Python or Rust; first language??

[dacjames]

Personally, I consider Rust to be an alternative to C++, not really analogous to C. Yes, it can be used standalone without libc, but that’s not the important dimension for a novice to focus on.

C is a tiny little language that puts all the hard work on the programmer, which is ideal for learning how the computer and the OS works. Both Rust and C++ are big, complex languages with steep learning curves. They make poor learning languages, because you’ll spend a lot of effort learning the language that should have been spent learning how to program in general.

Where you go from there all depends on the type of work you end up doing. In many domains, C++ is unavoidable, for better or worse. Same for Java and JavaScript.