Visual basic is actually a fairly easy language, thanks to microsoft. The bad new, if you aren't a student ou have to shell out alot of money for the VB studio. The good new is once you have it, VB is as easy as a click of a button.

The current edition is Microsoft dot net which includes a VB and a C++ compiler. To best learn the language, how to use the software, and to get a good price on the software, I highly reocmend you look into courses at your local community college. They may have evening or flex time courses if you currently work.

If you can't become a student, then there are text books that can help. You will have to buy them and the software though. Whiel going back to school may sound expencive, it could be cheaper in the long run. You could also check www.bigwords.com for the best prices on visual basic books.

If you know Java or visual C++, the program could also be written in those languages. I think many of the online ones use a java base. Java is the one language I never learned though, so I couldn't help you there. I started with LPC, moved into visual basic, then on to C++. In my old college the java was later, and at uni here, java is the first class and one I was able to skip over.

You could do it strait text based in C, C++ or so on, but many users like the easy to read graphics fitday and other programs offer. If you really want to sink into the world of computer geekdom, there are shareware codes and group coding projects online you could get involved with. Start with blogs (online journals) and go form there