Beginning Programming

[adameye]

I learnt: VB (version 5 i think), C/C++, Pascal, Ada, Java, Eiffel, C#.

 

What are you wanting to program? Desktop applications or web applications?

 

Desktop Applications, and maybe as mentioned above the web applications that can integrate with windows server apps e.g. ASP, PHP.

 

I'd recommend learning Java, or C#. But i know VB.NET is quite popular with beginners (and more experienced) programmers.

 

In all honesty once you've learnt one language they all have fairly similar syntax and semantics.

 

Lee

 

and thanks, I was just looking into jobs for Java developers the other day and noticed most of them where offering £75,000++

[mac_shinobi]

Desktop Applications, and maybe as mentioned above the web applications that can integrate with windows server apps e.g. ASP, PHP.

 

 

 

and thanks, I was just looking into jobs for Java developers the other day and noticed most of them where offering £75,000++

 

what compiler / IDE would anyone suggest for starting out with java - I recall using blue jay at uni but never took java any further then java script which is totally different as that is more web based then hardcore programming.

[srochford]

what compiler / IDE would anyone suggest for starting out with java - I recall using blue jay at uni but never took java any further then java script which is totally different as that is more web based then hardcore programming.

 

Netbeans

[apeo]

I prefer scripting too. Mainly because its super handy in work and being able to do clever things with webpages is always useful. like when you know Active Server Pages (an extension of vbscript) you can make webpages that interface with microsoft products/active directory, exchange, isa server etc.

I have an internet management site that talks to ISAserver and one that talks to AD that makes banning kids from the net easier.

 

Yeah thats why i use scripting too, its more of an extension of my job rather which improve level of support and as you can do clever things with it.

 

@adameye: Given what you want to do, then i would say you are on the right track already starting with VB. Im sure someone here will be able to recommend a good book or two or perhaps some website resources.

[danrhodes]

PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor if you want php resources.

[tmcd35]

I think a combination of PHP, HTML, SQL, CSS and a smidging of Javascript is the way to go. I hear Ruby is good to throw into that mix for some problems (never really looked at or tried Ruby).

 

That said - I really, really, really hate programing (except maybe in COBOL but whats the use in that?)

[painejake]

If your using and plan on using mainly windows servers then id go for the .net platform.

 

Very robust and easy to pickup.

[Jamo]

I would suggest that what ever your looking into, start basic and work up. Its all well and good starting with the visual languages but try creating console programs first, experimenting with input and outputs and getting to grips with the std:: libs etc. If you go straight into visual programming with c++ you will miss out on some important lessons and will find programs very hard to debug.

[Lee_K_81]

As Jamo said, learn the basics. learn how to use libraries, the difference between loops (do..while / while / for), function calls (some languages have a difference for a procedure and function).

 

Once you've mastered a few programs then you can work up to object oriented programming and examine code modularity and code reusability. Eventually work towards understanding why objects should have high cohesion and loose coupling.

[apeo]

That said - I really, really, really hate programing (except maybe in COBOL but whats the use in that?)

 

COBOL... wow that goes back abit Im sure it still lives somewhere

[tmcd35]

COBOL... wow that goes back abit Im sure it still lives somewhere

 

Very big in banks apparantly. If programming didn't enduce narcalepsy I'd be rich by now!

[PiqueABoo]

C-type languages will teach you better habits but the learning curve is steep

 

I always say C# these days (and that Sharp Kids thing is good).. the syntax works in lots of other languages and most of the effort in making useful code is dealing with the library function calls - the language itself is not that hard unless you have interesting difficulties with the case-sensitivity.

 

A C-type gives you lots of grounding to go play with lots of other languages later, I've always thought VB kind of boxes you in.

 

PS whoeveritwas 1: I'm very experienced and do not like VB - experience isn't a factor.

 

PSS whoeveritwas 2: ASP is not a VBScript thing, all mine pretty much since ASP arrived in the world have been written in (c-type) JScript.

[irsprint84]

Learning something in 24 hours books, thats how I learnt, do C#

[Jamo]

do think about the fact that if you learn c# that you are committing yourself to windows. (same for vb also but the learning curve is shorter)

 

c++ is industry standard, and it is that for a reason. do think of your purpose of wanting to program. my reason is games as i am in the progress of writing one atm, 12000 lines and counting!

[mac_shinobi]

Learning something in 24 hours books, thats how I learnt, do C#

 

I've always found that they only teach you a little bit ie variables, loops, arrays etc but never taught me the things that actually do the work that return useful info such as WMI, API's and how to use them, what they do, what they access etc etc and I am still learning a lot

[mac_shinobi]

do think about the fact that if you learn c# that you are committing yourself to windows. (same for vb also but the learning curve is shorter)

 

c++ is industry standard, and it is that for a reason. do think of your purpose of wanting to program. my reason is games as i am in the progress of writing one atm, 12000 lines and counting!

 

any links ( or links coming up soon ) so we can see this game once its done ??

[Jamo]

its called genengine on sourceforge its a dx9 engine atm just adding a windowing class. done an openal audio wrapper and xercesc wrapper forit also. unfortunately now comes the part of designing the game!

 

btw u can svn it from sourceforge if u wanna see it

[ascott2]

Started with C#, then to Java & C++. Also dabbled in Python and various scripting languages. Am now on Android which uses java syntax and a subset of its libraries. My first app is creeping up to 1000 downloads now.

[hakko]

Python is not good for beginners. Not that it is hard, I feel the syntax is too different to C/Java/Perl family. It would be better to go from some of them to Python.

 

Best way to learn a language is to find a project that would be useful for your work, and then program it. Could be a web based database or an application that works with managing workstations. You might want to replace something that you pay ££ for every year, with something you make yourself.

[PiqueABoo]

c# that you are committing yourself to windows

 

What about mono? Not that I've ever looked at it..

 

c++ is industry standard

 

According to whom? There is no "industry standard" unless you've got some specific industrial corner in mind. It was certainly quite common, a lot of software houses invested in lot of C++ library code, and dotNet free C++ (or C) is pretty much essential in some dev areas. But I just looked at a jobs site, here are the results:

 

C# : 2898

C++: 1563

 

C# wins.

[Jamo]

Programming Language Popularity

 

Probably quite a good example. I guess your right, there is no industry standard as such. I do admit C# has gained huge popularity, but I do express concern over M$ and their sneaky ways of gaining market lock in!! Mono is a x-platform .NET equivalent, but it is not 100% and without being cautious you could easily lock yourself into Win32.

[dhicks]

Ok so I have decided that I want to begin programming and as I am a beginner I'm intrested to know how other people started out?, what language? software, ect..

 

Although I had done plenty of programming before I got to university, my first formal, taught course on programming was Simon Brock's introductory programming course at UEA. Handily, Simon has a column in this month's PC Pro magazine where he sums up the options for learning to program - you can skip the whole tedious 3-year degree thing, pick a language and get on with it.

 

--

David Hicks

[tmcd35]

I'm intrested to know how other people started out?, what language? software, ect..

 

Started coping listing out of a magazine laying on the living room floor. Sinclear Basic on a 16K speccy . Moved on to BBC Basic and Locomotive Basic. A bit of Logo and then learned Pascal doing GCSE Computing. More Pascal, some assembler and lots of COBOL on the BTEC course. Then off to uni for a healthy dose of Java and C++, with a bit more assembly thrown in to boot.

 

My experience - user of meny, master of none, hatred of all.

 

Although I had done plenty of programming before I got to university, my first formal, taught course on programming was Simon Brock's introductory programming course at UEA. Handily, Simon has a column in this month's PC Pro magazine where he sums up the options for learning to program - you can skip the whole tedious 3-year degree thing, pick a language and get on with it.

 

Funny I spent three years at the UEA avoiding as meny programming courses as possible - pretty much only did the mandatory ones for the degree. I got a 3rd partly as a result - why did I choose to study an accountancy or databases module?. Got all my highest on the programming courses. Part of me wishes I'd knuckled down more while I was there and did all the coding modules. Oh Hum!

[kip]

Started off in BASIC, then moved on to Z80 machine code, then to C on UNIX systems, followed by Visual Basic, Visual Dialogscript, Pascal, Delphi, HTML, Javascript, CSS, VBA and on and on

[peterp]

I started on z80 assembler, then basic, 6502 assembler, COBOL, Pascal, Ada, C, Java, VB.

 

Other than the quirks of the language, its layouts and conventions, the language is largely irrelevant to a decent programmer.

Programming is about the design methodology, data structures, and Human Computer Interaction (presentation and user interface).

 

Java is a great place to start as it uses a fairly easy structure once you understand the object model, You can code with notepad and command line.

Once you get some traction in the language then Eclipse is a great IDE and creating User Interface's is easy.

 

Your code is portable, as near to write once-run anywhere as there is.

And it allows you to easily migrate to advanced programming methods such as the use of frameworks.