I looked into it, and I guess the newest version of Java can be roughly, arguably as fast as C++. I still have a bias against it because change is scary!
Performance also, should not ever be something a newbie thinks much about
Definitely, but what I was saying is that eventually you will need to worry about it, and if you just start with C++ then there is less to learn then if you just start with Python. Learning a compiled language first really isn't that bad I feel, once you figure out the magic, "make my program run" button (ctrl+f5 by the way Talos, in visual studio).