Recommended current progamming environment for old school coder

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Recommended current programming environment for old school coder

I used to be a programmer back in the day (about 7 years ago), mostly financial or company related databases using Clipper. I've also done some C coding and a small amount of C++/MFC coding but I can pick up just about any language if it will suit my needs given a detailed book about it.

An example of one of my last projects was I wrote the original USBHz program. It was a device driver and it hooked into the USB driver stack to manipulate the polling rate of the mouse.

When I look around I can't decide what to choose as a programming environment.

I've considered the following in order of preference:

Java
C++/CLI with .NET Framework
C#
Visual Basic
C++/MFC (being phased out?)

Most of the projects I plan on doing will be database driven likely with PostgreSQL (will contain millions of records) but I'll also be doing some low level Windows coding for a Spy++ style feature in one of the programs so will need access to the Windows API.

Anyone know of online tutorials or a book for one of the above for getting me setup and running with an environment suitable to my needs?

I've been thinking C++/CLI with .NET Framework (using managed code) but I'll basically be a beginner with a TON of knowledge to accumulate so perhaps I'd be better off with Java or C# as those languages are just as powerful these days and yet they won't require as much of a learning curve and I can be up and running a lot quicker with less knowledge required to get stuck in with my projects?

Any advice or recommendations much appreciated!

 

[Dj_Jestar]

If you're considering Java (and Visual Basic .NET), I'd say also consider C#. It will be very similar architecture to C++ on .NET, and practically identical to VB.NET (yet a lot less verbose ).

 

[Spyhop]

I think it would be a mistake to start using the .NET Framework from C++/CLI before having a working knowledge of it in its natural environment (Fully managed, probably via C#).

You only want to step in to C++/CLI in parts of your application where you must use native code for some reason, and then step back out to your more elegant C# land.

C++/CLI fulfils its purpose as a glue language really well, but if conditions allow then you should just ignore it completely (and most people do!).

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C# is better than Java as long as the obvious Microsoft bias isn't a problem.

 

[Izi]

c# i'd recommend.

 

[steve-h]

a strong vote for C.

 

[Xelene]

A vote for Python here. It's an incredibly powerful, high level OOP scripting language.

You can do all the win32 stuff you need also.