C# code:
if (String.Compare(myInput, "no", true) == 0)
Third parameter is for "do I ignore the cases of the strings?". The function returns 0 if the strings are equal.
Classes are essentially a feature of the OO paradigm -- basically, your program is made up of a bunch of "Objects" which each have methods and properties of their own, keeping the global namespace clean. Each class defines a "type" of object.
For example, System.Console is an object and you've used two of its methods (WriteLine and Write) in your above code.
Personally I've tried Python, Ruby, Pascal, Basic, C++, Java and Assembly.
Of those languages I would probably recommend C++ since it's relatively easy to learn and is very widely used in the entire software industry. Java can be slightly easier to learn, but also has a lot of limitations and isn't nearly as powerful.
I have a friend who mostly uses C# and according to him it's a lot like C++ but is an evolved version of it. So I'd guess that C# is a bit harder but is more powerful than C++. C#, if I'm not mistaken, was developed by Microsoft, and probably works better with Windows than any other OS.
Pascal and Basic aren't really used much any more since they're both very old and outdated. They are both very simple.
Ruby and Python aren't used much for actual programming, they are more common as scripting languages. But they can be quite easy to learn.
Don't even bother with Assembly, as it is used to program microcontrollers and microprocessors, and has pretty much no use in the software industry.
Java's strongest point is that it's very portable. The same isn't true of most nontrivial C++ applications. C++ is perhaps easier to learn than C, but C is much more interesting in my opinion. C# is essentially Java++ with .NET (and yes, made by Microsoft).
Since when was scripting not regarded as programming? Ruby, Perl, Lua, Haskell and Python are the languages I'd point to first for a programming beginner. They're very simple to learn but still powerful enough to get most of what you want done done.
ASM is still used enough to be worth learning IMO.
</mytwocents> (IT'S OK PEOPLE I KNOW HIM (as well as you can know anyone after ~20 minutes chatting) AND I KNOW VIRTUE VERY WELL so I hope you don't mind me posting this. If you do, sorry!)