For reference, those interested in starting into the use of C# can do so for free by downloading the .NET Framework SDK. I know there's a link for it somewhere up on
MSDN Academic Alliance, but it shouldn't be hard to Google for either. Just don't install it with a copy of Visual Studio installed. Oh, the people I've had to walk through VSNET repairs.
C# is all well and good, but it's still a very young language, and while an open ECMA-recognized standard, it's still rather int he pocket of Microsoft. I still recommend Java as an entrance language, if only for its multiplatform aspects, garbage collector, sandbox, documentation, general ease, and reasonably solid OO basis.
Now, to brainstorm the languages I've learned in the past decade...
Markup Languages:
- SGML.
- HTML.
- XHTML.
- XML.
Scripting Languages:
- VB Script.
- Javascript/JScript/ECMA Script.
- Actionscript.
- Python (although yes, far more general).
Assembly Platforms:
- Motorola 6809.
- IBM assembly for 286, 386, 486, 586, Pentium, Pentium II, Pentium III.
- ARM7/9.
- ARCSIM.
- SPARC (limited).
- PowerPC (limited).
Server-side Scripting Languages:
- PHP.
- ASP.
- Apache SSI.
- Pliant.
DBMS Platforms:
- Oracle
- PostgreSQL
- MySQL
- MSSQL
- DB2 (too much SQL, huh?)
- Access
Shell Script Platforms:
- bash
- ksh
- DOS .bat (for sake of including it somewhere)
Other:
- C, C++, C#
- Java
- VisualBasic
- QBasic
- Turing
I
think that's about it. I'm certain I've forgotten something, though. At the very least I've left out a few platform-specifics, like C on Solaris, Linux, Windows, and such. Oh well, I've already spent enough time ordering entries. I also couldn't find anywhere to slot in CSS... oh well.
I'd love to be able to say that I love COBOL, but my crippling hatred for the language leaves me incapable of actually using it.
EDIT: More slowly trickle back to mind. Smalltalk, Prolog. Maple, if it counts, although I haven't used it since the first year of university.