For whatever it's worth, my present perspective on these topics is as follows. If a new programmer wants to maximize the chance of getting paid employment, I suggest lerning Java, C#, or PHP. If the primary interest is developing web sites, I recommend PHP. If Windows desktop applications, I recommend either C# or Visual Basic .NET, depending on personal preference about syntax. If cross-platform development is the highest priority, I recommend Python. Regarding Python, I think its indentation requirement is unfriendly to blind programmers, particularly speech-without-braille users. Other aspects of a language should also be considered, however, in judging how friendly a language is. Clean syntax with a minimum of punctuation symbols often makes a language more friendly to beginners. In the languages I have mention so far, Python and Visual Basic are the friendliest in that respect. Case sensitivity also makes a difference to friendliness. Visual Basic is the friendliest in that respect, since the other languages mentioned are case sensitive. An interactive environment for testing small pieces of code is another aspect of friendliness. Python is the best of the languages mentioned in that respect. For anyone interested in a research project, I think the topic of what language is easiest for a beginning blind programmer is worth investigating. Without empirical evidence, it is difficult to judge how to weigh the different factors that affect the friendliness of a language. Let me encourage any student or professional researchers on this list to consider designing a study that may shed more light on this. Jamal __________ View the list's information and change your settings at //www.freelists.org/list/programmingblind