What is the simplest programming language?

One simplest thing is not…

First, the question should be in the room what you want to program.

• It makes little sense to make the effort to learn Python when you are 3D game or professional application want to program. Python is too weak and slow. you need C++ or C#/Unity where C# is much easier to learn
• If you are automated in Windows wanting to work with files and folders (maybe even on multiple computers on the network), Python is too “feingliedy”. I would Powershell attack.
• If you are House use You want to tell your computer what to do is Python Okay.
• ♪ Website you are with everything Javascript on the wrong path.

When it comes to Simple and Windows, I would say Powershell Many think about a shell comparable to Bash or Batch in Powershell. To be honest, Powershell has only the “Shell” in its name, because you can’t change it after 20 years. Otherwise, Powershell is a high-grade object-oriented and extremely powerful programming language. (so powerful that Microsoft considered it necessary, Rules to define what is allowed)

Apart from a few “selty” peculiarities the Comparative operators concerning in the presentation of $Variables, Powershell is syntactically kept so easy that someone can handle it without special voyages.

You can really program classic (as in C# or Java):

 #nur   durch  3 teilbare ausgeben
for ($i=1;$i -lt 10;++$i) {
    if ( ($i % 3) -eq 0) {$i}
}

or simply:

1..10|
  Where-Object {($_ % 3) -eq 0}

too much?

1..10|?{!($_ % 3)}

Actually, you have to imagine a powershell pipeline as a pipe with a few sevens, in that you pour something in front and in the end the result comes out.

You can not only “shake” a few numbers but also complex objects

If you want information about the process that has just been carried out, you don’t have to be great. a small line :

Get-Process -Id $PID|Format-List *

…and Powershell supplies you an object that contains almost all information . It is only necessary to insert the corresponding filters into the Pipine to achieve the desired result.

Information about visible windows:

Get-Process |
  Where-Object {$_.MainWindowHandle -ne 0}|
  Select-Object -Property Name,Id,MainWindowTitle,StartTime|
  Sort-Object -Property StartTime|
  Out-GridView

or short:

Get-Process |?{$_.MainWindowHandle -ne 0}|select Name,Id,MainWindowTitle,StartTime|sort StartTime|Out-GridView

…you don’t get it so easy in any other language

Powershell is designed to automate comfortably from the hip and without great effort.

The following small web-craper automatically loads the most large-format wallpaper from every single page of the exhibitions https://desktopography.net/ . (approx.800 images you don’t want to download by hand)

desktopo_Downloader.ps1

$progressPreference = 'silentlyContinue'
$DestBasePath=$pwd.path +'\Desktopography2'


Write-Host Parse "http://desktopography.net"
$Exhibitions=(Invoke-WebRequest "http://desktopography.net").Links|
    Where-Object{$_.innerText -like '20*'}|
    Sort-Object -property innerText -unique |
    Select-Object href,@{n='Year';e={$_.innerText}}
$Exhibitions |ft 

$Exhibitions|
    ForEach-Object{
        $Year=$_.Year;
        $Null = md "$DestBasePath\$Year" -ea sil  # erzeuge falls nötig Zielordner
        # ermittle die Adressen der einzelnen Bildseiten der  Ausstellungen
        (Invoke-WebRequest $_.href).links|
            Where-Object{$_.class -eq  'overlay-background'}|
            ForEach-Object{
                Write-Host "found Picture: $($_.href)  from Year: $Year" -fo green
                #...und dort Namen des jeweils größten  16:9 Bildformats 
                (Invoke-WebRequest $_.href).links|
                    Where-Object{$_.class -eq  'wallpaper-button'}|
                    Sort-Object -property innerText -Descending|
                    Select-Object -first 1|
                    ForEach-Object{
                        Write-Host ...download to:  $DestBasePath\$Year\$($_.download)   -fo mag
                        Invoke-WebRequest $_.href -OutFile "$DestBasePath\$Year\$($_.download)"
                    }
            }
    }
Pause

…this runs without installing anything on any Windows10/11 ! (and would not be realized in languages like C#,Python or Java under some 100 lines.🤪)

I don’t want you to be insulted in powershell. It also has its wigs. However, Powershell also quite well facilitates a later access to C# (like C# also sets powershell on .Net and can also Run C# code)

…and almost without consciously perceiving it, a Powershell Quick&Dirty programmer lands at C# and a few magic tricks on it can only dream of a Python player.

Do you want to move towards Linux? (even if there is Powershell and C# for Linux, in the Linux community, you will encounter little resemblance)

Under Linux, Python should be the cheapest.