Which language should I learn?

Sup /prog/, I want to learn a language. I'm thinking something fairly simple to start off with like PHP but I hear alot of people saying it's shit. I'll be learning on my own from a reference book plus ebooks I can find.

So what would be a good language for a beginner to master before progressing to something more complex.

Thanks!

>>31
lol, but i have a function that does that for me!
i just say x.toUpper!
you need to change every individual character rather than do it in a single move like me.
enjoy your wasted cpu cycles