HELP 8051 controler

I am new to this and figured the best way to learn is to just jump in feet first. I bought a "PISP 2.2 Starter Kit" thinking I could learn a little. It is a "starter kit."

Anyway.. There isn't a whole lot of info that came with the kit. I figured out by trial and error that it takes 12V to run the board. What I can't figure out is what language to use to program it. I have about 15 minutes of experience with C++. Can this be used?

The other question is why when I give the board power through the power port the Max232 chip running the interface connection gets really hot. Any less than 12V will not power up the LED.

Help Please

7.5 volts DC should be enough. If it needs 12V something is wrong. Are you sure it's not AC but Direct Current, with the polarity correct?

The MAX232 chip should not get hot. The only chip on the board that should get warm (60c is reasonable depending on the supply voltage) is the 7805. But nothing should get hot.

C could be used but you need a compiler. You can't use all of the features due to limited space, but a proper compiler should have a help file with that information. I'm not sure about C++.

The only thing I really know is that i am reading 12V out of the power supply. Anything below that The LEDs don't flash indicating the default program is running. Is far as AC; I am not sure. I will check the information that came with the kit again but I am pretty sure it said it runs on DC. If it turns out to need DC, what could be the cause of the heating problem?

If C would create space issues can you recommended a better programing language to use. Do i need to go back to assembly language?