Beginner Programmer

[yami280]

Yes umm I'm trying to learn how to program. This is for the experienced programmers out there. How should I start? What language should I start out with. and also who would like to help me?

[lisati]

The forums have a lot of programmers with a wide variety of experience with different languages.

My first question is this: what kind of things do you want to write programs for? This can influence your choice of language.

C is good for operating systems but can be used for other things as well.
Pascal was originally designed for begnners
Fortran was designed for scientists
COBOL - my own opinion is "forget it - too verbose" (Edit: probably past its "use by" date as well)

[dynamethod]

Dont bother mate, i tried and failed, and getting help in the programming scene you will need thick skin - expect abuse, not constructive critism.

I tried teaching my self C, programming is one of those things imo, either your good at it or your not, some people are just naturals, and if your not a logical person its 10 fold harder to learn, take my word for it

[yami280]

Hmm.. well I wanna eventully be able to code physics engines and things liek that. oh and apply math to create programs

[L815]

For a beginner, Python is pretty good IMO.

Java would be good for cross platform.

[yami280]

Dont bother mate, i tried and failed, and getting help in the programming scene you will need thick skin - expect abuse, not constructive critism.

I tried teaching my self C, programming is one of those things imo, either your good at it or your not, some people are just naturals, and if your not a logical person its 10 fold harder to learn, take my word for it

...very inspiring man..

[dynamethod]

just being as honest as possible,

[Joeb454]

if your not a logical person its 10 fold harder to learn

2 fold harder? *obligatory binary comment*

And I think to the OP - physics engines would be unsurprisingly difficult! Though it's nice to have something to aspire to :) See the stickies in the Programming Talk forum

[Silpheed2K]

I'm a programmer and I recommend C++ because it offers you a bit of comfort while still having the speed of a low level language.
C++ is regarded as a middle level language and not a high (Java) or low level (ASM) language. Being ragarded as a middle level doesnt make it a bad thing... because you can use C++ as either a high or low language (which is why its regarded as middle because of its flexibility).
High level langauges are easy to use but usually very slow.
Low Level languages give you access to just machine level commands but are very fast.
To learn C++ you can pick up a book called C++ Primer Plus by Stephen Prata.. it's the book I use and is around or a little over 35 dollars.
it is the best C++ book I've ever read and I've been through many and apparently this book has been around and updated for at least a decade.

[yami280]

2 fold harder? *obligatory binary comment*

And I think to the OP - physics engines would be unsurprisingly difficult! Though it's nice to have something to aspire to :) See the stickies in the Programming Talk forum

Oh theres a programming forum.. i didn't see

[shadylookin]

I would recommend python since it's designed to be new user friendly

[Silpheed2K]

Yes umm I'm trying to learn how to program. This is for the experienced programmers out there. How should I start? What language should I start out with. and also who would like to help me?

Also what do you want to do with your knowledge of programming?
why do you want to learn a language?
C++ is good but can get complex at times but once you learn it.. you can do a WIDE range of things with it.
I came to C++ off of other programming languages though so I'm just warning you that learning to program can be a very difficult task that will take time and dedication.
There's other alternatives that are easier to get you started as well that may be more suitable than my recommendation.
Also dont trust 21 day or learn it fast type books cause you'll only end up beating yourself up over unreal expectations.

[Barriehie]

Yes umm I'm trying to learn how to program. This is for the experienced programmers out there. How should I start? What language should I start out with. and also who would like to help me?

I started out with BASIC, then moved to assembly and then C/C++ and now I mostly deal with html and PHP. I don't know if html is actually a programming language but PHP most definitely is and it's rather easy to learn. I've an itch to learn BASH programming but as yet don't know what I'ld do with it! :)

Barrie

[Le-Froid]

I know it wouldn't really be considered a good programming thing, but I started with PHP (to learn the structure, sort of). Later I moved straight to C++...took months and months and months to learn the structure of it. Then got into C# which was easiest thing I've ever used. So I'd suggest starting out really easy (even if you may not want to) and just gradually using programming languages that slowly get harder. Eventually they all get easy to learn because they have (sort of) a familiar thing to them.

[soapytheclown]

I know it wouldn't really be considered a good programming thing, but I started with PHP (to learn the structure, sort of).

i was "taught" C at uni and could never get my head around it, but after learning PHP coming back to learn C in my own time was so unbelievably easy.

[KingTermite]

Yes umm I'm trying to learn how to program. This is for the experienced programmers out there. How should I start? What language should I start out with. and also who would like to help me?
Most all "real" languages out there now are based off C, so C is probably the best place to learn the basics. You can get down with some real code and have some real power. It's kinda like learning to swim by being tossed out of the boat, but it probably is the best way, IMO. Lots and lots of forums for help, besides the programming sub-forums here.

I might even recommend finding possibly some tutorial/class page for a beginning level C class and using that. A good beginning book in C (or whatever language you choose) is indispensable. You can pick up pointers (no pun intended) from web pages, but you should really get a structured book and READ IT in order to learn the proper language constructs and learn them in the right order (so they concepts build on each other).




Don't bother mate, i tried and failed, and getting help in the programming scene you will need thick skin - expect abuse, not constructive critism.I disagree with don't bother because one person tried and failed, but.....dynamethod is correct that most forums for code heads are kinda brutal. Its sad really. dynamethod is right - make sure you have thick skin and learn quickly not to take things personally.



For a beginner, Python is pretty good IMO.

Java would be good for cross platform.

I haven't used Python yet myself, but it may be a good choice. Scripting languages are a little easier to work with IMO. I'm not sure why, but I've always taken to them better. Python's syntax looks C-based as well and it definitely has easier syntax than Perl (DO NOT start with Perl as a 1st language).

[danbuter]

If you're just starting out, I'd go with Python or Ruby. Learn one of these languages as well as you can. Both are fairly powerful, and easy to learn. After that, learning new languages will be much easier.

[pt123]

For a beginner start of with a language that you can build apps quickly. Otherwise it will be discouraging and you are more likely to quit.

Start with something like Python, C# or VB.net.

[Mr. Picklesworth]

Nice thing with Python is it's one those scripting languages that is highly respected in "the real world". For example, it is used even by NASA! Many applications and whatnot in Ubuntu are using Python. The language is not ideal for performance, but for regular desktop applications it works fine. (See Emesene, which is in the repositories, as an example).

It wasn't really intended as a good "beginners language", but it became great for that because Python is designed with a huge focus on having clean syntax at all times.
Being widely respected, Python has bindings for just about everything, which again makes it ideal for working on Ubuntu.
As mentioned, Python scripts are interpreted on the fly by another computer program in the middle, which makes them much slower in theory than a compiled C program. Something to note, though, is that a lot of code ends up slower in C just because something like a hash table is tricky to implement properly, whereas Python does it nicely at all times. Still, it's good to keep in mind that Python is probably not a good language for the next Crysis.
Just don't make any core system components with it (if you do, use "this is a prototype!" as an excuse), and you will be fine :)

[LaRoza]

No, not again. There is another one of these threads in the Recurring Discussions and there are three stickies for this topic in the Programming Talk.