Getting starter with computer programming

shlomih84 · 07-19-2008, 10:31 AM

Hey all.
I'm interested in learning programming languages.
I'd like to learn it for a hobby and not for a career.
Can you help me with a list of recommended order of languages to learn?
I want to get started step by step even with the old programming method like c++ or something.
I'm don't have enough knowledge in this area so I'd really appreciate your responses, helps and tips.

**jamiemac2005** · 07-19-2008, 11:24 AM

Hey, if you're going to get started programming i suggest C++, i've always thought it to be a very good language to learn and it can produce brilliant programs(Firfox is written in C++)... There are a range of tutorials online but there is a learning C++ from scratch tutorial here: www.cprogramming.com which can guide you through the process of setting up a compiler and IDE then teach you the language...

Alternatively you could try Java or a .Net language (e.g. VB.Net)...

To be honest choosing a language to start with depends on what you want to produce, you could start with a web-based language (e.g. HTML, CSS & Javascript) to produce web-sites and then move on from there. If you want to create Computer programs then C++ or Java are good and easy to learn (from online tutorials).

What is it you aim to produce?

The problem with C++ (in my experience) is it takes a lot of effort to create GUI applications [rather than console applications]. So if you wanted to spring into GUI based programs then I'd suggest Java with the Netbeans IDE (google will help you getting started there)...

At the end of the day it doesn't matter what language you use as long as you learn the basic programming principles.

Post back with more info.

Cheers,
Jamey

**sobeit** · 07-19-2008, 11:35 AM

maybe tell what type of programing you are interested in? do you want to do games, business, or what?

shlomih84 · 07-19-2008, 11:50 AM

Thanks for the quick replies!
My aims are to start with the old school languages and than move on to the web based tools.
My purposes are builtding various tools (can't be specific yet) , games and web-based tools too.
Can you also recommend good books to learn from them?

**jamiemac2005** · 07-19-2008, 12:23 PM

hmm, so you want to begin with an "old school" language? can i ask why?

Depending on what you want the tools to do there are a tonne of different languages you could use.

As for learning resources i've already mentionned cprogramming.com, but as for the web-based languages i always suggest www.w3schools.com it really depends on what you want to learn first.

I'm pretty sure games programming requires a different line/route of research/programming, yet again this depends on the language.

Cheers,
Jamey

p.s. as old as old-school gets, c++ is relatively new school or up to date, if you were going really old school you'd start with ASM or something almost obsolete. (which i wouldn't advise)...

shlomih84 · 07-19-2008, 12:59 PM

I want to begin with old school because I'd like to start with the origins
I thought about c++ as the oldest
But i would like to get a list with recommended orders of languages if that possible...

**shuuhen** · 07-19-2008, 09:04 PM

If you want to start with a language that's been around a long time C is a great language. C++ is a superset of C, so a lot of knowledge from C helps learning C++. Both languages are still very much in use today. Linux and BSD are two examples of what C allows. C overall is my favorite language, but there are tradeoffs between every language.

C++ is a good one two. There are many nice features that let you avoid common programming errors. Good graphical toolkits like Qt or wxWidgets allow you to easily make multiplatform applications. Qt makes designing the GUI fairly simple. There's a nice graphical designer, good libraries for graphics, databases, networking, threading and a few more things.

Newer languages like Python and Ruby are fairly popular and much easier than C or C++. Both used for web related work (note Django for Python and Ruby on Rails for Ruby). Personally I prefer Ruby over Python. I know there are free books available for Ruby that should be mentioned on the web site.

I'm not a big fan of .NET, but if you decide on that, I recommend C# over VisualBasic.NET (aka VB.NET).

For learning C, C++ or Java, you might look at the Deitel & Deitel books. I haven't read all of the C++ one, but it's one of the best I've seen that should work for a beginner. If you read it, pay attention to the Good Programming Practice and Software Engineering notes.

If you learn C++ then want to do graphical programming in Qt, take a look at Trolltech's book on the subject (they make Qt). It should be called something like GUI Programming with Qt.

When it comes to books, it can somewhat be personal preference. Some people like O'Reilly, some like Apress, then there are people that dislike one or both, like miscellaneous authors/books/etc. You want understandable, but complete and well written books. Some gloss over important issues or teach bad programming practices. If my recommendations don't look like they work for you, at least make sure a book is understandable and from someone with some kind of qualification (company that produces a product, outstanding professor in computer science, etc).

EDIT: As a side note, age is relative for a language. C and C++ have been around for years, but the languages have been updated significantly. Assembly, C, C++, etc. are all in use today, it just depends on what they're being used for.

shlomih84 · 07-22-2008, 04:29 PM

I talked with my cousin about it and he suggested me to learn only JAVA and it will be a waste of time to learn C,C++ etc.
He also suggested me to learn PHP later

**jamiemac2005** · 07-22-2008, 05:20 PM

hmm, i think your cousin is a little closed minded (no offence intended). C and C++ are the foundation to many applications and concidered "closer to the processor" than Java, i'm not pushing you away from Java, i'd suggest it aswell. And PHP is useless without HTML, CSS and Javascript, well not useless, just a lot less useful.

At the end of the day whether you learn C or Java the main thing to learn is the general programming concepts.

Do not close your mind and only learn the languages suggested, explore as many as you want. You'll come accross langauges like ASM which bare no resemblance to Java, and languages like prolog which will confuse and amaze you. Theres nothing wrong with sticking to a single language (i did for a while) but you'll realise different languages are better suited to different purposes (as prevously discussed).

My problem with Java is that to some it's not as accessible as C based programs because it's compiled to bytecodes then interpreted (needing an interpreter on the client's pc), C is generally compiled into executeable files needing only the executeable.
(Having said that i love the language and have only recently taken to learning it).

Cheers,
Jamey

**shuuhen** · 07-24-2008, 07:34 PM

I disagree with your cousin (as above, no offense intended). C and C++ are great languages. Matter of fact, every language should have some point (although some like Whitespace are kinda ridiculous). C is great for operating system development and embedded device programming. Programs written well in C can be very fast (note the Linux and BSD kernels). Usually a C compiler is the first available for a platform. There are many examples of why C is a great language, but it would take a long time to type and would be a huge post. C++ provides many features that make programming easier and less error prone, which is very good for enterprise level work, large programs (especially graphical ones), etc.

Different languages are good for different purposes. For an operating system, web browser, computation intensive programs I'd pick C or possibly C++ as my language of choice (although Maxima is a good example of a Lisp computation program).

For quick scripts like comparing two files or modifying large numbers of files, folders, etc I'd pick a language like Ruby, Python or Perl (maybe a Unix/Linux shell's built in language). These languages can also be good for proof of concept programs.

I'd say the first languages to look at learning would be C or C++ and Ruby, Python or Perl. With C/C++ and Ruby/Python you could do applications, utilities, quick scripts/utilities, games and web work. A good exercise would be to look at some programs you'd be interested in designing, then see what languages they are made with.

07-19-2008, 10:31 AM	#1 (permalink)
shlomih84 Registered User Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 17 OS: WINXP PRO SP2	Getting starter with computer programming Hey all. I'm interested in learning programming languages. I'd like to learn it for a hobby and not for a career. Can you help me with a list of recommended order of languages to learn? I want to get started step by step even with the old programming method like c++ or something. I'm don't have enough knowledge in this area so I'd really appreciate your responses, helps and tips.

07-19-2008, 11:24 AM	#2 (permalink)
jamiemac2005 Design Team Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Northampton, UK Posts: 951 OS: Win Vista Home Premium & Ubuntu Hardy(8.04)	Re: Getting starter with computer programming Hey, if you're going to get started programming i suggest C++, i've always thought it to be a very good language to learn and it can produce brilliant programs(Firfox is written in C++)... There are a range of tutorials online but there is a learning C++ from scratch tutorial here: www.cprogramming.com which can guide you through the process of setting up a compiler and IDE then teach you the language... Alternatively you could try Java or a .Net language (e.g. VB.Net)... To be honest choosing a language to start with depends on what you want to produce, you could start with a web-based language (e.g. HTML, CSS & Javascript) to produce web-sites and then move on from there. If you want to create Computer programs then C++ or Java are good and easy to learn (from online tutorials). What is it you aim to produce? The problem with C++ (in my experience) is it takes a lot of effort to create GUI applications [rather than console applications]. So if you wanted to spring into GUI based programs then I'd suggest Java with the Netbeans IDE (google will help you getting started there)... At the end of the day it doesn't matter what language you use as long as you learn the basic programming principles. Post back with more info. Cheers, Jamey __________________ Help fight cancer. < I just started =]

07-19-2008, 11:35 AM	#3 (permalink)
sobeit TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: NEAR Posts: 5,421 OS: windows/linux	Re: Getting starter with computer programming maybe tell what type of programing you are interested in? do you want to do games, business, or what? __________________ Do not feed the trolls.

07-19-2008, 11:50 AM	#4 (permalink)
shlomih84 Registered User Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 17 OS: WINXP PRO SP2	Re: Getting starter with computer programming Thanks for the quick replies! My aims are to start with the old school languages and than move on to the web based tools. My purposes are builtding various tools (can't be specific yet) , games and web-based tools too. Can you also recommend good books to learn from them?

07-19-2008, 12:23 PM	#5 (permalink)
jamiemac2005 Design Team Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Northampton, UK Posts: 951 OS: Win Vista Home Premium & Ubuntu Hardy(8.04)	Re: Getting starter with computer programming hmm, so you want to begin with an "old school" language? can i ask why? Depending on what you want the tools to do there are a tonne of different languages you could use. As for learning resources i've already mentionned cprogramming.com, but as for the web-based languages i always suggest www.w3schools.com it really depends on what you want to learn first. I'm pretty sure games programming requires a different line/route of research/programming, yet again this depends on the language. Cheers, Jamey p.s. as old as old-school gets, c++ is relatively new school or up to date, if you were going really old school you'd start with ASM or something almost obsolete. (which i wouldn't advise)... __________________ Help fight cancer. < I just started =]

07-19-2008, 12:59 PM	#6 (permalink)
shlomih84 Registered User Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 17 OS: WINXP PRO SP2	Re: Getting starter with computer programming I want to begin with old school because I'd like to start with the origins I thought about c++ as the oldest But i would like to get a list with recommended orders of languages if that possible...

07-19-2008, 09:04 PM	#7 (permalink)
shuuhen Moderator Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Colorado Posts: 734 OS: Mac OS 9.1, Mac OS X 10.5.5, WinXP Pro, FreeBSD 6.0, Gentoo Linux	Re: Getting starter with computer programming If you want to start with a language that's been around a long time C is a great language. C++ is a superset of C, so a lot of knowledge from C helps learning C++. Both languages are still very much in use today. Linux and BSD are two examples of what C allows. C overall is my favorite language, but there are tradeoffs between every language. C++ is a good one two. There are many nice features that let you avoid common programming errors. Good graphical toolkits like Qt or wxWidgets allow you to easily make multiplatform applications. Qt makes designing the GUI fairly simple. There's a nice graphical designer, good libraries for graphics, databases, networking, threading and a few more things. Newer languages like Python and Ruby are fairly popular and much easier than C or C++. Both used for web related work (note Django for Python and Ruby on Rails for Ruby). Personally I prefer Ruby over Python. I know there are free books available for Ruby that should be mentioned on the web site. I'm not a big fan of .NET, but if you decide on that, I recommend C# over VisualBasic.NET (aka VB.NET). For learning C, C++ or Java, you might look at the Deitel & Deitel books. I haven't read all of the C++ one, but it's one of the best I've seen that should work for a beginner. If you read it, pay attention to the Good Programming Practice and Software Engineering notes. If you learn C++ then want to do graphical programming in Qt, take a look at Trolltech's book on the subject (they make Qt). It should be called something like GUI Programming with Qt. When it comes to books, it can somewhat be personal preference. Some people like O'Reilly, some like Apress, then there are people that dislike one or both, like miscellaneous authors/books/etc. You want understandable, but complete and well written books. Some gloss over important issues or teach bad programming practices. If my recommendations don't look like they work for you, at least make sure a book is understandable and from someone with some kind of qualification (company that produces a product, outstanding professor in computer science, etc). EDIT: As a side note, age is relative for a language. C and C++ have been around for years, but the languages have been updated significantly. Assembly, C, C++, etc. are all in use today, it just depends on what they're being used for. __________________ Has it been a few days since I replied to your thread? Don't panic! I'm a busy college student and may forget a post if I'm extra busy (or it might just take me a while to be able to do a decent reply). If you still need help and are awaiting my reply after a few days, PM me about it. When posting what errors you get, please give the full message. It makes helping you much easier. Last edited by shuuhen : 07-19-2008 at 09:13 PM.

07-22-2008, 04:29 PM	#8 (permalink)
shlomih84 Registered User Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 17 OS: WINXP PRO SP2	Re: Getting starter with computer programming I talked with my cousin about it and he suggested me to learn only JAVA and it will be a waste of time to learn C,C++ etc. He also suggested me to learn PHP later

07-22-2008, 05:20 PM	#9 (permalink)
jamiemac2005 Design Team Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Northampton, UK Posts: 951 OS: Win Vista Home Premium & Ubuntu Hardy(8.04)	Re: Getting starter with computer programming hmm, i think your cousin is a little closed minded (no offence intended). C and C++ are the foundation to many applications and concidered "closer to the processor" than Java, i'm not pushing you away from Java, i'd suggest it aswell. And PHP is useless without HTML, CSS and Javascript, well not useless, just a lot less useful. At the end of the day whether you learn C or Java the main thing to learn is the general programming concepts. Do not close your mind and only learn the languages suggested, explore as many as you want. You'll come accross langauges like ASM which bare no resemblance to Java, and languages like prolog which will confuse and amaze you. Theres nothing wrong with sticking to a single language (i did for a while) but you'll realise different languages are better suited to different purposes (as prevously discussed). My problem with Java is that to some it's not as accessible as C based programs because it's compiled to bytecodes then interpreted (needing an interpreter on the client's pc), C is generally compiled into executeable files needing only the executeable. (Having said that i love the language and have only recently taken to learning it). Cheers, Jamey __________________ Help fight cancer. < I just started =]

07-24-2008, 07:34 PM	#10 (permalink)
shuuhen Moderator Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Colorado Posts: 734 OS: Mac OS 9.1, Mac OS X 10.5.5, WinXP Pro, FreeBSD 6.0, Gentoo Linux	Re: Getting starter with computer programming I disagree with your cousin (as above, no offense intended). C and C++ are great languages. Matter of fact, every language should have some point (although some like Whitespace are kinda ridiculous). C is great for operating system development and embedded device programming. Programs written well in C can be very fast (note the Linux and BSD kernels). Usually a C compiler is the first available for a platform. There are many examples of why C is a great language, but it would take a long time to type and would be a huge post. C++ provides many features that make programming easier and less error prone, which is very good for enterprise level work, large programs (especially graphical ones), etc. Different languages are good for different purposes. For an operating system, web browser, computation intensive programs I'd pick C or possibly C++ as my language of choice (although Maxima is a good example of a Lisp computation program). For quick scripts like comparing two files or modifying large numbers of files, folders, etc I'd pick a language like Ruby, Python or Perl (maybe a Unix/Linux shell's built in language). These languages can also be good for proof of concept programs. I'd say the first languages to look at learning would be C or C++ and Ruby, Python or Perl. With C/C++ and Ruby/Python you could do applications, utilities, quick scripts/utilities, games and web work. A good exercise would be to look at some programs you'd be interested in designing, then see what languages they are made with. __________________ Has it been a few days since I replied to your thread? Don't panic! I'm a busy college student and may forget a post if I'm extra busy (or it might just take me a while to be able to do a decent reply). If you still need help and are awaiting my reply after a few days, PM me about it. When posting what errors you get, please give the full message. It makes helping you much easier.