Want To Learn Programming

[ArnieCarnie]

Hi guys, i've never done programming before and i would like to but the only problem is that i don't know what language to start with. Could you guys recommed me some good beginner languages and any tips would be greatly appriciated. 

[ArnieCarnie]

Python is a good one to start with for actual programming... Or you could go for a markup language, which isn't really programming, but it gives you a bit of experience to build on, such as HTML/CSS.

 

For tips, I'd look at TheNewBoston's YouTube, and don't expect to start programming a new Operating System straight away, start simple and build up, hope that helps!

thanks, Python was one that a friend recommended me 

[Drown]

What are you looking to do with that programming knowlegde? (ex: websites, applications, mods/scripts for games, video games, web apps, mobile apps, etc)

 

I started with C# and I find that it's a pretty good and easy language to start with. There are a lot of resources (tutorials, guides, support) for it and it has a lot of functionnalities and possible uses.

There's also Python which is apparently a good one to start, but I never used it and it never appealed me. ^^

But depending on what you want to do, starting with other language might be a better idea, so I'll wait until you give more infos.

 

As for the tips, what I recommand is that you practice. Watching a lot of tutorials is great, but it's useless if you're unable to apply that theorical knowledge to practical applications. Start small, making very boring and basic stuff like a calculator or something, that's the best way to learn.

[ArnieCarnie]

What are you looking to do with that programming knowlegde? (ex: websites, applications, mods/scripts for games, video games, web apps, mobile apps, etc)

 

I started with C# and I find that it's a pretty good and easy language to start with. There are a lot of resources (tutorials, guides, support) for it and it has a lot of functionnalities and possible uses.

There's also Python which is apparently a good one to start, but I never used it and it never appealed me. ^^

But depending on what you want to do, starting with other language might be a better idea, so I'll wait until you give more infos.

 

As for the tips, what I recommand is that you practice. Watching a lot of tutorials is great, but it's useless if you're unable to apply that theorical knowledge to practical applications. Start small, making very boring and basic stuff like a calculator or something, that's the best way to learn.

 

Yeah, Python is good to start with because it has a similar syntax (language) to Java, which is a little more advanced... Good Luck!

Thanks guys much appriciated

[ArnieCarnie]

What are you looking to do with that programming knowlegde? (ex: websites, applications, mods/scripts for games, video games, web apps, mobile apps, etc)

 

I started with C# and I find that it's a pretty good and easy language to start with. There are a lot of resources (tutorials, guides, support) for it and it has a lot of functionnalities and possible uses.

There's also Python which is apparently a good one to start, but I never used it and it never appealed me. ^^

But depending on what you want to do, starting with other language might be a better idea, so I'll wait until you give more infos.

 

As for the tips, what I recommand is that you practice. Watching a lot of tutorials is great, but it's useless if you're unable to apply that theorical knowledge to practical applications. Start small, making very boring and basic stuff like a calculator or something, that's the best way to learn.

Probaby applications first 

[mrconan]

go to codeacademy.com

 

basics and is not boring

[UselessBread]

Yeah, Python is good to start with because it has a similar syntax (language) to Java, which is a little more advanced... Good Luck!

No it doesn't have a similar syntax to java. As far as I know, python is with whitespace the only language that utilizes whitespace in the syntax.

 

Python is good for beginners because it has a very clean syntax that can be read easily. It is pretty difficult to make it hard to read.

[fizzlesticks]

I've programmed in both and say they have a pretty similar syntax, but I see your point...

Their syntax is as different as it gets in the programming world.

[Luckris]

Umm depends on what you want to do. Make games, or websites.. I started with HTML, then went to Java, then C++. From there I just learned whatever else I needed to know like XML, JSON, SQL. Java helped me learn the logic behind most code. W3Schools helps alot. 

[DeuS_CaNoN]

So keep in mind certain languages have certain benefits, it is completely normal to start learning programming with C (I did, and now I'm a full time software developer) however C is not the most learning friendly language, I started with it mainly to do application development. Python and other scripting languages are great for a first language for getting the idea of logical iterative steps the foundations of all computer execution but they will be limited in their optimization for anything actually application level.

 

So if you want to start making small programs that you think would be slightly resource heavy, probably a language like C++/Java might be better, but if all you're interested in is learning how to program, get Python and start making scripts. Think what do you do repetitively on your computer and then try and get Python to automate that for you, I can even give you an idea start point this was my first Python script.

 

I had a bunch of files with different naming schemes where they had the hash of the file in different places in the filename, I wanted all the files to have the same format but there were about 40 of them, so I wrote myself a Python script to look through all the files in the folder and rename them using the format I wanted.

[cluelessgenius]

well im a softwaredeveloper in an automotive company and as i started my education i first learned C# wich i find to be the most difficult language there is and as soon as you understand objectoriented programming you can basicly use every common language out and just have to look for syntax differences. also i foung G interesting as it is used in Lapview. obviously that is very specific but the idea of not using any code in the traditional manor made me think it may be good for beginners- maybe not i dont know. the only thing important when it comes to programming is that just like learning anything you gotta keep trying and simply doing it even if it sometimes turns out to be crap. with every line of code you step trough a learning process and get better.

 

also NEVER forget about the garbage collector

-.- seriously dont i have a hard time at work cleaning other peoples ram mess

[aikoels]

I learned on python, it is EXTREMELY easy to start out with, no complex syntax, and it also reinforces some good habits, so if you start with it you get some good habits ingrained in you from the start. (For example, you need to keep the spacing correct, rather than using things like { } which means that when you switch over to a different language you keep good habits that make your code easy to read. It also has an interpreter if you download IDLE which comes with python, this interpreter is really good for someone starting because you can test so many different things very quickly. Also, since python has some good modules online (like pygame) you can do a lot with it (pygame is great to make 2d games). The only con I can think of that python has is that it is not a very fast language (It is great for 2d games and the like, but making a 3d game would require you to use some parts of the game in a different language). It makes up for this though by being easy to learn, easy to read, and overall a great language. 

[_wky]

Python and JavaScript are good ones to start off with. Check out Codecademy. Where I learned them.

[asquirrel]

Start with C. I heard the 'start with Python!' craze and...it didn't make any sense. Also, Python is a 'whitespace language'. Meaning if you have a tab in the wrong place somewhere, your program breaks. THAT IS VERY FRUSTRATING.

 

C, with good lessons/demos, will explain to you what the hardware is doing while your code is running, making you a better programmer. Also, people won't snicker when you say you program in python. Python is an interpreted language, and more like scripting than programming. Python floats a grey line because it *can* be compiled. Stay away from C++ until you really understand what is going on in normal C. Look at very simple programs, like cat, ls, echo (from linux open source) and see how they solve problems. Learn and grow.

[Builder]

Start with C. I heard the 'start with Python!' craze and...it didn't make any sense. Also, Python is a 'whitespace language'. Meaning if you have a tab in the wrong place somewhere, your program breaks. THAT IS VERY FRUSTRATING.

 

C, with good lessons/demos, will explain to you what the hardware is doing while your code is running, making you a better programmer. Also, people won't snicker when you say you program in python. Python is an interpreted language, and more like scripting than programming. Python floats a grey line because it *can* be compiled. Stay away from C++ until you really understand what is going on in normal C. Look at very simple programs, like cat, ls, echo (from linux open source) and see how they solve problems. Learn and grow.

There's no good reason to start with C. There are many modern languages that offer many better features, and yes, Python is one of them.

 

C was built in a time when the priority was absolute breakneck runtime speed, because the hardware was not yet capable of supporting code formed by more abstracted concepts. These days, hardware is cheaper than programmers are, so companies use the language that makes their programmers the most productive.

 

If people snicker when you say you code in Python, then there are two things you must remember. The first of them is that Python is being adopted across the industry, even Google uses a lot of Python. The second is that if it works for you, other people's opinions should not matter. You can watch them snicker as you code more efficiently then they do and eventually make better things than they do.

 

When it comes down to it, OP, the choice is yours. If you like Python, jump in. You can learn C later when you understand the fundamentals of programming.

 

If you really want a list of languages that are good for beginners in my opinion, here are a few to look into:

 

-Python

-Ruby

-JavaScript

-Haskell

-Racket

-Swift (by Apple, not the parallel computing one)

[Grape Guild]

I think VB6, if you can find it, is a great language to start with.

[asquirrel]

There's no good reason to start with C. ~words~

http://unriskinsight.blogspot.com/2014/06/fast-functional-goats-lions-and-wolves.html <--C is still king (well, C++, but close enough)

 

edit: And OP, like he said, the choice is yours. I didn't understand the fundamentals of programming (even after learning Java) UNTIL I learned C. Then everything made sense.

[Biased Opinion]

Python is good for beginners because it has a very clean syntax that can be read easily. It is pretty difficult to make it hard to read.

You have never seen the way I name variables then.

[Builder]

http://unriskinsight.blogspot.com/2014/06/fast-functional-goats-lions-and-wolves.html <--C is still king (well, C++, but close enough)

 

edit: And OP, like he said, the choice is yours. I didn't understand the fundamentals of programming (even after learning Java) UNTIL I learned C. Then everything made sense.

Excuse me? Are you seriously saying you chose C because of PERFORMANCE for your first language?

 

Why did performance matter to you? Was your first app a high-end AAA 3D game engine? 

 

Performance matters less and less these days.

 

Those "~words~" you cut out were the most important parts of my post. Programmers (time) cost more than hardware (machines) does. It's actually more cost effective to use slow languages and fast hardware if it makes your developers more productive. Developer productivity has been almost the sole focus of the dynamic language revolution, the explosion of functional language use seen in recent years, as well as the sole objective of nearly every company in silicon valley.

 

TL;DR At least for now bodies are way more expensive than silicon is. Until that changes, languages that minimize the time you have to pay your devs for and maximize the amount of good code they output in that time regardless of how many resources they consume will be the most popular. There is almost no reason to use C/C++ for non performance intensive general programming. The developer would be much better served by Haskell, Ruby, Python, or even Lisp. Even then, Haskell performance gets better every year and now with LLVM it is faster than non-optimized C/C++ (as in without pointers, NOT without good practice.) in a lot of computational settings.

[Socratic]

 

 

If you really want a list of languages that are good for beginners in my opinion, here are a few to look into:

 

-JavaScript

 

I would say Java, easy to jump on the c++ bandwagon from there.

[dtronicsuk]

if you want to try some basic programing try using QBASIC, its old now and i think microsoft doesnt support it now but its really easy to program and theres loads of tutorials on the net.

 

i would try coding a basic program in that first, its what i did and now i cna write programs in c++ and java

[Builder]

I would say Java, easy to jump on the c++ bandwagon from there.

JavaScript and Java have nothing to do with each other. JavaScript was named JavaScript to make you think so.

[Socratic]

JavaScript and Java have nothing to do with each other. JavaScript was named JavaScript to make you think so.

I'm tired, save it.

[Builder]

I'm tired, save it.

They're entirely different languages with different philosophies of use.

 

They are in no way related and JavaScript is fine for beginners whereas I would say Java is not.

[Socratic]

They're entirely different languages with different philosophies of use.

 

They are in no way related 

Did I say they were? One would of easily inferred that I was indicating I made an attentive mistake from me stating I was tired, but you are a special one aren't you.