Poll of the Day > Thinking of learning to code, where to start

(+) Yeah! (+)

Google doesnt help since im getting a gazillion different starting points
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Code academy should be a fine starting point.
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Play a mud, coding will become 70% of what you do.
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In yo butt
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Learn logical syllogisms first. Almost all the procedural languages have the same basic commands, only with different language and syntax. But if you know the correct syllogism you can use anything.
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http://images.mentalfloss.com/sites/default/files/261961-a_konami.png?resize=1100x740
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https://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/210-game-design-and-programming/65399266
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Another way to learn if raw study doesn't appeal. Pick a language that seems to do things you want to do, and then pick a simple project you want to accomplish. Learn the commands as you need them to finish your project.

The first thing I ever coded was a shitty shitty 2d game where you're a block and there's a maze and you can't stop moving so you have to follow the maze.
So I learned to create objects, control them, and collide them.

What your first projects are will depend on what you're interested in and what the language is good at.
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^^thats actually some solid advice
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Lightning Bolt posted...

Another way to learn if raw study doesn't appeal. Pick a language that seems to do things you want to do, and then pick a simple project you want to accomplish. Learn the commands as you need them to finish your project.

this is really good advice. IMO 99% of learning to program is being given a task and working on it. CompSci lectures are very often boring, what I always really wanted was just to get to the damn assignments.
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^ this is true except that you'll find that your skill determines how big of a project you can manage at once. at first, the tiniest text-based menu program takes pretty much all of your cognitive effort. eventually, you can write usable business applications in a matter of hours, almost automatically.
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yep as others have said, just break the problem into smaller pieces. you will run into bugs, and you will spend hours upon hours debugging but that's the joy of coding. have fun

of course check out something like codeacademy first. maybe read python for dummies or something. just so you know at least vaguely what a "program" will look like... it probably won't be that surprising but some people starting have absolutely no clue

and I did mention Python. I would recommend Python unless you're making a video game or a website
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Zangulus posted...

Well, I'm drunk, so the finer nuances of my way of programming doesn't exactly come out clearly. But yeah. Anyone can really make anything, they just have to break it down further and further. A lot of the times I decide what I want to do next, and then might make a seperate program just for the purpose of that portion. Once I figur ei tout, I incorporate it back into the main design.

one of the main things is to maintain a library and extract problems that you solve up into your libraries so that you can reuse your solutions. anything that you ever have to think about, extract it out for reuse. constantly be on the lookout for things you hate doing, and make a function or class to do it for you so you never have to think about it again. do this enough times and problems start to be easier and easier to solve.

(long as I'm rambling about this, as an aside, I will mention that one thing to avoid if possible with GUI applications are designers that hide the GUI code. what you want is to be able to write your own GUI code that still shows up visually somewhere, especially as you type it. designers that hide the GUI code from you prevent you from ever applying iterative refinement to it. (I've actually written my own scripting language for this purpose which allows me to generate complex nigh-perfect GUI layouts with almost no effort. this is completely impossible to do when the designer forces you not to code.))
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First you ask on some forum what the best language for you is right now.

My answer to that is Java or C#... flip a coin. I personally prefer C#. Anything other than those two is going to be either too hard or too obscure to be useful.

Python is pretty, but you really need a specific reason to be using it. Java is popular, but don't expect to put a Java game up on Steam and have a good time. C# is like a dream, but it's Microsoft's and they want you to use it to make Windows programs. C++ I can't recommend to anyone new.

My brutal honesty answer is C# is the only way to go right now. It's still not a huge deal because most of what you learn carries to most other languages.

After that you're basically Googling tutorials, and the rest depends on your patience.

Yellow posted...

My answer to that is Java or C#... flip a coin. I personally prefer C#. Anything other than those two is going to be either too hard or too obscure to be useful.

Python is probably another good choice, but I don't know much about it other than it apparently being a good starter language.
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Sahuagin posted...

Python is probably another good choice, but I don't know much about it other than it apparently being a good starter language.

Can't be any worse than BASIC, that was my first language.. when I started in 2012. I'm still unlearning so much.

I want to learn Python, but I just don't see any reason to besides curiosity. I've seen only a couple Python scripts, I think hackers like them because of how much it simplifies basic things. Idk, I'm looking at a couple scripts and it doesn't seem like the kiddie gloves are on.

http://code.activestate.com/recipes/580811-uno-text-based/

I do love the way it looks though. I can't tell anyone they shouldn't learn it.

if you write python for a living you have to pray to Guido every day and love all that is Pythonic(tm)
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I appreciate the responses

I'm actually looking forward to doing this, thanks all
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mastermix3000 posted...

Google doesnt help since im getting a gazillion different starting points

That's because there is a gazillion starting points, and picking any one of them is probably fine.

Python isn't a bad choice if you're really new, and want as little hassle as possible while you're sorting out the absolute basics. In general, I lean toward C# as being in the sweet spot between ease of use and suitability for large projects.
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http://home.cc.gatech.edu/dorn/jeroo
It's essentially "baby steps" coding.