Hello Linux!

[Pink Splat]

Hello everyone, I just finished getting Ubuntu set up and I must say I absolutely love it so far! Now that everything is working like it should I want to start programming applications for Linux. I have more than a basic understanding in C# and the .NET framework for Windows, but honestly, I'm not quite sure where to start to create a program for Ubuntu.

To start off I would like to create a simple text editor just to get in the swing of things. I am planning to go to college for programming so, if possible what would language would you recommend for me that will help me in the long run? I imagine that C# doesn't have many job opportunities in the Linux world. Personally I think it should be in C or C++.

I would be very grateful for a link or two and a decent IDE. Thanks!

[Redscare]

If you want to develop in .Net for Ubuntu, Mono is for you. C/C++ is very popular in the linux world:). a good IDE is kdevelop.

[sonofusion82]

yes, mono has been progress pretty well and it is pretty well supported in openSUSE as it comes as part of default installation.
for me, i m a C# .NET developer on Windows Vista by day and at night, i love to python in linux with qt4 and sometimes C++

[Pink Splat]

Mono is exactly what I was looking for, thanks a ton!

[Hendrixski]

:-) there are a lot of GREAT IDE's for Linux. I couldn't live without Eclipse, but I don't know that it handles C#. Others prefer other ones, but there really is no wrong IDE.

If you're new, you should check out some of the introductory videos at http://screencasts.ubuntu.com

I say introductory... there are a lot of videos out there and I still learn stuff from them and I've been at this for a while

also check out ubuntuclips.com and ubuntuvideos.org
it's all free and created by the community

[Hendrixski]

oh... I forgot the most important part!!!!

WELCOME TO THE COMMUNITY!
You can come to the UbuntuForums to ask questions or just chat. We're all here because we love ubuntu, and we want to share our joy with others. Soon you will be too.

If you would prefer to ask questions via a chatroom full of community members who can help you then you can check out the channel #ubuntu on IRC. Installing IRC is easy and fun. Just go to applications-->Add/Remove and pick XChat from the list, click OK and it installs.

If you'd like to meet other Ubuntu users in your area check out the Ubuntu LoCo teams for your city or state.

There is plenty of GREAT documentation written about Ubuntu, just ask google and you'll find it. A lot of it is written by the same people who answer questions on the forums so you'll get the information faster.

hope to see you around

[HackingYodel]

I am planning to go to college for programming so, if possible what would language would you recommend for me that will help me in the long run?

I would suggest two languages for just such an occasion.

Drscheme (http://www.plt-scheme.org/software/drscheme/) is in the Ubuntu repositories and has some of the best free documents you'll ever see. How to Design Programs (http://www.htdp.org/) from MIT press being a stellar example.
Scheme is a Lisp dialect and the language used for introductory computer classes at MIT, I understand. It will teach you functional programming methods and just wait until you get a load of its macros.

The second language is Mozart (http://www.mozart-oz.org/), also in the repositories.
Mozart is just, WOW! Take a look at that feature set and tell me you are not impressed. Concurrent, logic, object-oriented, etc.. heavy concepts packed in one programming system.

I've just began learning to program myself and these two avenues have been the most mind expanding for me. I hope I haven't strayed from what you wanted and that you'll find these as interesting as I have.

[pmasiar]

Two languages will cover 95% of your standard computing needs: C for parts which are time-critical, and Python for everything else.

One language which will blow your mind off: FORTH. Was designed for top 5% of programmers, it is scary how powerful it is. Try it, and you will see.

Multicore CPUs are coming, parallelism is next paradigm shift, and languages like Erlang might be part of the solution.

[Toxe]

If you want to do some GUI programming it might be a good idea to take a look at Qt (but you would need C++ for that). I think it's pretty decent.

And about recommended languages: Common Lisp. Just one word: beautiful. :-)

[Pink Splat]

Thanks for the help everyone, this is a lot more than I had expected :D


:-) there are a lot of GREAT IDE's for Linux. I couldn't live without Eclipse, but I don't know that it handles C#.


I have used Eclipse in Windows it work really well, very easy to use. I too have not attempted C# with it. I used Microsoft's Visual C# 2005 Express Edition. So I really should be asking: Is there any IDE for Ubuntu that mimics this IDE? I only ask this because that is what I'm most familiar with.

The colleges I'm looking at focus on C and C++ game development to be more specific and with OpenGL along with Direct X. I'm not worried about that because that it something I want to learn at a school, not on my own. Besides I want to get familiar with Linux coding, not more Windows stuff :p.

Right now I'm thinking of going with C/C++ and Qt. It's away from the .NET framework and I want to explore other things before I hit college and I learn what they say to learn.

And last but not least... What should I do to prepare myself to help develop for Ubuntu? Sometime in the future once I am much more familiar with the OS I want to be able to help squash bugs and maybe help add new features, I'm not planning to use Windows as my main OS anymore. Ubuntu has impressed me a lot more in 4 days usage than Windows has since the Windows 95 times threw Vista.

[zakaroo]

Hi Everyone - I'm a lurker, but am slowly getting more involved...Thanks for this post. Its exactly what I'm looking for...

Z

[Toxe]

And last but not least... What should I do to prepare myself to help develop for Ubuntu?
C / C++ and some assembler. Once you know that you can branch off into every direction you want.