# First time programmer



## NeVeRReSt (Feb 11, 2007)

I want to learn about programming and dont know which program to start on 

Any suggestions on which program and any good books for it too.

thx

:up:


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## ferrija1 (Apr 11, 2006)

What kind of programming?


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## emx620 (Dec 25, 2005)

I'd recommend Java to you. Books by O'Reilly are good.


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## NeVeRReSt (Feb 11, 2007)

Well im not too sure what all the languages do, i want to learn one that will be practical, that i could use everyday.
To help me understand debugging and so i can fix problems on my computer if they occur. 

hope that made sense

thx for tolerating me


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## DoubleHelix (Dec 10, 2004)

Learning programming languages won't help you fix problems on your computer. Programs that you install are already compiled. Without access to the source code, which could be written in any of a number of languages, you can't fix anything.


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## ferrija1 (Apr 11, 2006)

And I would say that if you have no reason to learn how to programing, don't.


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## Shadow2531 (Apr 30, 2001)

NeVeRReSt said:


> I want to learn about programming and dont know which program to start on
> 
> Any suggestions on which program and any good books for it too.
> 
> ...


What OS do you have?


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## vicks (Jan 31, 2005)

I would suggest you read everything on this site and also as much as you can on www.computing.org www.komando.com . These sites I have learned A LOT on... Also you can get free online classes from HP and from www.cnet.com. I have taken several classes on line from these places.
Good luck.. I have found the learning great. (am a 64 yr old granny that has learned everything I know since Jan. 2001, grand daughter taught me how to turn it on and start with e-mail.)
Good Luck
Vicks


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## MMJ (Oct 15, 2006)

If you really want to know how to program than you should go with a good language like C++ or Java.

If you want to make small programs to do easy stuff for you than I would go with Visual Basic 2005.

They have an excellent free Express edition.

I made my TidyCSS program with it (link is in my sig but site is offline)


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## Firestone (Dec 24, 2006)

I would suggest Liberty BASIC. BASIC is a good language to start in, and Liberty BASIC is quick and easy to use:
Liberty BASIC Website


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## carrotstix (Oct 22, 2005)

Try Kidware Software. I bought their VB tutorial for my nine year old son (he's now fifteen) so he could learn Visual Basic. Their stuff is excellent. I even went through it and learned all kinds of stuff and I've been programming for lots of years.


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## NeVeRReSt (Feb 11, 2007)

Guys I didnt mean that I wanted to program so I can fix problems on my computer, its so I can create programs that I can use (+ for leisure), sorry for now being that clear. 

I know everything about hardware and know nothing about the software side of things, just curious and willing to learn.

:up:


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## NeVeRReSt (Feb 11, 2007)

its on my computer icon with the rest of my specs (Win xP sp2


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## MMJ (Oct 15, 2006)

I would really go with Visual Basic Express 2005, its great.


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## Shadow2531 (Apr 30, 2001)

Goto http://nuwen.net and download STL's C++ mingw distro (it uses GCC 4.1.2 and includes the boost.org library for all kinds of goodies).

It's specifically here (extract it after it's done downloading). It shows you how to install it at http://nuwen.net/mingw.html, but if you don't want to add the mingw directory to your path for all consoles, you can do the following which will make the install portable.

Create initmingw.bat and put it in the bin folder

```
@echo off
cd "bin"
set "path=%cd%;%path%"
cd "%userprofile%\desktop"
prompt "$p"$_$G$S
cls
echo STL's C++ Mingw Distro 2.0 - ^<http://nuwen.net/^>
echo.
echo Compile Release build: g++ -Wall -Wextra hello.cc -o hello -O3 -s
echo Compile Debug build: g++ -Wall -Wextra -g hello.cc -o hello_debug
echo Debug program: gdb hello_debug.exe
echo Run program: type hello.exe and press ENTER (do not double-click on hello.exe)
echo Compress exe: upx --best hello.exe
```
Create startmingw.bat and place it in the root of the Mingw folder (next to the readme)

```
cmd.exe /K "bin\initmingw.bat"
```
Click on startmingw.bat. It will start up, add the bin directory to the path (so g++ can be found etc.) and will change to your desktop. It also will list example commands for how to compile.

Create hello.cc and save it to your desktop.

```
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;

int main() {
    cout << "Hello, world!\n";
}
```
(make sure there's an empty line at the end of the file.

Then, type the command to compile hello.cc and press ENTER. You should end up with hello.exe. Type hello.exe and press ENTER to run it.

You can use your favorite text editor to create the files.
(BTW, if you want gdb.exe, it's at mingw.org)


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## GAgirl58 (Feb 27, 2007)

NeVeRReSt said:


> I want to learn about programming and dont know which program to start on
> 
> Any suggestions on which program and any good books for it too.
> 
> ...


Grab one of the DUMMIES or LEARN HOW TO IN 21 DAYS books and have at it! Although I do agree with most of the posters here re: VB (Visual Basic), PHP is probably just as easy and much more marketable.

Have fun!

Mel;


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## MMJ (Oct 15, 2006)

If you want to do web programming than yes, go with PHP.


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## jacy (Jul 19, 2004)

I would say go for Java. "Head first Java" by Sierra and Bates is a good one. Check the reviews for this book on Amazon. You can find more information on Java at www.javaranch.com. Good luck.


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