Where to start to program?

Hey there

Java is really good stuff to learn. C++, visual Basics are real hot stuffs in the market now. You will find many online tutorials in internet where you can learn all these programing.

Subir

What you really need to learn first is programming logic. ie what are for, while, and do loops. what are if statements etc. The language you use is really less important than learning the underlying principles.

Hello,

I did start with BASIC.

In my opinion, a beginner should start with a simple language. Get used to the concept.

It, afterwards, takes a little effort to expand and use those concepts in other more complex languages.

In short,
Start simple and small, consolidate & then expand.

Hope this helps.

Sanjay Kulkarni

You're going to get a pretty varied response from programmers with a question like this!! Personally, I think that ASP+, SQL Server and VB are the way to go. ASP+ will make most of the Java requests go away in the distant future (I'm guessing 3 years.).
C++ is a good one to learn though, and you could probably pick up enough in that language to teach yourself Java. Surprisingly, I think that the mainframe languages (COBOL, IDMS and the like) are going to be big after a few years, because legacy systems aren't going away, just because there is better/faster/more efficient technology available. A lot of the people currently working on them are getting old enough to retire, and there will be no-one to maintain them or develop new programs as required.
I guess in summary, I'd recommend VB, SQL, a little HTML, ASP+, XML and MS Office familiarity (VBA, Macros, etc.). To wittle it down from there, you're on your own!!

Good Luck!!
Shane Ludwig, MCSD
Application Analyst
Spindustry Systems, Inc

I myself have started to learn more recent programming languages. I picked up a couple books not knowing what I was looking for exactly. One book is VB script the other is Visual Basic. The first book for example is scripting for web pages. The second book is Visual Basic for actual programming an application or to learn Visual Basic commands that can be used in customizing the application I support at my company.

Logic and principles of programming are: Sequence (execution of one command after the other, Selection ( If and If Else, Else) and Iteration (looping using while statements, etc.) To learn all of these, the best place to start is to take up a course at a college. As for the languages, you will probably find that most courses use Pascal (Structured Programming), as it is one of the easiest to learn and best one for teaching the above principles. However, for Object Oriented programming, Visual Basic is a good start, especially for beginners. Good luck.

This site currently hosts over 250 full online training courses free - http://www.freeskills.com/ it seems worth a look as it covers a large range of stuff,

Regards,

Andrew.

Thanks to everbody who replyed to my question. I very much apreciate that.

Everybody has to start somwhere and I think that I might start to learn Java and see how it goes. It is always hard to begin with but I hope that I will be ok.

By the way the websites which Andrew Proser and Boyarsky recomended are very good. I would recomend to visit them.

Learning to program is more than just learning how to use a particular programming language. A programming language is really just a tool to accomplish a result. Most programming languages have similar constructs, such as loops, and decision points. However, some incorporate differing approaches to structuring a program. Java uses a strictly Object-Oriented structure. If you aren't familiar with that, you can still get by with programming in Java. C++ uses a more procedural approach to programming, although it makes Object Oriented Programming available. Visual Basic is fairly easy to use, once you grasp the concept of Event-Driven programming.
There is more to learning to program than just learning a programming language. I've had the to fix and maintain a production software product which was created by someone who did poorly in designing the product. Their coding was difficult to follow, making my job difficult. My suggestion: It's okay to dive into learning a programming language, and Java is fine. But give serious consideration to learning more about how to develop good design, and to learn good coding techniques. For advice on coding techniques I'd recommend "Code Complete" by Steve McConnell. If you can't find it in the bookstore, I'm sure they can order a copy. The publisher is Microsoft Press. It's important that your code clearly communicates what you're trying to do.

With so meny differant programs out there, how can you know which programming software too start with,
1)Know what each one is for. I was told (some time ago) that VB was to make the graphic interface only, so you must learn two programs? for it towork.
2) What is the most use full to employers? some programs are for web content only?
3) if I wanted to say make a game or a tool(app) will java work or something else?
What I'm getting at is there are alot of differant programs out there butwhat do they do? or what do they build? like I was given an older program to learn with (Code warrior 4) if I buy the books then spend the time what can I do with it after? just scripts for networking?
this seems to be hard to get straight answersfor, for the people I know, maybe you could help me out?
Thanks