Asking which programming language is best sounds alot like asking:

Which is better, a wrench, a hammer, or a screw-driver?

The simple answer would of course be: Pick the tool as it suits the task.

I think this is going to explain them alot better:

C is well-suited to modular, functional design and development. It suits layered processing and can handle inline calls to assemblers. C serves as a good language in which to write operating systems, compilers, and device drivers. It's a good language in which to develop other languages. C source is compiled to executables for particular platforms, i.e., machine architecture, OS, etc.. The programs will, therefore, both start and run fast on the platforms for which the are compiled.

C++ is the OO extension of C. It is class-based object model. This makes C++ well-suited to any problem-space that decomposes naturally into objects. Since most desktop applications, games, and even enterprise systems can be successfully decomposed into an object model, C++ is good for these. As with C, C++ is compiled to executable form for the target platform.

VB can do most of what C++ can, but is designed to be "easier" to understand and apply. There are performance and scalability trade-offs in favor of ease of development and support. There is a general snobbishness about VB by lots of "real" programmers that VB is not a "serious" programming language. That's an incorrect view, but VB is not as widely used for major apps as is C++ as a result of this impression.

Java can operate in all of the problem spaces of C++, but was intended to be "write-once-run-anywhere." This capacity is due to the fact that Java source is compiled not to executables for specific platforms, but instead bytecodes that can be interpreted by a "virtual machine." A virtual machine is an interpreter written to convert bytecodes into executable form for a particular platform. Any platform that supports Java has one of more implementations of a virtual machine. Java "runs" in the VM not directly on the OS layer. This has the performance drawback that each new object instance must be interpreted from bytecodes, causing additional overhead that can make a Java seem slower to start. The great virtue of Java is that you don't have to worry about the platform to which the program will ported...that's the VM's concern (if you write "pure" Java).

I've written C and Java seriously. I've fiddled with C++. Never wrote a lick of VB, but have worked in shops that used it for "real" business apps.

In general any of these languages can be applied to do any task - they are all general purpose languages. Without a better feel for your interests in programming, it would be difficult (or merely indicate my personal biases) to commend one above the others.

That's my overview from the edge of the galaxy.

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Here are the features of Codeblocks:

Highlights: Open Source! GPLv3, no hidden costs. Cross-platform. Runs on Linux, Mac, Windows (uses wxWidgets). Written in C++. No interpreted languages or proprietary libs needed. Extensible through plugins Compiler: Multiple compiler support: GCC (MingW / GNU GCC) MSVC++ Digital Mars Borland C++ 5.5 Open Watcom ...and more Very fast custom build system (no makefiles needed) Support for parallel builds (utilizing your CPU's extra cores) Multi-target projects Workspaces to combine multiple projects Inter-project dependencies inside workspace Imports MSVC projects and workspaces (NOTE: assembly code not supported yet) Imports Dev-C++ projects Debugger: Interfaces GNU GDB Also supports MS CDB (not fully featured) Full breakpoints support: Code breakpoints Data breakpoints (read, write and read/write) Breakpoint conditions (break only when an expression is true) Breakpoint ignore counts (break only after certain number of hits) Display local function symbols and arguments User-defined watches (support for watching user-defined types through scripting) Call stack Disassembly Custom memory dump Switch between threads View CPU registers Interface: Syntax highlighting, customizable and extensible Code folding for C++ and XML files. Tabbed interface Code completion Class Browser Smart indent One-key swap between .h and .c/.cpp files Open files list for quick switching between files (optional) External customizable "Tools" To-do list management with different users And many more features provided through plugins!

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If I am asked to recommend C++ compiler, I would go by Bjarne Stroustrup's advice which goes thus:

However, I don't make recommendations; that would be too much like taking sides in commercial wars. Also, I don't know every C++ compiler; there are simply too many "out there". I use half-a-dozen C++ compilers on a regular basis, but that's only scratching the surface.
I recommend that people take Standard conformance very seriously when considering a compiler. If you can, avoid any compiler that doesn't closely approximate the ISO standard or fails to supply a solid implementation of the standard library. The recent releases from all the major C++ vendors do that.
If you are a novice and don't know how to see if a compiler is conformant, try this:

#include
#include
using namespace std;
int main()
{
string s;
cout << "Please enter your first name followed by a newline\n";
cin >> s;
cout << "Hello, " << s << '\n';
return 0; // this return statement isn't necessary
}


If an implementation cannot handle this simple program as written, it is not a good candidate for learning Standard C++ (if you cut and paste, beware of html for "less than" in the #include directives).


Though now outdated in all details, here is a long article considering conformance and boost.org's compiler status page. Conformance is just one aspect of a compiler's quality (quality of generated code, error messages, compile speed, integration with tools, degree of support, and backward compatibility are examples of other important aspects), but conformance is an important one. Use of a supplier's language extensions and non-standard-conforming features limits the portability of your code and can prevent you from choosing a new implementation supplier.
Most of these compilers are embedded in frameworks of software development tools and libraries. These frameworks, environments, and libraries can be most helpful, but do remember that their use can lock you into a single vendor and that some uses have significant run-time performance implications.


When looking for C++ on the web, you find that much of the information is "hidden" under various product names. In fact, I had more luck finding C++ compilers using google.com than by going directly to vendors that I knew sold them. Here, I have chosen to list C++ implementations simply by the name of their provider, ignoring marketing labels.
Some compilers that can be downloaded for free (do check their conditions/licenses before attempting commercial use):

Apple C++. It also comes with OS X on the developer tools CD.
Bloodshed Dev-C++. A GCC-based (Mingw) IDE.
Borland C++
Cygwin (GNU C++)
Digital Mars C++
MINGW - "Minimalist GNU for Windows". Another GCC version for Windows including a free (non-GPL) w32api.
DJ Delorie's C++ development system for DOS/Windows (GNU C++)
GNU CC source
IBM C++ for IBM power, System Z, Bluegene, and Cell.
Intel C++ for linux
The LLVM Compiler Infrastructure (based on GCC).
Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 Express edition.
Sun Studio.


Some compilers that require payment (some allow free downloads for trial periods):
Borland C++
CodeWarrior C++ (formerly Metrowerks), it comes for many platforms.
Comeau C++ for many platforms
Edison Design Group C++ Front End - used by many C++ compiler suppliers
Green Hills C++ for many embedded systems platforms
HP C++ for Unix and HP C++ for OpenVMS.
Intel C++ for Windows, Linux, and some embedded systems.
Mentor Graphics/Microtec Research C++ for many embedded systems platforms
Microsoft C++
Paradigm C++, for x86 embedded systems
The Portland Group C++ (parallization for Pentiums)
SGI C++, optimizing compiler
Sun C++
WindRiver's Diab C++ used in many embedded systems.


It is impossible for me to keep this list complete and up-to-date. The C++ world is just too large and too much new is happening. Apologies to those suppliers who I failed to list, I know there are some, and please, if you have a link that you think ought to be listed here, send me a message: bs at research.att.com. Again: I just list compilers, I don't endorse them. Also, there can be no one compiler that is best for everyone, people's needs differ too much for that.
Other lists of C++ compilers:

The open directory project.
Compilers.net: A list of free C and C++ compilers.
A filter to improve error messages from many compilers see STLfilt.

I think this is more comprehensive for anyone asking which C++ compiler is the best. Cheers!