What programming lauguage should we start with?

[SMHS]

We are setting up a new team and we need to learn about programming. Which software or programming language should we start with?

We have very little experience with program and need to learn quickly. Where do we start?

[sgreco]

I'm not a programmer, but I would recommend using labview. The language is really simple since it's visual and you can drag and drop. It lets you get at the actual fundamentals in the logic of programming without losing frustration over the complicated syntax of something like C++.

[Alan Anderson]

With little or no programming experience, you'll probably find LabVIEW to be the fastest path to good robot code. The tutorials at http://www.frcmastery.com/ will help you get started.

[Mk.32]

If you have no one with any programming experience labview will probably be the quickest to learn.
However if you can find some students with some programming knowledge going the C++/C/Java would be feasible.

[Colin P]

Labview is a scripting language with a nice GUI. You can pretty much click your way through it. You don't have to construct new code as text like C+ so it's easier for people with little experience.

[torihoelscher]

LabVIEW is the best to start with.

Whomever agrees with LabVIEW say "Aye"!!!!!

[Cuog]

I think its important to consider what you want to get out of the students programming.

Labview is great for an easy system to get the robot running with an easy learning curve(though complex systems are about the same between C++ and Labview). Labview is also great for those students who would be interested in programming for industrial robotcs since thats what most in that industry use.

However as a teaching tool using a language like C++ will provide a better platform for understanding programming in general and is much more like languages used in most other programming industries.

Pick which platform will meet the needs of your robotics program and run with it.

[Mr. Mike]

Go with what you have in resource. If you can find a mentor, or another team use what they have experience in.

[Alan Anderson]

Originally Posted by Colin P

Labview is a scripting language with a nice GUI.

If what you mean by "scripting language" matches the common usage of the term, then you are mistaken. Scripting languages are usually intended to be procedural ways to control a program that would otherwise require user input. While LabVIEW can be coerced into doing procedural actions, it really "wants" to do things in a strict dataflow fashion.

Also, LabVIEW is a graphical language, not a text-based language with a GUI on top of it.

[rachelholladay]

I would suggest LabVIEW. Since NI also makes the hardware, it makes it a tad bit easier. Plus they are much more willing to give help if its their hardware working with their software. The saying we normally use is that LabVIEW is easy to learn but hard to master. So a basic understand will function well within FIRST. And some major groups, like government and industrial plants, are using more of graphical languages, which means using it would help your students.

[davidthefat]

Now, I am not sure how stable the python interpreter is for the cRio, but it might be a good one to check out. It can be used as a stepping stone into Java or C++. There would be more setting up to do with Python I assume. I would personally use C++ just because it lets you fail A LOT. I mean it is like trying to ride a bike without training wheels. (Sorry, I still do not know how to ride a bike after 17 years of being on this Earth0 But learning comes from failures. It lets you dive deeper into the system, makes you think a bit more. Like why I should use a pointer and what a pointer actually is.

[dag0620]

LabView is great, easy to pick-up, easy to pass along, and generally I find easier to teach.

C++/Java on the other hand, while some would consider harder to grasp at first, are still very feasible.

The one thing that is important to remember is that one language is never better then another. It comes down to what you want to do and accomplish, as well as what the programmer in mind feels most comfortable with.

[Luckryan]

LabVIEW, I am a programer and I have used all of the lauguages and LabVIEW is pretty easy to learn. I can send you some power points if you want help with LabVIEW.

[Tommy.Brown]

If nobody on your team has experience with Java, C, or C++, then go with LabView, but if anyone on your team has experience coding in any of the three programming languages listed above, then go with C++ or Java.