17 replies to this topic

[TcM]

How you start learning a language? You read some ebooks? find tutorials online? you take a course?

What is the best and quickest way?

Thanks

[monkey_instinct]

I like to learn a new (programming) language from a book. I usually pick up something for programmers and not for beginners 'cause they are less expensive and provide you with just the right things for you to learn the languages. The ones I pick up often are the "In A Nutshell" series.

[v0id]

If you already know one language, then you know how conditional statements work, so you don't have to learn that again. So normally, the first thing I do, when I pick up a new language, is simply to learn the syntax of the different conditional statements, which usually can be found everywhere on the internet. Afterwards I start reading on the more advanced topics of the language, and the more language-depend stuff.

[John]

For some reason when ever I start a new programming language I always buy a book, but that book gets put on my bookshelf and never read.... One of these days I will learn not to waste my money on books

In general, I can pick up the basics of a programming language in a day with just some free online tutorials.

[TcM]

So basically you all use online resources... or read books.

I never read books (unless they are ebooks)

[WingedPanther]

I use books. I can set it next to my monitor and not have it competing with the work space on the monitor. Also, I sometimes read a chapter in bed and go to the computer to work on techniques.

[monkey_instinct]

Online tutorials are good to get just the very basics of a language. But if you really want to do something with the language you need to know some things of the core API (libraries, modules, ...).

Quote

I use books. I can set it next to my monitor and not have it competing with the work space on the monitor. Also, I sometimes read a chapter in bed and go to the computer to work on techniques.

I agree with this. For me ebooks are hard to read in comparison with real books.

[TcM]

I find it better reading ebooks. I either read them on my PDA in bed and implement them on the PC afterwards .. or I simple use Alt-Tab on my PC.

[the.anti.9]

For me, I just try to jump right into it. I wait for an idea that i would like to try with a language, and just go for it. Find one of the basic "Intro To X Programming" tutorials online, and start with my program. Google will be your best friend. Once I start to get past the basics - conditional syntax, variable declarations, simple classes and functions - [which usual doesnt take very long] I head right to the book store and look for a book on it. Make sure you pay attention to what the book covers before you actually buy it, look in the table of contents and make sure it has the things you are most likely to want/need. I usually skim the first few chapters in the store to make sure i like how its written, and that it has good examples and relevant and/or well formed code.

[the.anti.9]

Jaan said:

well.. i used one website where i learned my basics.. then i downloaded programs (CMS and other systems) and then i learned from there.. and well.. php.net don't help you a lot (if you don't know what you want to learn.. i mean what functions and so) and well.. it took me while but.. now i know PHP.. well.. i know it alot :) (i think)

I agree with you on that, php.net does not help unless your looking for something in particular. I actually learned the basics from W3Schools Online Web Tutorials actually. They have pretty good tutorials to get you started with php. Helped so much.