Programming: Where should I begin?

[Monaco]

What language would you suggest, and why? Should I try learning out of books, or take a course?

Being a Hardware Geek don't pay my bills anymore, I need to learn some new skills. I know people here have some opinions on this!!

[_jubei_]

Start with C++, but if you want to work as a programmer then start with C then with C++. If you go to school then take some programming classes but if no then get a book about programming.. Any will do...

All I can tell you that the FIRST program that your will write is
Hello World program ... hehe

[Ridenow]

Originally posted by _jubei_
Start with C++, but if you want to work as a programmer then start with C then with C++. If you go to school then take some programming classes but if no then get a book about programming.. Any will do...

All I can tell you that the FIRST program that your will write is
Hello World program ... hehe

Agreed. Start with C.

The "Hello World" is a tradition. I think I can do it in more than 20 languages.

[Monaco]

Good suggestions, keep them coming.

Any reason why not to start with Java or a Java derivative? It seems to be in very high demand in the workplace.

And, how long should I plan on studying if I book-learn it? 10, 30, 100 hours of study time?

[Amedeo602]

there's a fairly good online tutorial of C++ at www.cplusplus.com I went thru the first couple of chapters and about 4 months later I found myself helping someone at my college in her C++ class (which I have yet to take).

[[Oc]acaridans]

This section made me want to go out and start learning the other day...So I got a book on C, the cool thing is it came with C++ as a extra. I got it at Borders Books

[Monaco]

Hey thanks a lot, that website is packed with good info.

The reason I ask about Java is I live 20 minutes from Sun MicroSystems, the inventors of it. They have all kinds of classes availible. Seems like I should take advantage of it.

[klosters64a]

How about starting with VB? Does C/C++/C# make better sense?

[Rhino302]

My college starts with Java as the beginning programming language to learn. It might also be helpful to learn SQL. Go to SQLcourse.com. You can save your own tables on their sever.

[maha_x]

C is a good starting point. But its a climb from lowest ladder to the top. C -> C++ -> Win32 -> some APIs. This is the right way if U are looking for a serious commitment.

To skip few hundred ladders, start with VisualBasic. If U have access to the MS VB. Bit expencive. It only does programs of limited complexity, but gives U an idea. If U get more interested, U can go to the bottom and start with C. And U'd have an idea of programming allready.

[Monaco]

VisualBasic ? I took a year of it, right when 5.0 came out. IT barely seemed to be a language, no offense intended. Too basic for me, and more importantly, no one here is hiring VB programmers :D .

Hey Rhino, what exactly IS SQL? People talk about it here only in the most general of terms. Some sort of server-language, it seems?

[Coolio]

My mom was working with Oracle and she was talking about SQL.... Anyone know whay SQL and Oracle are?

[klosters64a]

SQL, aka "sequel" is a database language, prog, or protocol. I don't know which, sorry. I think that it was originally a Unix thing. It's possible that MS then developed/stole it. It's available in Linux as MySQL.

Sheesh, that's a concise answer. Sorry!

[Monaco]

Ah, that explains it! Thanks kloster, there's a guy here who keeps talking about "sequel server" now I know what the hell he's talking about. So, SQL is food for DBs- What does a database programmer do anyhow? Program querys, etc. Excel-style? Lotta hiring here in the Oracle field, but I don't even know what that's really all about.

[parkan]

Hm. I'm learning Java right now (although I barely have time for it), I use the "jumpstart" CD from sun, if you want to learn Java first go to developers section of the Sun site, you should be able to get the CD for free ($40 or so normally).

[Monaco]

Thanks for the tip parkan. Jumpstart look promising.