I need a place to start

[codeslave]

ok i would like to start programming preferably in a linux enviroment, i have no experience(other than basic shell scripts and the hello world program in linux) and i need to be pointed in a direction. if i was start learning a language which should i learn? i want to learn c or one of its variations, and then ajax but i dont know where to start. any help would be appreciated and so would anything else. ill even be someones monkeyboy if they show me the ropes. err whatever....please help me i want to learn

[uberlax]

I'd recommend basic C, it will give you a great grounding for pretty much any language that you want to move onto in terms of desktop/client applications. Move onto C++ and object-oriented programming once you're comfortable with the procedural nature of C applications.

Linux is a great start - I started developing with VB on Windows with Visual Studio at school, and subsequently had to unlearn all of my bad habits when I started more serious coding. I'd go for an Ubuntu installation for the fuss-free install, get a compiler setup and open up a text editor to start pasting some code examples.

To install the gcc compiler in Ubuntu, go to the console $ prompt, then type:

$ sudo apt-get update
$ sudo apt-get upgrade
$ sudo apt-get install build-essential

You can then compile any C code by going to the directory that it's in, and typing:

$ gcc <source file>.c -o <executable>

To run the executable, type:

./<executable>

This site is a great resource: Cprogramming.com: How to Get Started with C++

It should point you in the right direction, there's loads of well written tutorials on there to work through: Cprogramming.com Tutorial: Introduction to C

Also worth mentioning; don't try to run before you can walk, the "complicated" concepts like low-level procedures and playing with pointers will seem far easier if you've got a grip of the basics. Skipping ahead to complicated concepts before you've got a grip of the basic concepts will just lead to frustration (speaking from experience).

Hope that helps, have fun!

[codeslave]

thanks that kicks butt