Do programming courses get "outdated"

[echoac]

I wanted to take a free java course on udemy but i don't want to be learning stuff that is mostly outdated. I realize the foundations of java would not change but a lot of things could have been updated. Do you guys think this course is a good place to get started? https://www.udemy.com/java-tutorial/#/

[Snickerzz]

yes, if a newer version of the language is released you should probably learn that. for example you should learn HTML4 when HTML5 is out now

[Samfisher]

I wanted to take a free java course on udemy but i don't want to be learning stuff that is mostly outdated. I realize the foundations of java would not change but a lot of things could have been updated. Do you guys think this course is a good place to get started? https://www.udemy.com/java-tutorial/#/

 

The fundementals will never change, the specifics will.  With strong base knowledge, you can adapt to any new programming tricks, API changes and updates fairly easily.

[monsieurgoat]

The concept is essentially the same for all programming languages. You just got to start thinking like a programmer and with documentation you will be able to adapt quickly.

 

I think this course is a good place to start.  

[redact_d]

It's more languages that get outdated as opposed to the actual courses. Any knowledge can be useful but modern languages can definitely be more advantageous for immediate application in the workforce. At least in my experience, JavaScript, PHP and other web languages are more prevalent in the workforce and modern software.

[vorticalbox]

yes they do. I'm in college and they are using courses wrote 5+ years ago, for an example using cookies to store login information as a requirement for the unit.

[WiiManic]

The specifics of the language can change, but a really the course shouldn't teach you "How to program in Python" it should teach you "How to program".

Then you can apply that way of thinking to any language.

 

Specifics change, but the overall concepts don't.

[Art Vandelay]

If it's a course in C or any other language that probably won't ever be updated, no.

 

If it's a course in something like .NET or C++, then there will be updates to the language or standard, but all the lessons will apply. If you can program in one programming language, you can program in them all, with a small amount of learning.

[BelatedFungus]

Programming courses, by rule of thumb, will always have some relevance in the field. There are still systems running Pascal for example, which is generally accepted as a dead language. Keeping up with the latest in programming though, you're looking at (generally) a six month cut off. The best places to look is the documentation for any language.

[Ganz]

Programming courses are generally set up as 'learn the concept' style vs 'learn specifics.'  With this is mind in a way yes courses get outdated but once you learn the basics and concepts adapting to new updates in languages becomes easy. 

[brandishwar]

Every language has fundamental base concepts that you need to learn, and any course you take on the language should teach those base concepts. From the base concepts you should be able to adapt to new features and APIs within the language.

 

I'll use myself as an example. Back in 1999 I taught myself C and C++. In the interim 16 years, there have been numerous additions and changes to not just the APIs I typically use, but the language itself. The Standard Template Library has seen additions, and there are new base features to the language itself supported by modern compilers. But what I taught myself in 1999 is still relevant, even if it has been supplanted by better capabilities. I've just taught myself the newer things as well.

[ManWithBeard1990]

The only programming languages I know of that have changed suddenly and drastically between two versions once are OpenGL, which is more an API than a language, and perhaps Python.

[Stuff_]

Essentially the answer is no.

[as96]

The only programming languages I know of that have changed suddenly and drastically between two versions once are OpenGL, which is more an API than a language, and perhaps Python.

OpenGL is not a language, is just a library, it will always change.

 

Anyway yes, and no... while a book/course will get outdated the basics of the language will stay the same, for example, let's say you buy a C++ book made for C++98 even though C++14 brought lots and lots of new features the language is the same, obviously you need to stay updated to the latest version of the language, or you will miss important stuff like smart pointers (that makes old memory management code obsolete).

[EpicAdom]

A language may get outdated but the fundamentals of a certain style of programming (i.e. object oriented) that you are taught will probably not get outdated.

[Art Vandelay]

smart pointers (that makes old memory management code obsolete)

Smart pointers don't make old memory management obsolete.

 

The memory overhead and potential latency that garbage collection causes can be a problem in embedded systems with limited memory.