Start programming !

[DeadRabbit]

Hi guys,

I've seen a few posts in the forum from people thinking about learning to program.

Up until wednesday I'd never written any kind of code in my life.

However, I was sent on a course to learn something called PSL script (a scripting languge for a piece of software called Patrol), and even though this IS NOT the same as C++, another guy who was on the course with me (who can program in several languages) explained that once I'd learnt to write PSL script then learning C++ and other languages would be a fairly simple task.

My point though is this, even though I had never written any kind of script or code or whatever , the fundemental part of lerning to write a program was actually in working out the logic of "HOW" to make it do what you wanted it to. The actual functions of the language can be read out of a reference book.

Now obviously I'm not implying that within days weeks or months that you will be able to write an emulator or anything as complex as that, but trust me, I'm not a particularly clever person, but once the basics of how to structure a program, call functions etc, was out of the way, it simply boiled down to being able to use logic.

What I'm saying is, don't wait around and put it off for years as I have done,



Just go for it, you'll be surprised at what you can achieve in a relatively short amount of time.

(A long post I know, sorry about that)

[Malcolm]

this is very true, programming is all about using someone elses code to make what you want. Now you may have to alter the code, or combine different parts of code together but its all about functions that other people have made and putting it toward your own goal.

It isn't always simple but theres always code out there for the thing you want to make, you just have to find which part of code and how to arrange it to make it do what you want

[DuDe]

Hehe, think about the first programmers that programmed in hexa

[icepir8]

Originally posted by DuDe
Hehe, think about the first programmers that programmed in hexa

Ahhh, those were the days.

[sytaylor]

*LOL*

/me thinks that takes icepir8 back

and deadrabbit essentially just told everyone the fundementals of programming, its not quite as important for the giddly little personal programs you may write, and the design stages are by far some of the most difficult and less enjoyable... but good design can essentially avoid bugs and increase productivity

[thecraft]

I just started programming two weeks ago. I use a simple and free programming language called AutoIt. I finished a bugless Popup Killer less than one day I started. Course, AutoIt is just the simple stuff like HTML, but I got 4 other apps finished atleast.

[Sukh]

I'm learning C++ atm, and it can be a real bitch. Some of the books just don't explain some of the stuff you need to know and some taking absolutely ages to show you how to print out onto a console screen. ARGH!

[sytaylor]

C++ can be a bitch to learn from books since everyone and their horse claims to be an expert at it, and pretty much nobody is (except emu authors heh), and the problem is that there are so many ways oof doing the same thing, different books give different info.. id suggest looking on amazon's best rated books and read reviews carefully

[Eagle]

Well, what the professors here tell us is that we dont take classes on C++ or any other language because we want to know how to program it but because we want to learn the fundamentals of programming, which in any language is the same (except machine and assembly languages which arent used much anymore). Our instructors tell us that employers want us to have a bachelor's degree not because they want to see that we know C++ since by the time we do get the Bachlor, there will be something better, but instead the employers want to see that we know the basics of programming and can learn new languages.