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I'm in the process of teaching myself C# using a For Dummies book. As far as linux is concerned, am I on the right track? Is there a simpler language I should learn first? I'm completely green, so recommendations, tips, software, any and all advice is helpful!
I want to be able to write my own terminal-based software, if that helps you in your response.
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It completely depends on what you want to do. I've never had a reason to learn C#, all I know about it is that it was made by Microsoft.
C++ is great if you want speed. I often use it with curses to make Dwarf Fortress like games (that is, they only use ascii art in the terminal. This is also how you would make something like vi). You can do just about anything you want with C/C++. Literally anything if you do some assembly and intermediate language stuff to what the compiler spits out. It's appropriate for 2D interfaces with libraries like SDL, or 3D using something like Ogre.
Python is great if you want an easy language, or if you want to make 3D games using Blender. It's a great language both for learning about programming and for making software. If you want to automate system stuff, do complicated operations on lots of text files, etc., you should learn bash scripting.
Last edited by howefield; February 6th, 2012 at 01:27 AM. Reason: removed the rubbish.
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The most common programming languages for Ubuntu and GNU/Linux generally are C and Python. Both are good general purpose languages for terminal-based software. C lends itself better to low-level "system" programming. Python is a higher-level object-oriented language and coding can be easier and more productive.
I'd suggest you try both of these two and also learn some basic Bash scripting, which often comes in handy.
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Much appreciated! Your insight is quite helpful, all of you.
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I'll also mention that C++ gets some pretty heavy use as well. It's a little bit more flexible than C IMO (mainly it lets you program with classes, which can be a huge time-saver for certain types of program), but it also offers you that same low-level access that C has.
C# does get used for some Linux programs. Mono, the open-source version of Microsoft's .NET framework, is reasonably stable, and gets used in programs like Gnome-Do and Banshee. So if you want to stick with C# you can. It's nowhere near as common in the Linux world as Python, C, or C++, but it's out there.
If you're very comfortable with one language (and its libraries) then you might choose to use that language for most tasks, regardless of what language the rest of the world might consider "best-suited" for the task.
If you're writing GUI application then C++, Python, or C# might be the best bets. If it's some low-level kernel module, C is probably the way to go.
Ultimately the choice of "what's the best language" depends more on you, the programmer, and what the program you're writing is.
GCS/O d+(-@) s: a-->? C(++) UL P+ L+++@ E@
W++$ N++ !o K++ w(++) !O M(-) !V PS+(++)
PE-() Y+ PGP++ t++(+++@)* 5++ X++@ R+++@
tv+ b++(+++) DI++ D+ G+ e++>++++ h- r y?
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If you're only interested in console apps, then I'd recommend starting with C.
If you want to do any GUI apps, then C++ may be a better choice, but you can always learn C++ after you've learnt C as the basics are the same.
C# is typically used on Microsoft systems, but again has its roots in C so if you learn C, then you should be able to pick up C# easily. On the other hand, if you already know C# you may find that C seems a bit lacking in certain features.
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Codeblocks is also a great IDE for C++ programming related projects and easy to setup. It's also compatible on both Linux and Windows so your programs will be portable. You'll want to download and make sure you have a installed g++ or gcc, the GNU versions. Everything else can be done in BASH, which is fairly simple and efficient.
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I'm a big fan of C#, it's definitely my language of choice. The MonoDevelop IDE gives you what you need to develop full GUI apps with C# like Tomboy or Banshee - or games like Spacechem
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I also personally prefer C#, however that's my preference coming from Windows using .NET and having a large knowledge of different library's that are available having done the research already
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