Programming Hobby

Kiroy · 02-12-2007, 04:42 AM

Advice needed:

I have absolutely zero programming experience, but I'd like to goof around and try it as a hobby. A co worker told me to learn C or visual basic, then .net and java but I don't really know how to start short of going to barnes and noble (and maybe that's the answer). Any beginner friendly websites out there I could check out? Any book recommendations?

I may go take a college course or two, but I don't really want to drop the cash for a hobby.

thx

Slide · 02-12-2007, 04:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kiroy

Advice needed:

I have absolutely zero programming experience, but I'd like to goof around and try it as a hobby. A co worker told me to learn C or visual basic, then .net and java but I don't really know how to start short of going to barnes and noble (and maybe that's the answer). Any beginner friendly websites out there I could check out? Any book recommendations?

I may go take a college course or two, but I don't really want to drop the cash for a hobby.

thx

Java first. It will teach you good transferable habits. Stay away from C or Basic to start with.

Google is your friend. Best way to learn is to set yourself a simple but challenging task, make a Tetris clone in Java.

Java Technology - Eclipse.org home

Books by O'Reilly usually are decent.

Benito Fireslinger · 02-12-2007, 07:33 AM

depends on what you want to do wtih your programming.

Web programming - Ruby because rails makes web applications in a fraction of the time of using jsp/servlets for java

Regular applications - java is nice but it becomes hard to find actual stuff to do with it that is useful.

Ruby is super easy to learn and has nice syntax that makes sense to people that do not have the programming background.

Dumar · 02-12-2007, 07:42 AM

i would start with visual basic .net. i've used c,c++, java, and others. i started with c++, and it was a horrible experience.

cyanbane · 02-12-2007, 08:20 AM

Visual C#

Once you learn C#, java and C++ are not hard to pick up at all. Can use for both web and application work.

Also Free IDE, tools.

Hosting will cost you a little more if you start to do web work.

Agree with previous poster, O'Reily and Addison-Wesley books are top knotch.

Tuco · 02-12-2007, 08:41 AM

Like Benito said, it depends on what you want to do.

For producing applicants that you can run on your computer and do different stuff, I'd suggest you do C#. The primary reason I suggest this is because:

MSDN Library

I'd also suggest you get Visual Studio 2005, the reason for this is it has intelli sense, where if you have an object you can type the name of that object (For example "FriendsOfTuco" and then a period "." and it'll pop a list of all of Tuco's Friends as well as any operations you can do with them.

Is an incredibly good resource for everything in C#.

Other reasons for C# is because it'll probably be used a lot in the future like C++ is now, and because it's a well laid out language.

Khorum · 02-12-2007, 08:42 AM

If you're starting from scratch and are interested in learning a language that's conceptually rich, learn Java. It's easy to pick up, has tons (almost too much) of free documentation floating around and has practical API's for everything you could imagine. Java conditions you in the most important habits and concepts you'll need to learn for every other language. Not just the nitty-gritty syntactic basics either, but also the sad working realities of debugging and API cruft.

James · 02-12-2007, 09:18 AM

Maybe it's just me, but uhh. Fuck Java. You can learn basic programming concepts in just about anything, I started out with scripting mIRC and then moved on (very easily) to Pascal, then to C++, C, a tad bit of Assembly, etc, etc. It's extremely easy to learn languages, but hard to pick up the concepts and apply them correctly. If you want to move on to something greater than just fucking around, I'd recommend starting out with an Object Oriented language, like C++.

Anything but Java. Man, fuck Java.

Khorum · 02-12-2007, 09:44 AM

Hell if he wants to learn a hobby I suppose web scripting or PERL wouldn't be too bad, but then that's strictly scripting (though it's hard to imagine what you CAN'T do with PERL that you can do with any other platform). I'll admit nowadays java can be as oblique as c, but at its core you can still get running UI apps without much effort.

I've managed and trained engineers for years under C/C++ but I still demand new hires get familiar with java. A firm grip on Java lets me take some important assumptions about a programmer's grasp of OO workflow. That way when the hire moves into production, we can focus on the nightmare of C++ build directives, compiler environments, and training the poor shmuck for what he'll be doing for most of his career: staring at a debugger.

Vorph · 02-12-2007, 09:49 AM

Second (third?) the C# recommendation, and... fuck Java. I feel sorry for people going through college since that fad caught on and having to use Java as their learning tool.

The Dauntless One · 02-12-2007, 03:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vorph

Second (third?) the C# recommendation, and... fuck Java. I feel sorry for people going through college since that fad caught on and having to use Java as their learning tool.

when i started college our first language was vb.net... since last fall semester they changed it to C#... i fucking hate them

PigBenis · 02-12-2007, 03:40 PM

C#. It has some of the complexity of C++, but the simplicity of VB. Fuck Java.

Get yourself a copy of Visual Studio 2005 and go to town. Sadly, I can't really recommend a book, as I was taught the language in college. I prefer to learn by a book myself.

Kallian · 02-12-2007, 05:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by James

Maybe it's just me, but uhh. Fuck Java. You can learn basic programming concepts in just about anything, I started out with scripting mIRC and then moved on (very easily) to Pascal, then to C++, C, a tad bit of Assembly, etc, etc. It's extremely easy to learn languages, but hard to pick up the concepts and apply them correctly. If you want to move on to something greater than just fucking around, I'd recommend starting out with an Object Oriented language, like C++.

Anything but Java. Man, fuck Java.

You don't know shit.

Oh, OP, start with Java.

Vorph · 02-12-2007, 07:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Dauntless One

when i started college our first language was vb.net... since last fall semester they changed it to C#... i fucking hate them

That's good to hear. My first year was Pascal with a C option (ahh, the glory days when OOP didn't exist), meaning you could learn it on your own and use it if you wanted. By the time I was a senior they'd already gone to C++ and dropped it for Java a year later. But hey, at least I can look back and be able to laugh at all the people who said Java was going to change the world when it first came out.

Zuuljin · 02-12-2007, 09:03 PM

I'd recommend java. Its much easier to pick up and learn then C/C++. Not sure about C#, but i'm pretty sure its just a javad version of C.

02-12-2007, 04:42 AM	#1 (permalink)
Kiroy CORP POR! Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 1,114 -1 Internets	Programming Hobby Advice needed: I have absolutely zero programming experience, but I'd like to goof around and try it as a hobby. A co worker told me to learn C or visual basic, then .net and java but I don't really know how to start short of going to barnes and noble (and maybe that's the answer). Any beginner friendly websites out there I could check out? Any book recommendations? I may go take a college course or two, but I don't really want to drop the cash for a hobby. thx __________________ ORALE!!! CHAMACOS!!

02-12-2007, 07:33 AM	#3 (permalink)
Benito Fireslinger Registered User Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Georgia Posts: 333 +0 Internets	depends on what you want to do wtih your programming. Web programming - Ruby because rails makes web applications in a fraction of the time of using jsp/servlets for java Regular applications - java is nice but it becomes hard to find actual stuff to do with it that is useful. Ruby is super easy to learn and has nice syntax that makes sense to people that do not have the programming background. __________________ Archimonde

02-12-2007, 08:20 AM	#5 (permalink)
cyanbane Registered User Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 121 -1 Internets	Visual C# Once you learn C#, java and C++ are not hard to pick up at all. Can use for both web and application work. Also Free IDE, tools. Hosting will cost you a little more if you start to do web work. Agree with previous poster, O'Reily and Addison-Wesley books are top knotch. __________________ http://www.warhammer-daily.com http://www.eq2-daily.com

02-12-2007, 08:41 AM	#6 (permalink)
Tuco Forum Janitor Join Date: May 2002 Location: Detroit Posts: 8,214 +12 Internets	Like Benito said, it depends on what you want to do. For producing applicants that you can run on your computer and do different stuff, I'd suggest you do C#. The primary reason I suggest this is because: MSDN Library I'd also suggest you get Visual Studio 2005, the reason for this is it has intelli sense, where if you have an object you can type the name of that object (For example "FriendsOfTuco" and then a period "." and it'll pop a list of all of Tuco's Friends as well as any operations you can do with them. Is an incredibly good resource for everything in C#. Other reasons for C# is because it'll probably be used a lot in the future like C++ is now, and because it's a well laid out language. __________________ Arthur's Hall: A Forum for men.

02-12-2007, 09:49 AM	#10 (permalink)
Vorph Never Go Full Retard Join Date: May 2002 Location: Hell Posts: 5,618	Second (third?) the C# recommendation, and... fuck Java. I feel sorry for people going through college since that fad caught on and having to use Java as their learning tool. __________________ Last edited by Vorph : 02-12-2007 at 09:52 AM.

02-12-2007, 08:42 AM	#7 (permalink)
Khorum Registered User Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Chicago Posts: 4,594 -32 Internets	If you're starting from scratch and are interested in learning a language that's conceptually rich, learn Java. It's easy to pick up, has tons (almost too much) of free documentation floating around and has practical API's for everything you could imagine. Java conditions you in the most important habits and concepts you'll need to learn for every other language. Not just the nitty-gritty syntactic basics either, but also the sad working realities of debugging and API cruft.

02-12-2007, 09:44 AM	#9 (permalink)
Khorum Registered User Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Chicago Posts: 4,594 -32 Internets	Hell if he wants to learn a hobby I suppose web scripting or PERL wouldn't be too bad, but then that's strictly scripting (though it's hard to imagine what you CAN'T do with PERL that you can do with any other platform). I'll admit nowadays java can be as oblique as c, but at its core you can still get running UI apps without much effort. I've managed and trained engineers for years under C/C++ but I still demand new hires get familiar with java. A firm grip on Java lets me take some important assumptions about a programmer's grasp of OO workflow. That way when the hire moves into production, we can focus on the nightmare of C++ build directives, compiler environments, and training the poor shmuck for what he'll be doing for most of his career: staring at a debugger.

02-12-2007, 03:40 PM	#12 (permalink)
PigBenis duh Join Date: May 2002 Location: Boiler Up Posts: 599 -23 Internets	C#. It has some of the complexity of C++, but the simplicity of VB. Fuck Java. Get yourself a copy of Visual Studio 2005 and go to town. Sadly, I can't really recommend a book, as I was taught the language in college. I prefer to learn by a book myself.

02-12-2007, 09:03 PM	#15 (permalink)
Zuuljin So there's this plane on a treadmill... Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Southern California Posts: 2,932 +5 Internets	I'd recommend java. Its much easier to pick up and learn then C/C++. Not sure about C#, but i'm pretty sure its just a javad version of C.

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