What should i start with

[masterleo]

What programming language should i start with. I do not know much about programming, but i would love to.

Masterleo

 

[timmay3141]

I started with C++ and haven't had any problems. Some people say it's not good for starting out because it has many low level features that can be hard to work with. I'd say it's good for that reason: if you don't know what your code is doing and hiding from you, it can be really easy to write very inefficient algorithms.

 

[Skute]

Start with VB! Easy program to pick up and learn, will get you used to dealing with creating applications and the problems associated with them. When you are comfortable with VB move onto c++

Skute

"There are 10 types of people in this World, those that understand binary, and those that don't!"

 

[Zyrenthian]

I too started with C++. Maybe it is because of how I was taught but I can "pick up" other languages easilly now. A lot of proprietory (sp?) programming languages I have seen are very similar to c/c++ as well. With C++ knowledge, I taught myself vb. VB is, as Skute said, very easy to pick up. There were some limitations I found but all I did was write a C++ dll and linked it in. Lastly, at least in my area (new england), there are more jobs for C++ programmers then VB. If you are looking to make a profession out of it, I would push you towards C++. If you are just programming for fun, go the VB route. The GUI design and straight-forwardness of the programming will be a big plus.

Matt

 

[blazero]

I began with C, but it was because my local library had few C++ books, but soon afterwards I switched over to C++. Bad idea to begin with a language that is completely different from C++, as it's easy to mix them together.

 

[Salem]

There are two very different aspects.

1. Learning to program.
This covers basic things like how to use
- sequence (add flour, add egg),
- selection (chocolate chips or raisins),
- iteration (stir 50 times)
What algorithms are and how to choose which one to use, say
- bubble sort vs. quicksort
What the primary data structures are and how to use them
- arrays, lists, trees, hashes
How to generate a requirement (what do you want)
How to generate a design (how will you do it)
How to organise your code/data in a modular fashion so that it is
- testable
- maintainable
- reusable

This is more or less independent of the programming language
you use. If you learn and practice with an actual language,
it need not be the one you end up using for real work.
I learnt to program with Pascal, but I've never used it since.

This is your truly portable skill set which you can re-use
across a wide variety of programming languages.

If you're just doing a quick hack as it were, you may just
imagine the requirement and design in your head for a couple
of seconds. For a really big project it may take you and
your colleagues several months to complete.


2. Learning a programming language.
This is how you actually use your programming knowledge to
solve your real world problems. Ideally, you will learn
several different programming languages (not just close
cousins like C and C++). Then you will be able to choose
the most appropriate language(s) for the problem at hand.

If you just learn a programming language, you'll be stuck being
a "hello world" programmer in the language of your choice. That
is, you'll only ever be able to tackle relatively small programming
tasks before the size of the problem overwelms your ability to
cope with it.

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