ahhh.. no one recommended C for *nix?! the page Iron_Cross first suggested is a good page, look carefully under the headings: python, perl, C/C++, lisp
I no longer program in java.. as i find it VERY hard to do what you want.. fast.. As java has a relative strict syntax, it gives programmers little power to extend.. It also forces OOP, i'm betting it's not the best way to solve every problems.. though, as a saying goes, "if you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail", if you know only OO style, everything looks like an object.. whereas from the real world, nothing is just this type.. if anyone tell you you HAVE to program this way, you know right away they are BSing, or just don't know much about other ways..
i'd rather start with a flexible language that will let you do programs your way.. out of all flexible languages, lisp is the most.. as you can redefine the whole language except 12 operators (which you need to write every other operators)... there is no syntax, you write directly in parsetree (as a result, it's alot shorter than other programming languages).. though, python/ruby/perl is a good language.. they at least don't force you to program ing OO style