14 replies to this topic

[duce1nik]

Hi, I'm new to program and I would like some help getting started my question is I want to learn program for window based where should i start? what the different between all the language C/C++, C# and visual basic. What language should i start learning? Any help pointing in to the right direction to get started would be greatly appreciated. thanks you in advance for any reply

[Shaddix]

VB.NET would be the best language to start to learn how to program

it's easy to learn because you don't need to worry about putting a ";" after each line, and you have to use less "(" and ")"

also for creating a window application it's very easy because the main IDE (Visual Studio) comes with an easy drag and drop system, that way you don't have to worry about how to code a window

check out a tutorial and download Visual Studio Express Edition from the microsoft site (it's free), that should get you started ;)

[WingedPanther]

@duce1nik: you may have just started another language war.

Different languages have a variety of different features, many of which won't make any sense if you are new to programming in general. Concepts like Object-Oriented versus Procedural programming won't make any sense, for example, nor will the differences between strong and weak type systems, etc.

From a practical standpoint, C++, C#, Java, Delphi/Lazarus, and VB.NET will all allow you to do more-or-less the same things. There are style differences and there are lots of detail differences that won't make much sense right now. In addition, there are different development environments and supporting libraries (extra functionality) that can create a lot of variability in your experience of programming. .NET languages and Delphi/Lazarus, for example, make it very easy to graphically design a program under windows. C++ and Java don't automatically do this, but there are a variety of development programs that can make it just as easy. What none of these will tell you is that it also makes it easier to not know what your program is doing.

Relevant questions: Do you plan to code for Windows, or for other operating systems as well? How much money do you want to invest in this (you can get far in several languages with just a computer)? What types of programs do you want to create? Do you plan to create web-pages as well?

[duce1nik]

thanx Shaddix and Wingedpanther for replying.:thumbup: I will mainly be coding for windows, plan on learning to program Iphone app but that way down the road. Type of software that I want to program is for Customer database, record keeping etc, and yes I plan on creating web page

[WingedPanther]

I would start with C, then move on to C++ and Objective-C. Objective-C is the defacto languages of the Mac/iGadget world.

[TheSourceOfX]

Which language to start with is a tricky question. I think that both WingerPanther and Shaddix are right, but for different reasons. C is a great language to get started with, but only if you can handle learning the syntax and grammar while at the same time learning how to think like a programmer. That means understanding how to format your code and in what order you want things to happen. If your logic skills are honed enough that you can handle learning both at the same time, then C is a great choice. If you don't feel like you can do both simultaneously though then VB.Net might be a better choice. With VB.Net the grammar and syntax as so simple that you can focus on learning how to think like a programmer, and once you feel more comfortable with that you can switch to learning a more versatile language like C.

So I would suggest going with WingedPanther's suggestion first and trying to learn C, and if you can't then give it a break for a bit and learn VB.Net for a while to get the general hang of programming first before going back to C.

-TheSourceOfX

[tomasr]

hi, for anyone new to programming, i've got a bunch of good programming tips on my blog post: blogs.windwardreports.com/tomasr/2010/02/programming-tips-from-tomas.html

[outsid3r]

duce1nik said:

Hi, I'm new to program and I would like some help getting started my question is I want to learn program for window based where should i start? what the different between all the language C/C++, C# and visual basic. What language should i start learning? Any help pointing in to the right direction to get started would be greatly appreciated. thanks you in advance for any reply

Seriously... just don't read what shaddix said... starting with VB it's terrible, but then you start to program in an IDE like visual studio with such abstracted features, well, i can't imagine a worst recommendation. Definitely you should start with procedural languages like C, then move to C++ and study the differences by using the facilities that standard library offers, later on you should start study OOP programming, classes and abstraction. It's also very important to study advanced data structures and algorithms. In the end, if you're interested in windows programming and GUI applications you can try visual studio, which provides a very rich set of well designed classes that ranges the whole operating system, to make windows programming more easy and productive.

[TriggerHappy]

Why would you tell somebody to start with C(++) for their first language? C looks like a trainwreck in general, and when you combine that with a newbie programmer it's going to be very frustrating.

I suggest any .NET language (except VB.NET), ruby, or python.

[Red_Shadow]

Shaddix said:

VB.NET would be the best language to start to learn how to program

No no no no...

The only language that can't possibly be used to learn is VB. Because every programmer trained with it will be *permanently* brain-damaged. VB is the root cause of ugly and junky code.

Heed ye the advice of the grande hacker's dictionary:
" BASIC:
[acronym: Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code] A programming language, originally designed for Dartmouth's experimental timesharing system in the early 1960s, which has since become the leading cause of brain damage in proto-hackers. Edsger W. Dijkstra observed in "Selected Writings on Computing: A Personal Perspective" that "It is practically impossible to teach good programming style to students that have had prior exposure to BASIC: as potential programmers they are mentally mutilated beyond hope of regeneration." This is another case (like Pascal) of the cascading lossage that happens when a language deliberately designed as an educational toy gets taken too seriously. A novice can write short BASIC programs (on the order of 10-20 lines) very easily; writing anything longer (a) is very painful, and (b) encourages bad habits that will make it harder to use more powerful languages well. This wouldn't be so bad if historical accidents hadn't made BASIC so common on low-end micros. As it is, it ruins thousands of potential wizards a year. "

[Osnarf]

Seeing as the OP mentioned it, figured i'd ask. As far as iPhone programming goes, i know that you can now use c++ and openGL alone (with some windows SDK that I can't remember the name of) to program for the iPhone. Could anybody recommend whether to learn c++ and openGL first or still stick with Objective C and Cocoa?

[Red_Shadow]

Objective C and Cocoa are only really useful for Mac's and related Apple bloatware. I'd recommend C++, but do as you wish.