I'm wondering if anyone has a place that gives projects for people to write in java? Or in any language...simple things that would help me get better (i understand loops...classes and a little recursion)
The secret to learning a programming language is to use the Help file. That's how I first learned BASIC.
For the languages it supports, w3schools isn't bad for beginners who have no idea what they're doing. Some of their coding practices aren't great, but it'll walk you through coding in the various web scripting languages, including PHP.
Really, if you can learn the syntax for Javascript, you've already basically learned C and C++. You just need to learn details from there. But really that's true of any programming language. The main things you need to know how to do to be able to learn any programming language are:
1. How to assign and access variables.
2. How to do an "If/Then/Else" statements. May as well learn the equivalent of Switch, too, but if you know If/Then/Else you don't actually need Switch, it just makes your life easier.
3. How to do Boolean math.
4. How to do Loops and related control structures.
5. How to make functions, return values, and break out of the current subroutine.
6. How to access member variables and functions of objects (if the language is object-oriented)
7. How to define your own classes.
ADVANCED(-ish. We're still on easy mode, really)
8. "Include"-type statements to make other scripts part of the current program. Mostly an organizational thing rather than actually increasing your programming powers, but it's good form.
9. Variable types and how to work with them. (You'll want to know stuff like searching strings with Regular Expressions. Luckily, Regular Expressions are pretty universal, with only slight variations from one Programming Language to another).
10. Arrays and hashes
11. Writing to and reading from external files or databases.
12. Accessing the API.
MORE IMPORTANT THAN NEW PROGRAMMERS EVER REALLY WANT TO ADMIT:
12. "Programming Etiquette." In other words, things like how to use comments and white space to keep your code readable, proper naming protocols for functions and variables, and learning to document your code. This is going to vary from language to language and may have slight variation within organizations / communities, but overall there are generally "rules" for how to work with these things in any given programming language that make reading other people's code less like trying to see the future in goat entrails.
Once you've got all that stuff, you basically know that programming language. Everything from there is going to be learning the details of a given class, and that can easily be figured out in about five seconds if you've got an internet connection and a way to search Google.
The biggest thing about learning programming isn't learning syntax, it's learning to think like a machine. Once you can think like a machine, you can write in pretty much any language just by googling example code even if you've never worked in the language before.
0]=> sed 's/([0-9]+.) .*/1 Read SICP/g' << EOF
+]=> The secret to learning a programming language is to use the Help file. That's how I first learned BASIC.
+]=>
+]=> For the languages it supports, w3schools isn't bad for beginners who have no idea what they're doing. Some of their coding practices aren't great, but it'll walk you through coding in the various web scripting languages, including PHP.
+]=>
+]=> Really, if you can learn the syntax for Javascript, you've already basically learned C and C++. You just need to learn details from there. But really that's true of any programming language. The main things you need to know how to do to be able to learn any programming language are:
+]=>
+]=> 1. How to assign and access variables.
+]=> 2. How to do an "If/Then/Else" statements. May as well learn the equivalent of Switch, too, but if you know If/Then/Else you don't actually need Switch, it just makes your life easier.
+]=> 3. How to do Boolean math.
+]=> 4. How to do Loops and related control structures.
+]=> 5. How to make functions, return values, and break out of the current subroutine.
+]=> 6. How to access member variables and functions of objects (if the language is object-oriented)
+]=> 7. How to define your own classes.
+]=>
+]=> ADVANCED(-ish. We're still on easy mode, really)
+]=> 8. "Include"-type statements to make other scripts part of the current program. Mostly an organizational thing rather than actually increasing your programming powers, but it's good form.
+]=> 9. Variable types and how to work with them. (You'll want to know stuff like searching strings with Regular Expressions. Luckily, Regular Expressions are pretty universal, with only slight variations from one Programming Language to another).
+]=> 10. Arrays and hashes
+]=> 11. Writing to and reading from external files or databases.
+]=> 12. Accessing the API.
+]=>
+]=> MORE IMPORTANT THAN NEW PROGRAMMERS EVER REALLY WANT TO ADMIT:
+]=> 12. "Programming Etiquette." In other words, things like how to use comments and white space to keep your code readable, proper naming protocols for functions and variables, and learning to document your code. This is going to vary from language to language and may have slight variation within organizations / communities, but overall there are generally "rules" for how to work with these things in any given programming language that make reading other people's code less like trying to see the future in goat entrails.
+]=>
+]=>
+]=> Once you've got all that stuff, you basically know that programming language. Everything from there is going to be learning the details of a given class, and that can easily be figured out in about five seconds if you've got an internet connection and a way to search Google.
+]=>
+]=> The biggest thing about learning programming isn't learning syntax, it's learning to think like a machine. Once you can think like a machine, you can write in pretty much any language just by googling example code even if you've never worked in the language before.
+]=> EOF
The secret to learning a programming language is to use the Help file. That's how I first learned BASIC.
For the languages it supports, w3schools isn't bad for beginners who have no idea what they're doing. Some of their coding practices aren't great, but it'll walk you through coding in the various web scripting languages, including PHP.
Really, if you can learn the syntax for Javascript, you've already basically learned C and C++. You just need to learn details from there. But really that's true of any programming language. The main things you need to know how to do to be able to learn any programming language are:
MORE IMPORTANT THAN NEW PROGRAMMERS EVER REALLY WANT TO ADMIT:
12. Read SICP
Once you've got all that stuff, you basically know that programming language. Everything from there is going to be learning the details of a given class, and that can easily be figured out in about five seconds if you've got an internet connection and a way to search Google.
The biggest thing about learning programming isn't learning syntax, it's learning to think like a machine. Once you can think like a machine, you can write in pretty much any language just by googling example code even if you've never worked in the language before.
0]=> sed 's/\([0-9]\+\.\) .*/\1 Read SICP/g' << EOF
Name:
Anonymous2011-01-08 18:16
<code>34
Name:
Anonymous2011-01-08 21:25
>>3
If you want to learn to think like a machine, then code in assembler, then you'll know what thinking like a machine means.
I agree with your post though, except that last bit. I think it should you should learn to make your ideas work in smaller units that can be made with the basic features of a high level language
Learn inheritance, abstraction, polymorphism, database connectivity, design patterns, and networking. It's Enterprise Engineer training or you become a shitty indie game developer creating furry games for utter faggots until you become so terrible at programming you're able to make a minecraft clone.