming and I want to write an application for myself.

The program should run on several touch screens and computers around the house. The application needs to contain several things like:
- A calendar
- A music player
- Displaying input from a weather station
- A 3d model of the house to, for example:
o Turn on the lights
o Open the doors of the garage
- Et cetera

Furthermore the application should run on accounts, so the music library and other stuff are dependent of the user. The application should be full screen too.

The thing is I don’t know which programming language(s) I need to learn. I started with a c++ tutorial and I am now reading Charles Petzold’s Programming Windows, 4th edition.

Right now I am not really interested in stuff about the input in my computer from for example the weather station or the light switches, I’ll figure that out when I can properly write an application.

At this moment I just want to know what language(s) I need to write such a program. The windows API programming looks to be pretty effective for the job, but for me it’s much about the graphics too and I am wondering if I can adjust scroll bars, title bars et cetera to my own style?

So is it even possible to write such a program, how much time it is going to take for me to be able to write an application like this and what languages do I need to learn?

Thanks in advance,

Tim

Posted 8-May-10 4:37am

TimGalant

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#realJSOP · Accepted Answer · 2010-05-08T04:46:00

Pretty much anything you can think of can be modeled in software.

It's not as much about choosing the right language as it is about choosing the right technology/olatform.

At first blush, I'd go with WPF/C# because WPF gives you the ready-made functionality required by the 3-D/graphical stuff, and .Net in general because it makes doing the rest of the stuff on your list easier to do. As far as the language is concerned, you chave C++, C#, F#, and VB.Net to choose from. I used to do C++ (with MFC), and the changeover to C# is almost a no-brainer, so that's the one I would pick.

Beyond that, don't be afraid to pummel google whenever you have a question about how to do something. If you still have problems, don't hesitate to ask here.