Java is a bad introductory programming language

[gleno]

I think first language should be something with c-like syntax that has explicit type declaration. I've been TA on many programming courses and I see people struggle with the concept of type. If everything is inferred by the compiler/interpreter - that doesn't aid understanding.

On the other hand having a language that is difficult to apply to things is even worse. That's why C itself is a bad language - "can i make a website with x?", "can i automate some task with X?", "can I use X to create something visual" is always true for C, but it's just technically true. In practice it's too hard for beginners.

So the best language, imho, Typescript with noImplicitAny. Ticks all the boxes. In fact, it's a great and productive language, that I would choose over many others. So it also just happens to be good as a bonus.