Computer Programming

[Defrager]

The university I went to taught mostly everything in C#. Apparently they pick the main language based upon what local companies are asking for graduates to know and all said C# and even better if we knew at least enough C++ to get us by also.

C# is good. There are plenty of tutorials/books everywhere and it's not as painful as jumping into C++ from nothing.

If you want to avoid object orientated stuff to begin with though and just work with variables and inputs and what not, then do C

[reinere]

I've heard from a few different people that Python is better to learn over Java just to avoid picking up some bad habits Java can teach. This may be out dated info though.

MIT has quite a few open courses you can go through, and they have previous years up for free if you decide to go through them.
http : //ocw.mit.edu/courses/electrical-engineering-and-computer-science/6-00-introduction-to-computer-science-and-programming-fall-2008/

[Kujako]

The university I went to taught mostly everything in C#. Apparently they pick the main language based upon what local companies are asking for graduates to know and all said C# and even better if we knew at least enough C++ to get us by also.

And that was the problem I had with going to school for programming. By the time you're done, no one cares about C# anymore and you've been taught a ridged methodology that is hard to apply elsewhere. A good curriculum should cover several languages and how they differ, that way you can easily adapt to what a given job demands. I dont often need to find a new job, but when I do my answer is always "yes" when asked if I can work in a given language, even if I've never touched it before. Once you are exposed to enough different systems, picking up a new one is a matter of a weekend basking in the LED screens light.

Java is a good start of course. But I would look at C++ as well since GCC is a free compiler. Likewise, if you want to look into what you can use to make money with right now, you can get the Android development kit for free and start playing around with phone development even if you dont have an Android phone (kit includes an emulator). You can also look at Salesforce APEX language as that is what a LOT of businesses are using these days for cloud computing, and again a developers account and tools are free.

[tibben]

You'll need to download the Java Platform first, before you can run any programs that you'll write. Get it for free from the official source:

http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/ja...ads/index.html

Next you'll need an "IDE." That's the program environment where you will write, test, and run your code. A good one is the Eclipse IDE for Java, but it's by no means the only one. Use google to find one.

All of this is free. You might want to invest in a book that teaches Java if you can find one for good deal, but otherwise you can learn a lot online.

Eclipse and NetBeans are probably the most common IDEs for Java programming. I prefer Eclipse, but they both have some nice features. As for Java programming, if you go with a book instead of internet tutorials make sure the book is for the same version of Java that you download. Otherwise you can run into some interesting issues, especially once you try to start working with generics. You can almost certainly find plenty of Java tutorials online with examples to get you started if you don't want to purchase a book.

Remember to start simple and don't try to take on giant projects right off the bat. Ease your way into it or you will end up with a bunch of code that does nothing and get discouraged. Don't expect to design a full length 3D game in a month. It takes years to gain the knowledge you need to do all that is required for that type of project. Well, that and you need an artist that is good with 3D modeling.

[Stevoman]

Java and C# are the best languages you can start with. I recommend C# because:

It's very similar to C/C++ and you'll be able to pick those up quick.
It's easier to get started with, just install Visual Studio Express.
It has one of the best debuggers out there.

[Jdman]

Pascal!

Seriously took this in high school turned me off programming forever, plan on trying programming again someday I suppose.

actually I just searched and I guess skype is programmed from pascal, didnt realize it was still used