Programming?

2008-07-07 13:28:10 UTC

Here's a good set of C++ video tutorials for you:

http://xoax.net/comp/cpp/console/index.php

You can start by following this video to install a free compiler:

http://xoax.net/comp/cpp/console/Lesson0.php

and some simple games:

http://xoax.net/comp/cpp/console/Lesson9.php

http://xoax.net/comp/cpp/console/Lesson23.php

http://xoax.net/comp/cpp/console/Lesson29.php

Please feel free to post any questions to me here:

http://xoax.net/forum/

lansingstudent09101

2008-07-07 19:29:14 UTC

aww Don't use VB, it'll warp your programming mind with craziness, better to look at VB and know they designed the language...poorly in places than get used to that.

Here's what I suggest. Start with HTML, it should give you a good concept of indentation wrapping, all the fundamental stuff.

HTML can be written in notepad, and it's fairly easy. It's not REALLY a programming language, but it will give you something to hook the javascript too.

Once you have HTML down, try getting "JavaScript: the definitive guide" or looking online for things. From there you'll have a grasp on how short scripts work and programming is similar to this, but in a more organized way.

Then go for C++. For C++ you need a

1. Compiler

2. Linker

(in windows these are usually combined into one program).

Microsoft has "Visual Studio C++ Express Edition" which is probably the program the average person would use to start out with in programming C++. You can compile/build (ie make an EXE) with the click of a button.

Visual Basic is cool and has a Visual Studio Express Edition also, but it's so bad for your mind, and you have to keep the DLLs with the program and it has lazy evaluation so it will evaluate both sides of the "AND" keyword and throw an error because the a variable is null and the left side was testing for that...

feel free to e-mail me.

2008-07-07 19:23:13 UTC

To program in C or any variation you need a program which incorporates a compiler to create the exe file and link it with the appropriate library files to work. They will not run from notepad. You may find it easier to start with some more basic language, many people start with something like php. To do this you can download the Wamp distribution of Apache web server. This includes the web server, php and the mysql database all commonly used and powerful tools. You CAN write php scripts in notepad, and the full manual is available on line. This can give you a good grounding in program design without getting into any expense or having to carefully set up anything like classes which many people find off-putting in the beginning. You will probably be displaying a php generated web page in under an hour. Google search for Wamp. Good luck

Sam

2008-07-07 22:25:44 UTC

Java is an excellent place to start learning the fundamentals of "object oriented programming". It is quite a bit easier to learn than C++ (no pointers and/or memory management issues to worry about).

All you need is the "JDK" to write programs with and any text editor; though, I recommend something better like Eclipse.

Then start with a basic on-line tutorial and/or book from your local library. At your level, even an old Java programming book will still be relevant.

If you want to learn how to create a web site, then you're not going to want to learn traditional "programming". Most sites are built with various scripting languages that facilitate the creation of HTML and then subsequent translation of user input into a database (SQL) back-end. In addition to scripting languages such as PHP, Python, etc. it also requires knowledge of HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and SQL/database design.

Java naturally extends into this environment once you understand the basics.

2008-07-07 21:00:03 UTC

>I am an absolute begginer and am trying to learn C++. Is this the right program 4 me?

I recommend against it. Personally, I started learning programming about five or six years ago with Microsoft Excel 4.0, followed that up a couple years later with TI-Basic, then Javascript, and finally C++ which is what I'm currently mostly working with. I'm not a very good programmer myself, but I would recommend starting with Javascript and then graduating to C++. Javascript is a web scripting language, which means it's designed to add interactivity to web pages. This makes it relatively slow and limited, but it is also easy to learn and use, and because it outputs onto a web page you can easily format text or load images as you wish. In order to use Javascript properly, you should also know some amount of HTML (in our moden world, just about everyone needs to know some amount of HTML, so although this might mean longer before you can be writing programs, you'd hardly be wasting your time). You can learn HTML here:

http://www.w3schools.com/html/DEFAULT.asp

After you know some basic HTML, you can learn Javascript here:

http://www.w3schools.com/JS/default.asp

No programming language is easy to learn, so be prepared to encounter lots of frustration. Even AFTER learning some amount of Excel 4.0 and TI-Basic, I still made some pretty spectacular mistakes while learning Javascript. Luckily for you, if you use Firefox (which you should) then there is a nice utility called Firebug which can help you debug Javascript:

http://getfirebug.com/

The reason I advise learning Javascript first is because C++ has a very similar syntax (C++, Java, Javascript and some other languages are based on the old C syntax, which has been around for decades). There are some key differences, but once you have an understanding of the Javascript syntax, they should be fairly easy to get used to. To put things into perspective, I started learning Javascript around December 2006 and C++ around October 2007. You have less experience in other programming languages to start with, but are also younger and better able to learn, so you might be looking at a similar timeframe, depending on how much free time you can devote to it. Some people recommend Python as a good language for beginners, because it's simple to learn, but personally I recommend against it because it's less ubiquitous as C++, it has fewer ties with other programming languages, and it doesn't have a nice simple precursor like Javascript for beginners to learn. Visual Basic is probably also a bad idea.

>Do you need any other programs to do C++

Technically, if you have a compiler (Windows probably comes with a compiler), you can write programs in C++. That said, it is highly valuable to have a developer environment as well, the one I use is Bloodshed Dev-C++ which you can get here:

http://www.bloodshed.net/devcpp.html

>or any other programming

For Javascript, literally all you need is Wordpad (or Notepad, but Wordpad is superior for a number of reasons) and a web browser (which you must already have if you're reading this answer :P). You don't even need access to the Internet, because the browser will work perfectly well reading HTML and JS files right off your hard drive (which is where you'd be saving them). This is another reason why it's a good language to start with.

>Is programming just writing things in notepad and converting them into exe files and images, or is there more to it?

EXE files are very seldom edited directly, and then only by highly experienced programmers. Most of the time, the EXE is merely the compiled end result of some source code, in the case of C++ this source code is usually stored in CPP files while other languages like Java and Python will use other filetypes (JAR, PY, etc).

>I was thinking of buying C++ for dummies(the book),but when i saw a preview it was just waay too confusing.I started some tutorials which lost me at the first sentence

Let's face it, this happens. Maybe there are a few people out there for whom programming is intuitive right from the first byte, but most people, like me and you, have to go through a steep learning curve first. This is why I recommend starting with Javascript: It's not as useful by itself, but it helps to soften that learning curve and make the whole task less daunting. It's also a good reason to have someone around who already knows the language you're trying to learn so they can give you first-hand advice. If you don't have any such person around, then there are a couple of IRC chat rooms where you can get advice from real live programmers pretty much 24/7:

http://irc.netsplit.de/channels/details.php?room=%23%23javascript&net=freenode

http://irc.netsplit.de/channels/details.php?room=%23%23c%2B%2B&net=freenode

Those are for Javascript and C++, respectively. You can also ask here on Yahoo Answers, or email any friends who can help you with programming.

2008-07-07 19:27:18 UTC

C++ is a complicated language for someone starting out. To get the basics down of programming try Pascal first.

The basics of programming almost every language has:

1. Loops

2. Printing to consol

3. Scanning user input

4. IF statements

5. Logical truth (and, or, xor)

6. Functions

7.... and so on.

When programming in a language you need to get used to the basics first. Thats why learning an easy language helps you grasp on to others quickly. C++ is used widely in games, programs and software development. C++ would be described as 'Object oriented' programming rather than the 'procedural'.

Object oriented programming is hard to understand because it is not the way we first interpret how to program. I will refer to object oriented as OO for convience. To learn about OO programming I can help sort out the basics for you.

OO and how its laid out:

-When you progran in pascal or C you basically programming up to down. Your program with execute the top line than finish at the bottom. That is procedural.

OO programming is different, it uses a techique where it creates new references to objects which run according to thier state, or personal function. Each object has it own way of executing, its not a procedural way of doing things. OO is more complicated and you can do ALOT more when you udnerstand the power of it.

My advice, do not start with C++ because it will confuse the hell out of you. Start with Pascal, C or even batch scripting. These languages will teach you the basics of programming which will clarify OO programming.

Programming can be printed on the consol, aka Command Line. For example, you compile your written code in notepad and compile it to machine code which than is executed.

#include

main(){

printf("Hello");

}

The above code is C language, its a basic code printing 'Hello' to the console.

Languages like C++ use graphics and microsoft visual basic to compile and execute code rather than notepad.

Java is another language which uses OO programming and is similar to C++ in syntax.

When programming in languages, you always need a compiler. The compiler converts the typed out characters into an executable file which is ready for use.

Good luck! Message me if you need more help.

Logic Kills

2008-07-07 19:17:11 UTC

You obviously are not ready to step into a programming language such as C++, it can be very challenging.

Try a language such as Python it gives you an idea how the fundamentals work.

Anywhoo, yes their is more to programming than what you stated. For compiled languages (i.e. C++,C) you need a compiler/linker (usually are packaged as one) to turn your source code (code you write) into an .exe.

If you really want to learn C++ I recommend Bloodshed Dev C++ if you are on windows.

Try this for other languages :]

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=programming+languages+for+kids&btnG=Google+Search

2008-07-07 19:19:04 UTC

C++ for a beginner is silly. Go for Visual Basic, it uses very English like syntax. Most recommend learning VB as it is easy to learn, given patience, and lays the foundations of the basics of programming (such as loops, if statements, conditionals, controls)

As for the programs, just get yourself a good tutorial/guide (book/online/your own teacher) and Microsoft's VS IDE:

http://www.microsoft.com/express/product/default.aspx

Microsoft gives away "express" editions of it's Visual Studio IDE in it's seperate languages. Choose the C++ edition, it's free.