Programming

[mavsman4457]

I am PLANNING on learning to program. As of now I have zero programming experience. I am only a teenager so with my attention span I could get bored and give up but I intend on sticking with this because I want to make some PSP programs and maybe someday get a job from this(I'm very optimistic :)). So putting aside any doubts that you might have in me, how long did it take you programmers to get started? My programming knowledge is going to come from www.cprogramming.com and I plan on starting when I install Linux on my computer, which I think is going to be tomorrow. Any advice you guys have for me? Other tutorials that you think I should look into? Also, would it be easier for me to learn if I'm good at math or does that even matter? Thanks.

[skater9269]

I am in the exact same boat I have modified others source but never wrote my own

[skater9269]

you dont need to install linux bloodshed is fine

[Tinnus]

Yep Bloodshed Dev-C++ if you like IDEs or MingW if you like command-lines. Also maths *knowledge* won't help you learn how to program, although it will help you write programs later. For example, you can't write a program that calculates the area of a polygon if you don't know the formula :)

Math *thinking* however will help, and that is, learning to think procedurally--how a computer thinks. Like "do that" then "do that". Now "in the case of that result being this, do that, or else do that". That kinda stuff.

Logical thinking helps too of course.

[mavsman4457]

Thanks Tinnus. And I know that you don't NEED Linux for it but I was planning on installing it anyways to experiment with it and see whats good and bad about it as opposed to Windows so I just figure that I'll program on Linux as opposed to installing extra applications on Windows.

[NoQuarter]

You could always set up a dual boot with linux and windows.I've used several distro's of linux,slackware has been my favorite and I highly recommend it.

[mavsman4457]

Yah I am planning on installing my new hard drive tomorrow and with that I will install Linux on it. I am not just going to get rid of Windows altogether because my whole family would not be able to make the adjustment and I'm sure I will still like to use Windows primarily. Thanks for the advice and I think I am going to install ubuntu but it wouldn't take much for someone to change my mind.

[SSaxdude]

How hard is it to become good at coding LUA? I really don't have the time to learn something complex like C++.

[Mr. Shizzy]

How hard is it to become good at coding LUA? I really don't have the time to learn something complex like C++.


My question is the same. Or better yet, is there a program that will let you slap a quick PSP game together with no coding knowledge. (Like a homebrew RPG Maker) I think that would be cool. :D

[AvengedSevenfold Fan]

lua is simple. put it at that. look at a tutorial and find out

[Project.funky]

hey, im learning C++ and my brother's teaching me :D:D:D

[yaustar]

Small article on how to get started in C++ programming http://parabellumgames.no-ip.org/articles/where-to-start-c-programming/

Also take a look at Python and PyGame if you are interested in getting into programming as it is deemed as a less complicated language and easy to get into.

I have a job in the games industry five years after I started programming (including the 4 years I spent at University).

[HAMMIEZ]

i wrote my first lua game (with no knowledge of lua) in about 4 days.
OK i do have about 2 year's experience in Dark Basic Pro but its a nooby BASIC language.

[mavsman4457]

I am learning it from cprogramming.com and I am probably just impatient but I am not learning too much. I have a few other sources that I could try learning from but I would prefer something that will give me examples of things by making me incorporate them into small programs and play around with it. Does anyone know of a website like that?

[Wisgary]

http://tryruby.hobix.com/

Ruby isn't necessarily the easiest language to get into programming with (whitespace, no line termination character, multi-paradigmatic, etc, so I don't really recommend you start off by installing Ruby. You should install and learn Python instead, I think it's the easiest to get into because it's very high level (In programming high-level means abstract, leaving a lot of stuff to the computer instead of to the programmer). Ruby is too, but it's kind of complex and its applications are not necessarily what a beginning programmer might have in mind.

Still, despite all that, that website lets you program from the page itself, interactively, so no compiler or anything is needed. It runs you through a lot of good stuff. Doesn't get into ifs elses loops and other control structures, but it does show you a lot of other stuff. Go through that tutorial for kicks, so you can get an idea of how some programs work, and then install python (www.python.org) and just go through the beginner tutorial. It is very instructive and top notch.

[mavsman4457]

Thanks but that doesn't really focus on C++ does it?

[Uzumaki_Naruto]

if i want to learn LUA where can i find good tuts?

[Wisgary]

No, but it's programming. Once you learn how to program moving from language to language is just a matter of re-learning the syntax. Starting off with a scripting language and then moving up to harder stuff is better than just throwing yourself right into the hard stuff.

[mavsman4457]

OK thanks for the advice. Right now I am planning on looking at "How to learn C++ in 21 days."

[bronxbomber92]

I started programming a few months ago... I was using lua for about 3 months then I moved on c. I am currently learning OpenGL/PSPGL for 3D graphics. And I have almost completed my first emulator, and this all after 2-3 months of c

So if you stick with it you'll do fine :)

[mavsman4457]

What is the emulator of? You can PM me about it if you want.

[gamer_chick]

i want to go to college...and become a computer programmer....and then become the best video designer...i have designed 4 games and built 4 computers....dont give up on ur dream...of being a programmer....

[pibs]

I also wanted to develop apps for psp but toolchain wudn't install >< I do know jsp and html but those are useless in the psp scene. Ill take up c++ during my vacation days.