What programming language would be most useful to learn?

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I enjoy learning about command prompt and powershell.

But I'm not sure how useful command prompt would be, or powershell in terms of career.

I was learning Java on codeacademy but I didn't like that I couldn't see the connection between it and hardware. I wouldn't mind learning something that's...more software, I guess, but I'd rather see the connection first. I hear Java is based on c++ or something. Also, learning binary probably wouldn't be useful for me when dealing with a computer anyway but at least I know how it works.

I want to be practical but I don't want to learn programming without understand how hardware communicates among it's parts first and how software plugs into that equation. So command prompt seemed closer to home. But I also don't want to prioritize learning something that won't help me or is kinda obsolete knowledge if say I become a computer repair person.

That's all. Any advice or recommendations?

The most important thing in terms of getting a job is knowing an object-oriented language with a C-like syntax. If you already know Java, learning C# is easy — and vice versa.

If you're looking to become a professional programmer, C/C++/C# is the way to go. It's universal and will teach you the necessary skills to transfer to other languages. On the other hand, if you want ease of use, Java is the way to go as it can be ported to pretty much anything relatively easily and is much more simple to learn.

Just interface with hardware?

You can do that in most languages, example: i've accessed harddrive features through Visual Basic. if you want to do something in a command prompt, i'd suggest Python, its a "basic like" language mostly used on Linux. If you want to write your own operating system, i'd suggest old C. Want to write device drivers? Go with C++. Java is a disease

It all boil downs to what you want to do. Most languages have free compilers . even Visual Studio have Express (free version) and SDK's are available for other platforms, so just download and try.

Learn bytestates. Watch your drive access LED like it's a stadium jumbotron. Scrape logs like the bottom of a peanut butter jar. Try Fedora or CentOS; RHEL command line is like awakening from a nightmare after acclimating to CMD. These days I'd loathe to have to write a Batchfile; I'd use THIS instead.

_________________
"Standing on a well-chilled cinder, we see the fading of the suns, and try to recall the vanished brilliance of the origin of the worlds."
-Georges Lemaitre
"I fly through hyperspace, in my green computer interface"
-Gem Tos

The problem with C is that learning everything pointers are used for will break your hands for good in any number of ways. I'm not saying C should be totally deprecated but its' memory management is decades overdue for a tremendous overhaul. People harp on pretty much everything but C, personally though I'd rather just inject some BASIC wherever necessary even if it meant more lines/characters/brackets.

Do not be lulled into believing the technology establishment is anything but bonkers.

_________________
"Standing on a well-chilled cinder, we see the fading of the suns, and try to recall the vanished brilliance of the origin of the worlds."
-Georges Lemaitre
"I fly through hyperspace, in my green computer interface"
-Gem Tos

C will never be deprecated, at least without an alternative to replace it. There is nothing wrong with its memory management, you just have to understand how the hardware works to use it properly.

You are not likely to use C for a user/gui application unless you want finger exercise just as much as you are not likely to use anything apart from C or Ada to program a microcontroller for a real world use.

Unless one needs LUA, Assembly, BASIC or Hex and that's the short list. Yes, push/pop is good to understand but I just think it was easier for me to learn in the context of more languages in BASH as opposed to a *local* professor's C textbook.

_________________
"Standing on a well-chilled cinder, we see the fading of the suns, and try to recall the vanished brilliance of the origin of the worlds."
-Georges Lemaitre
"I fly through hyperspace, in my green computer interface"
-Gem Tos