FuZion, if i we're you, i would go with a very simple version of BASIC and then move on to C.
Something most people here (i'm assuming you all have learned a number of languages same as i have) seem to have forgotten is there is a hadfull of simple concepts that stretch across all languages. For example, variables, loops, if statements, conditional operators, mathmatical operators, etc. Even in the nitty gritty world of assembler you have operators like JSR, BRE and so on. BASIC lends itself well to the novice programmer because they aren't burdened with a complex and obscure syntax and allows them to 'pick up' the basic ideas first. You won't be writing the newest 3D library in BASIC (ive done 3D stuff though) because its interpereted and as a language very limited. But that's the idea, keep it simple. Arexx i discount because it's mainly used for interprocess communication (the arexx port in your favorite app) and not geared for real applications development. There is only 1 type of variable, it's a script, how about trying to find the offset for any library you want to include in your arexx app and you will soon learn what i mean. And Java is just as complicated as C. On the other hand BASIC usually offers access to a small set of common system library calls through custom functions. Opening windows in Amiga Basic compared to C is worlds apart. Only in C you will have full access to the window at the cost of complexity. And if your just learning how to write code you don't want to be bogged down with pointers and idcmp flags that are all part of the OS side and not the code side.
Once you've learned the basics you can migrate to and from other languages no matter how exotic the language might be. Trust me, if you start off with something complicated like C (even arexx imho) you will find yourself spending more time fighting to figure out how to open a window or make a library call rather than how to structure your code. Something that's at the heart of any piece of code no matter what language you use.
As for which version of BASIC to use, i can't really say.
Only that AMOS is really a poor implementation (it has it's advantages too) and like someone already said up there, it has a zillion custom calls to replace librarys in C. Amiga Basic will only run on a 1.3 (maybe 2.0) system and it's sort of a hack job. Hey, M$ wrote it for Amiga OS. At least it was a simple enough implementation and not blown out of proportions like AMOS. The only other one i can think of right now is Blitz Basic. Try starting there.
Ivan
