decompiled

I am a computer science student in my senior year. I started with Visual Basic 6 on my own. It was an interesting thing to start with because you are able to build usable applications very quickly.

If your just looking to make simple things then that is certainly a nice way to start. However, if your looking to really understand computer science then I would not start with VB6.

C is the basis for most modern languages... so it's implied that you should start with C. C++ is the evolution of C and that's where I would go after you are comfortable with C. After C++ you could move onto Java or C#. You'll begin to see C++ shortcomings working with Java or C#( C++ devs will tell you it's strengths ).

C is mainly used today for embedded systems and system programming because it's very close to the hardware level. Then perhaps you can study a bit of Assembly and you will see exactly how C interacts with the machine.

It's a beautiful thing once you understand this level on the machine. It's probably the hardest aspect of computer science to grasp IMHO.

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KloroFormd

I've been trying to teach myself Python as a first language.


I'm lazy...

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kdbolt70

Dang, I wish I would've seen this thread earlier.

As I sit at my desk at a development company on lunch from designing some banking software, I'll give you my little input. I, like some others, started off sort of indirectly learning HTML just for basic website creation and modification. At first I didn't even realize I was "programming" it felt more like "painting". However the basic ideas helped me get into the programming world. Its a good initial language to start with because you can write one line of it and see the results pop up on screen. Good luck with that in C.

A more advanced but still nicely functioning language is Java. I actually picked it up after learning the C's, but I can see how it wouldn't be to difficult with following some tutorials for a first timer. Quick results can be very confidence building for a new programmer.

I like what decompiled said however. Writing "fluff" Java really doesn't get you deeper into the heart of whats happening. The same goes for Python and the other "lazy" (ha) languages. While I think writing useful and simple code is very inportant for first starting off and getting some practice, eventually learning how your code is working is beneficial as well. When I first started writing in assembly I wanted to shoot myself, it seemed sooo redundant, but I eventually got why its inportant to understand. Seeing the code in action behind the scenes gives you a better view of how it works up front. If you plan on going into a computer related field this will be taken care of in school down the road, but its nice to take a look at to get a good grasp on things.

That being said, If I were to do it again I'd probably get good with some basic web languages, like HTML, CSS, etc. This is because as a young programmer, you'd definetly get the most benefits and see the most "useful" results from being fluent in these languages. After I got the hang of that, I'd move into C++. You really don't need to learn C in order to move to C++, Its just syntax that gets changed and some new features (However going backwards to C after learning C++ can be annoying, hope you don't have to do that). C++ is a great, albeit complex, language to really understand the concept of object oriented design, which will help you in many other languages down the road. It may take a while before you see the benefits and power of the C language after whipping out pretty pages in HTML, but you'll eventually get the hang of it. After I'd go on to C# and or VB.NET, which is often the most sought after languages in the CS field today.


So depending upon if you want to do this just for fun and your own personal use, or to eventually make a career out of it, you can choose different paths for your programming education. No matter what you'll enjoy it (for the most part ) and feel gratified once you get your first big project completed.


And don't let the first 4 hour bug to discourage you

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aHandzProduction

Took a semester of Java, had too, it was entertaining, professor was cool and I think it might be a good language for a starter. I am not an avid programmer, only had a semester of BASIC before that!

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