Board 8 > So I want to get into programming. What should I start with?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Homeschooled so no programming classes in high school to do...Any good books/websites to learn and what kind of programming should I learn first?

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10 PRINT "Hello World!"

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Learn Python so you understand what you're doing first, then once you get a good grasp on how to produce pseudocode and algorithms, then move onto a different language, like Java or C++.

A good starting point is solving text based games using premade algorithms to learn how to properly implement them.

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I'd recommend C++ if you're serious about it.

I learned on Java, but Java really has you ignore some fundamental concepts that I'm still weaker on than I should be because my first years of programming I never had to think about it. Java is nice for learning basic programming logic, but you miss a lot of the details.

If that gets too frustrating then Java is certainly a valid option. The joke is that C gives you the tools to hang yourself, while C++ ties the noose for you.

The higher level languages are easier to learn, but they also cause you to miss more of the underlying concepts. Python's a nice language for scripting, but I wouldn't suggest sticking with it for much longer than understanding basic programming logic if you want to learn the fundamentals.

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Java > python in terms of learning. Going from static to dynamic typing is smoother.

I always vote against python because of dynamic typing.

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PhoneYoshi

Been teaching myself some C++ lately (though haven't had time for the last month or so). I recommend picking the best language (from what I hear, C++ is going places) and just practicing it every day, reading some books + online guides. I think stuff is easy to learn as long as you have the time and practice every day.

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If you want to be able to make games ASAP then use Game Maker. It uses a code language called GML that is very flexible and easy to work with, but you can also use simple click-and-drag interfaces and a graphic level editor to get started without having to learn everything all at once. GML is based on C++ IIRC, so what you learn can definitely be applied to more professional languages.

Me and one of my friends started making games with Game Maker when we were like 10. Now I'm a professional 3D artist and he's a programmer who's already made quite a name for himself making old-school freeware games. So to us at least, it was a very good starting point.

Start with java, C++ or even C. All three are used frequently so there useful and are rather simple to learn.

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rawr

C is the most pain in the ass language to actually use, of what I've seriously used. However, it's also the best for learning the concepts of how everything actually works, short of Assembly which I wouldn't recommend until you really know what you're doing.

So yeah, I'd start with C. It'll probably be a pain to start with (Though I was spoiled by the relative easy of C++ and Java first, which might be why I found it so annoying <_<), but I think you'll be better off for it in the long run, if you're really serious here.

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I only know fortran

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I'd suggest starting with C++ or Java

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You use Python to learn concepts, not intricacies.

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Don't start with C, please.

Java or C++ is the conventional choice, so might as well. C++ doesn't hold your hand as much.

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As has been said, Java or C++.

C is "argh why" to start with. Python is also an option, but it's not the best I don't think.

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Python is good for getting into computer science
Java might be better for software engineering

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Do Computer Science when you get to University.

Until then go to Codecademy's website or learn Python.

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