want to start programming whats first

[cmb4787]

i know that this is a vb forum and truthfully my only programming experiance is that of html and flash otherwise im in the dark, i need a strong foundation to learn on and i just want to know what that would be, i honestly dont care what im learning first cause i want to learn them all but simple which is the best first language? thanks!

[hellswraith]

There is so much to learn, so pick something that will teach you the concepts of programming. You need to learn just basic stuff, loops, conditional statments, writing to disk, reading from disk, transforming user input, etc...

My personal recommendation, C++. I don't know it as well as I should, but just taking a semester at a communitity college will give you a decent foundation at least. I took a couple classes on it after I learned VB6, and I really think that a C type language really helps you understand all the stuff that VB is hiding from you.

I know that my development abilities sky rocketed when I took those classes in college and would recommend anyone taking some C classes, or learning at least the basics of C or C++. Plus, it helps you appreciate the other higher level languages such as VB6, VB.Net, C#, Java, etc. Once you learn C++, you will know the syntax of a lot of langauges.

[LabtroRob]

Your choice should be based on what you eventually want to do with programming and your background.

If you plan on eventually making small to medium applications, or 'hobby coding', then I would recommend VB.Net

If you plan on eventually working for a large company, making large scale distributed applications, then C++ might be the way to go.

As for background, in my experience, people with a math/science background tend to latch onto C++ faster since it follows some of the same rules, whereas if you never liked that sort of thing, VB.Net is probably the way to go.

Of course, there are other languages (Java for instance), and you could even start with more of a "scripting" language like PHP or ASP, but VB and C++ represent ends on the spectrum.

I wouldn't recommend bothering with VB6 if you are going to go that way. While it is a good language, I see no reason not to start with the latest technology, since if you learn .NET, you'll be on a more even footing as opposed to competing with people with years of VB experience.

[Memnoch1207]

I wouldn't worry about learning a specific language just yet.
I would try to learn more about the building blocks of programming as a whole. Understanding the overall view of application design and development will give you a head start.

Programming languages are fairly easy to learn, it's the design of an application and how it's all supposed to work together that is the hard part.

[Shaggy Hiker]

I disagree. While the building blocks are the same to all languages, I feel that having SOME familiarity with a language puts the blocks in context better.

In general, I agree with Hellswraith. I started with C++ as something to do in my spare time. If you actually learn that language (or at least a rational sub-set of that huge sprawling beast), you will find all other languages easy to move to. However, .NET will be easier to learn.

I also believe in figuring out a project to work on as a means to learn. I find it hard to believe that anybody could really learn programming by reading books or taking classes. You need something to apply the learning to. Also, it has to be something of some interest to you.

[MrNorth]

A good piece of advice is to take some classes or read books about software development FIRST and then take some syntax specific course... learning how to program is fairly simple the difficult is in the design of the app. I started by learning how to program, assembler and C/pascal... and when I started working as a prodessional developer I had a lot of reading to dig into to migrate to the world of UML->C++ It felt kinda akward to have to spend about a weel in visio or pen&paper writng UML when I was used to just start programming right away...when looking in the rear view mirror... I wish I would have started learning programming the "hard way"... pen&paper... how boing it may seem... once you learn the technique you will be a much better programmer than I was when I started writing professional apps in C++... Of course it is wise to start laborating with the actual programming parallell to the software design studies... it's just a matter of getting used to design first and program later... which can be sooooo hard!!!


good luck
Henrik