Beginners programming

I'm sure you have seen this thread a million times, so once I get a satisfactory answer I will let it die/sage

What should the first language I learn be?
What program should I write it in?
What's the best compiler for the language you are advising me to try?
Should I do my work on Linux or Windows?
Best book, or site that will teach me the language?
Any other thoughts?

>>25
He wasn't asking about using the operating system, he was talking about programming.  I personally found Linux to be more intuitive to start programming in than Windows, but I started programming on Linux.  I also think that Visual Studio requires an understanding of programming before you can use it, unlike the gcc which is pretty simple to do simple tasks.