Visual Basic or Java

[SSG Snuggle Bunny]

Which would you want to learn first if you were a total n00b wanting to diddle with databases?

[cclanofirish]

Which would you want to learn first if you were a total n00b wanting to diddle with databases?

I would (and am) learning Jython...it makes learning the most useful parts of Java very easy...then study Java in depth.

[Chris]

Visual Basic is pretty simple... you can cobble an interface together in an afternoon and the same program can be updated to work with different databases (Access, SQL).  I have no Java experience.

[LC EFA]

Neither.

I'd learn how to drive SQL first , then use PHP.

[Oceander]

SQL first, as LC EFA says - if you're really a total noobie (welcome to the club, I'm the junior flunky here! ), "SQL" stands for "Standard Query Language" and is, as it rather literally states, a standardized language for interacting with most of the major databases out there today, including, most likely, CC, which uses MySQL (freeware) as its database software.

Once you've got a handle on SQL, the next question - what framework to use to work with databases, will depend a lot on what you want to do with them.  Are you thinking about a web-based application that would receive users' requests, process them through a database, and then serve out a dynamic document to the user, or something else?  If you're going web-based, then I would go with PHP next - the PHP/MySQL combo for things like forums (which are heavily database driven) is pretty widespread.

I would also add to that mix if you're working on web-based applications some javascript.  If you've done any poking under the hood of the Simple Machines software that runs CC, the three main components (other than HTML) are MySQL, PHP, and Javascript.

[kenth]

I agree. SQL, then all the rest is just framework to get and display your database.

[SSG Snuggle Bunny]

Fair 'nuff.

[DUtroll]

This is literally a war that's debated and argued amongst nerds day in and day out - I call it the "language vs. language" debate. The first language I learned was VB 3.0. Over the years I have written in Java, Python, Ruby, ASP.Net, VB.Net, and PHP. Heck, I've even fiddled with assembly over the years.

Before going forward, I would ask what are your intentions? Do you want to build desktop or web based applications? Do you have hopes of developing platform independent applications or are you dedicated to Windows? You could use any of the above languages to "diddle with databases".

VB.Net and Microsoft's IDE (development tool) - make it very easy to develop simplistic applications in a matter of a few clicks. For Java, the swing class is much more difficult to work with, but the NetBeans IDE (development tool) has made it much easier for sure.

To simply "diddle with databases" I would roll with VB.Net (the current flavor of VB). Why? Instant gratification. You will be using datareader and dataset by the end of the afternoon. You'll tame ADO and OLEDB rapidly. You can hook your VB applications to Access with the click of a button, the same can be said for SQL Server. Using MySQL and Oracle is a little bit more tricky, but as a newbie you can establish the connection between the application layer and the database within an afternoon of tinkering. Additionally, you will be able to build really sweet interfaces "like the pros" thanks to Microsoft's IDE - Visual Studio Express.

If you get bored or finish your diddling, you can always switch over to ASP.Net, which is really just VB.Net or C# on the web - no noteworthy change in syntax. Then you can create web applications using VB.Net with the same amount of ease. You can leverage Microsoft's MVC framework to get a lot of the web basics done fast. ASP.Net in the VB.Net flavor even, will always be faster than PHP - PHP is interpreted ASP.Net is compiled.

Well, that just read like a Microsoft commercial. Java is a good language to learn. Mastering the basics of OOP* with Java will make you a solid programmer down the road. But since you are only looking to "diddle with databases", I doubt you would like to spend a few weeks learning about inheritance, polymorphism, and the swing class before you can even get off the ground. If you asked questions about enterprise development, then my answer might be different.

I vote for VB.Net. Go download Visual Studio Express for free, SQL Server Express for free, and start diddling. By the time you finished reading this you could've been showing off your custom GUI to friends and family.  

-DUtroll