Programming
Microsoft Visual Studio Express
Microsoft Visual Studio Express is a set of freeware integrated development environments (IDE) developed by Microsoft that are lightweight versions of the Microsoft Visual Studio product line. Express Editions were conceived beginning with Visual Studio 2005. The idea of Express editions, according to Microsoft, is to provide streamlined, easy-to-use and easy-to-learn IDEs for users other than professional software developers, such as hobbyists and students.
In line with popular demand since their original release, these editions will always remain free-of-charge. {emphasis added}
Visual Studio Express consists of the following separate products:
* Visual Basic Express
* Visual Web Developer Express
* Visual C++ Express
* Visual C# Express
* SQL Server Express
Source:Wikipedia
Tutorials
MSDN Training & Certification Resources
These are the best place to start as they are up to date and straight from Microsoft themselves. When you have learnt all you need from here, there are many other tutorials out there.
Downloads
http://www.microsoft.com/express/Windows
http://www.microsoft.com/express/Downloads/#2008-MSDN-Library
I use 2008 express edition, but there has since been a 2010 release, do some research and see which is most suitable for you and seems most supported at the moment.
Free Pascal
Free Pascal (FPC for short, and formerly known as FPK Pascal) is a free, portable and open source compiler for Pascal and Object Pascal languages. It supports a number of dialects, including the two most popular Borland dialects—Turbo Pascal and Delphi—and some Mac Pascal constructs.
Free Pascal is available on many architectures and operating systems (see Targets), and belongs to the write once, compile anywhere campaign. It has an excellent support for integration of assembly language, and supports multiple architectures and notations in the internal assembler.
With a separate IDE project called Lazarus, cross-platform graphical application development is possible with little effort.
Source:Wikipedia
Tutorials
Downloads
C++
C++ (pronounced “see plus plus”) is a statically typed, free-form, multi-paradigm, compiled, general-purpose programming language. It is regarded as a middle-level language, as it comprises a combination of both high-level and low-level language features. It was developed by Bjarne Stroustrup starting in 1979 at Bell Labs as an enhancement to the C programming language and originally named “C with Classes”. It was renamed C++ in 1983.
As one of the most popular programming languages ever created, C++ is widely used in the software industry. Some of its application domains include systems software, application software, device drivers, embedded software, high-performance server and client applications, and entertainment software such as video games. Several groups provide both free and proprietary C++ compiler software, including the GNU Project, Microsoft, Intel and Borland. C++ has greatly influenced many other popular programming languages, most notably Java.
Source:Wikipedia
Tutorials
Downloads
See Microsoft Visual Studio Express
BASIC (Beginner’s All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code)
In computer programming, BASIC (an acronym for Beginner’s All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) is a family of high-level programming languages. The original BASIC was designed in 1964 by John George Kemeny and Thomas Eugene Kurtz at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, USA to provide computer access to non-science students. At the time, nearly all use of computers required writing custom software, which was something only scientists and mathematicians tended to be able to do. The language and its variants became widespread on microcomputers in the late 1970s and 1980s. BASIC remains popular to this day in a handful of highly modified dialects and new languages influenced by BASIC such as Microsoft Visual Basic. As of 2006, 59% of developers for the .NET platform used Visual Basic .NET as their only language.
Source:Wikipedia
I will mainly focus on Liberty Basic and Just Basic (as it is free!) though there are other variants.
Downloads
Tutorials
Liberty Basic
Liberty Basic Official Tutorials
Just Basic
Just Basic Tutorial Forum
As always, you will find plenty of other tutorials through the proper application of Google!.
Revreese's Random Ramblings... 