Programming Uber-Noob ( Where to Start ! )

[Bubo]

Hi All

I am in my second year using Linux having come from the point, click and invariably crash world of windoze. I openly admit that I have found Linux a very steep learning curve and have struggled with various configuration issue's many times over the last couple of years but now class myself as confident, if not always competent Linux user.

I have found that the learning process has prodded my appetite for pastures new and I would now like to start doing new and exciting things both with my Slackware box, and my new found skills.

Therefore I have decided that I would very much like to start looking at programming and development but don't really know where to start. I have found some tutorials on google and had a go (java and c++) and have dabbled with html in Bluefish and Quanta with limited success but soon find myself either lost or totally confused.

So I have come here to ask, where is the best place to start ? What, if any is the best language for a complete noob to start with that will give me credible results ? Can anyone suggest any good reading material (online or otherwise) that I can use to ease me in ?

Any advice appreciated.

Bubo

[AlexK]

IMO, the best language to start with is C, most, if not all other programming languages are so similar to C that most of the concepts you pick up in C (with the exception of Object Oriented programming) can be ported to other programming languages. A good C reference is the Kernighan & Ritchie "C programming Langage". Also check out www.cprogramming.com for more info.

[burnit]

If you are starting with C (IMO the best choice), you should learn to use "make", then autotool (autoconf, automake and co.); these tools are usefull for managing and compiling projects written in many language (even if they are C oriented). You you learn these, you will be able to speed up project management...

Good luck!

[Bubo]

Thanks for the suggestions. I will give it a C or C++ a go I think (cprogramming.com recommends c++).

I have "kdevelop" installed on my box but I found the interface a bit daunting when I had a quick look at it. Is that a good tool to start with or should I look around for something simpler.

Bubo

[Roxoff]

In my experience, finding what to write is harder than learning how to write it.

Think a little about what programs you want to write before you start. And the guys posting above are right (imho); C is an excellent choice to learn programming with.

[Bubo]

Thanks All

The consensus seems to be "C" so that is that I am going with.

No doubt I will be back soon with some dumb questions when things go wrong !

Thanks Again

Bubo

[benjamin20]

ya, c is probobly one of the best starts. its been agreed that java is truly the modern biginer programing language (this is going to be what you learn in into to comp science 101) but really the aspect of object oriented pograming is realy a complicated and daunting thing to learn (not to say its bad, its really a wonderfull thing, just takes some time to get used to. and it realy helps to understand the problem it solves). when you learn c though, try and use c++ but without object oriented programing. you will get access to the super cool iostream library. it allows you to ise strings. normaly to do a string of characters you have to make an aray of chars and blah blah blah. with iostream you just make a string like you do an integer. not to mention the benifits of isong the string. plus when you move on to c++. you wont have to learn about the wird little differences between them all of a suden.

[the_unforgiven]

you will get access to the super cool iostream library. it allows you to ise strings. normaly to do a string of characters you have to make an aray of chars and blah blah blah. with iostream you just make a string like you do an integer. not to mention the benifits of isong the string. plus when you move on to c++.

Just a small correction, string is not part of iostream, but STL - Standard Template Library.

To be more precise, the string class is a specialization of a general container template basic_string - specialised for char.

The STL provides a lot more containers/data structures and alogrithms than just the basic string of chars.
Check out :
http://techpubs.sgi.com/library/tpl/...veloper/STL_PG

Click on the download link to download the entire documentation of STL for offline browsing.