Best programming to learn first - for a newbie! :)

[AssKoala]

John Carmack and John Romero didnt learn in some university, they just started doing... John Carmack does a lot of reading and studying about technology.. Although Carmack dosnt use OOP in his software, but he has created a lot of good stuff... He created doom to run on a 386, when nobody else at the time could do that... And he also did a Mario bros level of Dangerous dave, which ran smooth, at that time this was hard to do on the PC...  John R. saw the dollor signs, and id was born... its the unlerlying technology that makes it happen... you wont learn most of this in a university...

You're right.

But this isn't the same industry it was 20 years ago.  You can't pick up one book and come out knowing most of the technology.  John Romero and John Carmack also didn't start with C++.

As for the topic, recommendations on C:

C Primer Plus by Stephen Prata.  This is an excellent resource that teaches C while at the same time making sure the underlying semantics are understood.  Stephen Prata worked on designing the C language at Bell Labs and this book covers ANSI C89, ISO C90, and ANSI C99.

The C Programming Language, K&R.  This was written by the guys who wrote C and is the book to get as a reference.  It covers ANSI C89 but covers it as in depth as it gets.

C Primer Plus is a "teaching" book, The C Programming Language is a "reference".

[Rizimar]

AssKoala, you are the master

[TheProgrammer]

AssKoala, you are the master

He is geek.

[Chubz]

But this isn't the same industry it was 20 years ago.  You can't pick up one book and come out knowing most of the technology.  John Romero and John Carmack also didn't start with C++.

True.  I dont think Apple computers even had C++ anyways, so they probably used some form of BASIC or something.  

[Rizimar]

But this isn't the same industry it was 20 years ago.  You can't pick up one book and come out knowing most of the technology.  John Romero and John Carmack also didn't start with C++.

True.  I dont think Apple computers even had C++ anyways, so they probably used some form of BASIC or something.  

Yes, seeing as how the Apple // was built in 1977, two years before Bjarne Stroustrup even started working on what would become C++...

And this "BASIC" you speak of. Isn't that AppleSoft BASIC?

[AssKoala]

True.  I dont think Apple computers even had C++ anyways, so they probably used some form of BASIC or something.  

Yeah, they used Basic (if Masters of Doom is correct and my recollection of legacy systems does not fail me).

However, Basic comes in many forms.  The Apple Basic was more Assembly like than the Basic people pick up today.  For example, when programming the mirocontroller I had to use for the little robot I made last semester, I used Basic.  However, the commands were pretty much Assembly.  The difference is whether you have to deal with low level CPU operations like loading and storing or simply the logic.

Basic nowadays goes to things like VB which is far separated from the hardware.

And I'm not really a geek  I just make a habit of learning and doing as much as possible

So, good luck Chubz  Make sure to go outside though, nothing worse than a boring programmer

[Chubz]

Haha, dont worry about going outside and stuff.  

www.geocities.com/crazeddude63/me.JPG  <---- pic of me (you can see it better than the one in my sig)

I will try out some of your suggestions though.

Oh, and just a curious question - but how much do you think I would weigh by looking at my pic?

I am 15 years old, and 5'9.  TAKE A GUESSSSS  

[AssKoala]

I stink at guessing weights.

[Rizimar]

62 metric tons.

[warlordQ]

The programmer your right about the main, it should return int...
also the main function has several command parameters... yeah there are a few mistakes.. thanks for pointing that out... .... as for using void, i always use void even if its not required its a habit of mine...

the code i pulled out of my hat... i just wanted to point out something...

AssKoala yeah of course its not the same as 20 years ago... ...

Im a firm believer in just doing stuff.. Even if its something new and complicated... if you make mistakes in the process, then thats ok... Everyone makes mistakes, its a part of learning ... You learn more from mistakes, than without making mistakes ...

[warlordQ]

I never started programming in C/C++ i started in BASIC and PASCAL... only becuase i never came accross C on the computers i was using at the time, over 25years ago...

However, if i had to start learning programming now... i would choose C++, because you can do a lot in C/C++, and its a popular language these days...

[Chubz]

62 metric tons.

Holy crap dude, HOW THE HELL DID YOU KNOW!!??

[AssKoala]

Im a firm believer in just doing stuff.. Even if its something new and complicated... if you make mistakes in the process, then thats ok... Everyone makes mistakes, its a part of learning ... You learn more from mistakes, than without making mistakes ...

I'm a firm believer in never making a mistake and, if you do, never making the same mistake twice.

By the way, your code from a few posts up won't compile, the reason is obvious due to your call to function_one.

Here are a couple relatively easy ones:

/* Really Easy - Crashes for some reason */

Code: [Select]


/*
 * Testing Main
 */
int main(int argc, char** argv) {
    char* buffer;
    int i;

    buffer = malloc(sizeof(80));
    printf("Random String: %s\n",randomString(buffer, 80));

    free(buffer);

    return 0;
}

/* Intermediate */

Code: [Select]


int main() {

     int a[5][3];
     int (*b)[3] = a; /* Why is this necessary? */
     
     return 0;
}



/* This ones a bit harder and you have about 5 minutes to solve it and 6 other problems during the TA interview.  This is the simplified version with a couple of hints. */

Code: [Select]



/* gtfgets gets any amount of user input.
 * returns NULL at EOF and returns a string of input otherwise
 */
char *gtfgets(FILE*);

/*
 * myMain, its perfect
 * Except that output stops where noted
 */
int main(int argc, char** argv) {
    FILE* outFile = NULL;
    FILE* inFile = NULL;
    char *pc, **prgstr = NULL;
    int i;

    /* Get command args */
    if (argc < 3) {
        outFile = stdout;
        inFile = stdin;
    } else {
        outFile = fopen(argv[1], "w");
        inFile = fopen(argv[2], "r");
    }

    /* Grab user input */
    for (i = 0; (pc = gtfgets(inFile))!= NULL; i++) {
        prgstr = realloc(prgstr,strlen(pc));
        *(prgstr+i) = pc;
    }

    printf("Closing input file...");
    fclose(inFile);
    printf("Done.\n");

    printf("Writing File.");
    for (--i; i >= 0; i--) {
        fprintf(outFile,*(prgstr+i));
        printf(".");
    }
    printf("Done.\n");

    printf("Closing output file");
    fclose(outFile);
    printf("Done.\n"); /* Never prints */

    return 0;
}


[Rizimar]

62 metric tons.

Holy crap dude, HOW THE HELL DID YOU KNOW!!??

I'm horribly brilliant

[Chubz]

62 metric tons.

Holy crap dude, HOW THE HELL DID YOU KNOW!!??

I'm horribly brilliant

Haha, yea I can tell.  

Hey guys, another question.

I will likely start with "C", so that discussion is pretty much over with.

Now for a simple question that has probably been asked a countless number of times - is programming so fun that it never gets old?  Or does it get to the point to where it feels like you are doing more work than you are having fun??

Thanks a bunch for the help!!!!!