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Learning to program....where to start?



  Shed.
Another post by me :( Sorry if any of this is retarded, ive not done any programming before cept in game modification and even then it was very VERY basic.

Ive done a tiny amount of Visual basic 6, window with button that displays the time when clicked in another window...... Im not sure i even want to bother learning it fully, but if you guys say its a good idea then i might as well.


Ive got the "Visual Basic 2008 For Dummies" book which i want to work through, but by the looks of it its working in VB 2008, will there be any difference between VB6 and VB08 (Or 7.1 i think its reffered to) ? And is this a good place to start? Hoping to end up on java as that seems to be a popular thing to use.
 
It really depends on what your looking to program for.

Mobile phones? Then go for Java
Small Embedded Systems? Go for C
Computers? C++ or Java
Internet? PHP

Good thing about program languages is that although the learning curve is steep, once you learn to program you can program. Alot of the time you will only need to learn another languages syntax
 
  Arctic 182FF
+1 to the above once you learn the constructs and get into the right way of thinking picking up a new language is fairly easy

i'd start with java and leave VB alone (imo), java is great language to begin with and should get you into 'good' coding habits. its also free which is nice! its also very similar to C++ which is the language to go for if you want to get into creating pc games (notice you mentioned games in your post)
 

sn00p

ClioSport Club Member
  A blue one.
'C' without a shadow of a doubt, if you can program in 'C' you'll be able to pick up java, php or most other programming languages without any problem, download visual studio express (c edition) it's free and you can get started.

There's always C# as well, but that's part of the toy .NET languages, nice syntax and easy to write nice and pretty code, but they're slow as f**k.

My boss went to a university (conincidentally my old university where they used to teach assembler, pascal, c, prolog etc) with his son the other day and was horrified when they said "we only teach java"....if you came to us looking for a job and you could only program in java, we'd laugh you out of the interview. lol

JAVA -> Write once, run anywhere, horribly.
 
  Cupra
"If programming languages were religions"

C would be Judaism - it's old and restrictive, but most of the world is familiar with its laws and respects them. The catch is, you can't convert into it - you're either into it from the start, or you will think that it's insanity. Also, when things go wrong, many people are willing to blame the problems of the world on it.

Java would be Fundamentalist Christianity - it's theoretically based on C, but it voids so many of the old laws that it doesn't feel like the original at all. Instead, it adds its own set of rigid rules, which its followers believe to be far superior to the original. Not only are they certain that it's the best language in the world, but they're willing to burn those who disagree at the stake.

PHP would be Cafeteria Christianity - Fights with Java for the web market. It draws a few concepts from C and Java, but only those that it really likes. Maybe it's not as coherent as other languages, but at least it leaves you with much more freedom and ostensibly keeps the core idea of the whole thing. Also, the whole concept of "goto hell" was abandoned.

C++ would be Islam - It takes C and not only keeps all its laws, but adds a very complex new set of laws on top of it. It's so versatile that it can be used to be the foundation of anything, from great atrocities to beautiful works of art. Its followers are convinced that it is the ultimate universal language, and may be angered by those who disagree. Also, if you insult it or its founder, you'll probably be threatened with death by more radical followers.

C# would be Mormonism - At first glance, it's the same as Java, but at a closer look you realize that it's controlled by a single corporation (which many Java followers believe to be evil), and that many theological concepts are quite different. You suspect that it'd probably be nice, if only all the followers of Java wouldn't discriminate so much against you for following it.

Lisp would be Zen Buddhism - There is no syntax, there is no centralization of dogma, there are no deities to worship. The entire universe is there at your reach - if only you are enlightened enough to grasp it. Some say that it's not a language at all; others say that it's the only language that makes sense.

Haskell would be Taoism - It is so different from other languages that many people don't understand how can anyone use it to produce anything useful. Its followers believe that it's the true path to wisdom, but that wisdom is beyond the grasp of most mortals.

Erlang would be Hinduism - It's another strange language that doesn't look like it could be used for anything, but unlike most other modern languages, it's built around the concept of multiple simultaneous deities.

Perl would be Voodoo - An incomprehensible series of arcane incantations that involve the blood of goats and permanently corrupt your soul. Often used when your boss requires you to do an urgent task at 21:00 on friday night.

Lua would be Wicca - A pantheistic language that can easily be adapted for different cultures and locations. Its code is very liberal, and allows for the use of techniques that might be described as magical by those used to more traditional languages. It has a strong connection to the moon.

Ruby would be Neo-Paganism - A mixture of different languages and ideas that was beaten together into something that might be identified as a language. Its adherents are growing fast, and although most people look at them suspiciously, they are mostly well-meaning people with no intention of harming anyone.

Python would be Humanism: It's simple, unrestrictive, and all you need to follow it is common sense. Many of the followers claim to feel relieved from all the burden imposed by other languages, and that they have rediscovered the joy of programming. There are some who say that it is a form of pseudo-code.

COBOL would be Ancient Paganism - There was once a time when it ruled over a vast region and was important, but nowadays it's almost dead, for the good of us all. Although many were scarred by the rituals demanded by its deities, there are some who insist on keeping it alive even today.

APL would be Scientology - There are many people who claim to follow it, but you've always suspected that it's a huge and elaborate prank that got out of control.

LOLCODE would be Pastafarianism - An esoteric, Internet-born belief that nobody really takes seriously, despite all the efforts to develop and spread it.

Visual Basic would be Satanism - Except that you don't REALLY need to sell your soul to be a Satanist...
 
  Shed.
:eek: ^ lol ace.


Cheers for all the help guys. Ill play about with VB a little bit more just to get an idea of stuff and then ill have a look at C. Im downloading (its a trial Tom so dont get all upset) VB2008 and the MDSN Library, which supposedly comes with:

Visual C# 2008
Visual C++ 2008
Visual Basic 2008
Visual Web Developer 2008

So Ill need something else then? Visual studio express (c edition) like sn00p mentioned? Or is C just C# ?

http://www.microsoft.com/express/product/default.aspx
 
  DCi
youre sort of downloading the same thing

there is vb2008 which is the full thing
the trial is what you are getting
the studio express is a cut down version, which is also free (which is aimed at people like you - trying to learn!)


I'd stick with your book then try and do things that you want to do, when you get stuck go somewhere like www.planet-source-code.com and find some examples of someone who has already done what you are trying so you can learn where you might have got stuck.
 
Vb6 is the easiest one I've learnt and you can almost any program you want (to a degree) if you learnt to write modules, I still remember when i was 15 i thought i was well smart when i learnt all about winsock.
 
Programming bores me to tears. Had to do C++ and Java at Uni. I have no idea how people sit and program all day for a job. Fair play tho, 'tis good pay if you find it interesting.
 


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