What is the best language for a budding programmer to get their start with? There are probably as many opinions about which language is best for beginners as there are languages to choose from. And the options change all of the time. When we asked this question two years ago, Python came out on top as the clear winner. But is it still the best choice today?

Obviously we can’t list all of the many, many choices available. So pick from the list, or let us know if we missed the one you’d recommend. 

In addition to letting us know which language you’d recommend to an aspiring software developer in your life, let us know why you recommend what you do. Is it because the language has a simple and logical syntax? Are there a large number of resources available to newcomers? Perhaps there’s just an especially low barrier to entry of writing your first application? Or perhaps it’s because it’s language will a lot of practical users?

Whatever your reasoning, let us know in the comments below.

Do you have suggestions for how to start programming? We’re looking for articles for an upcoming series, so send your article idea (along with a brief outline) to open@opensource.com. Tell us your tricks for getting started, why your community is most welcoming to new programmers, how to pick a first programming language or open source project to join, share a how-to, walk readers through a handy script you wrote, or round up your favorite online resources for new programmers.