How Did You Learn To Code?
- Thread starter agent01
- Start date
I was always only a graphic designer. But then I wanted to do xHTML/css from my PSD file.
I learnt the whole coding 1st with learning from easy xhtml/css sites. Just modifing with FireBug (FF addon). And now, like 3 months after, I can do the whole code by myself, very valid and clean, which is good for google, who can easly scan the site is msecunds
But then I wanted to do the xhtml/css to Joomla, this is really a easy job.
What I wanted to tell you here is that try to learn from the templates, which are ready to go. You've got a lot of free xhtml/css templates. And use google for search and this w3schools is a saver
I learnt the whole coding 1st with learning from easy xhtml/css sites. Just modifing with FireBug (FF addon). And now, like 3 months after, I can do the whole code by myself, very valid and clean, which is good for google, who can easly scan the site is msecunds
But then I wanted to do the xhtml/css to Joomla, this is really a easy job.
What I wanted to tell you here is that try to learn from the templates, which are ready to go. You've got a lot of free xhtml/css templates. And use google for search
and this w3schools is a saver masterwaldo
Registered Member
- Jul 3, 2008
- 95
- 50
I used to know nothing about html, css, php or even visual basic. Now I don't have any problems with those anymore.
I started to learn html and css first by modifying existing template to my liking. Whenever I want to do something that I don't know, I just google for help and I always got the answer I want. Once I get a hang of it, I started to modify wordpress template which involve in some php learning. And again, I use google whenever I need help.
Then I want to do some real programming because I want to make bots. So, I just google for some basic tutorial of the vb, play around with it and once I ready, I start to make a bot. Along the way, google is always helping me to get the answer for something that I don't know.
I started to learn html and css first by modifying existing template to my liking. Whenever I want to do something that I don't know, I just google for help and I always got the answer I want. Once I get a hang of it, I started to modify wordpress template which involve in some php learning. And again, I use google whenever I need help.
Then I want to do some real programming because I want to make bots. So, I just google for some basic tutorial of the vb, play around with it and once I ready, I start to make a bot. Along the way, google is always helping me to get the answer for something that I don't know.
Google around. Find a good book for total newbies. Read it.
Then, play around, think up ideas for simple but interesting programs you'd like to try to make. Make them. Then repeat. Also, study people's source code, but don't attempt it before you've read a book on the basics, or it won't make any sense and you won't gain anything from it.
Personally I learned Java pretty well from a high school class which lasted a year. Once you know one language well, you'll be able to code and understand every language out there pretty well.
So, get a book for newbies.
Then, play around, think up ideas for simple but interesting programs you'd like to try to make. Make them. Then repeat. Also, study people's source code, but don't attempt it before you've read a book on the basics, or it won't make any sense and you won't gain anything from it.
Personally I learned Java pretty well from a high school class which lasted a year. Once you know one language well, you'll be able to code and understand every language out there pretty well.
So, get a book for newbies.
blacknight9
Newbie
- Jan 1, 2009
- 44
- 38
It's 10 years ago that I wrote my first HTML following w3c tutorials. Then moved on to some basic PHP. I agree with Cloaks, once you're got a "programmer mind", you'll be able to learn other languages quite easy.
qxxxp
Junior Member
- May 3, 2009
- 186
- 82
i got my C64... and i typed:
LOAD "$",8,1
RUN
..
played a while with these games but i got bored, then I started to write some basic code for my self... then I looked inside other source codes and tried to understand.. then I got my first PC and started to learn C, .. C++, VB, VC, vb.NET, C#, Perl, PHP...
I would recommend you to get some idea first, then start to build software for it (to solve the "problem") - I tried to learn from books chapter by chapter but it was so dry - the best wa for me is to learn by jumping into the cold water
LOAD "$",8,1
RUN
..
played a while with these games but i got bored, then I started to write some basic code for my self... then I looked inside other source codes and tried to understand.. then I got my first PC and started to learn C, .. C++, VB, VC, vb.NET, C#, Perl, PHP...
I would recommend you to get some idea first, then start to build software for it (to solve the "problem") - I tried to learn from books chapter by chapter but it was so dry - the best wa for me is to learn by jumping into the cold water
Monrox
Power Member
- Apr 9, 2010
- 617
- 588
Wanted to make hacks for online games, was way complicated so my first program was a skill calculator instead. How many kills till next lvl and stuff. So the others are correct to say you need something that you WANT to make it work. It won't be easy at first as some 'law' states that programming always takes longer than anticipated but while you try to create the components you learn the basics without even noticing.
Many people don't recommend any books but I started from 0 two years ago with a book (2 actually) and consider myself pretty good now. Got me a job and it was paying above average but I found out that self made tools can make a big difference in the IM world so this is what I am doing now - automating stuff for my own benefit.
Also knowing the simple basics helps when letting other people do the menial, boring coding parts. I now understand why (smart) business owners send their kids to start from the lowest level.
Pick some easy but powerful language and my advice is to be for desktop apps as that is more universal, for example I can scrape even with my PDA when travelling as these became pretty much real PCs lately. I mean the real Pocket PC btw not the flashy surogates like android or iphone where you have to join boxes to make a program.
At any rate, vb.net is both easy and powerful albeit pretty verbose, java (not javascript) seems a good candidate too but it lacks a huge corporation supporting and tweaking it every day. If you go with MS I suggest a book from their Step-by-Step series and yes, read it from page 1 to page last. A couple of hundred pages later you'll know pretty much every basic coding principle that applis to any other high level language as well.
Many people don't recommend any books but I started from 0 two years ago with a book (2 actually) and consider myself pretty good now. Got me a job and it was paying above average but I found out that self made tools can make a big difference in the IM world so this is what I am doing now - automating stuff for my own benefit.
Also knowing the simple basics helps when letting other people do the menial, boring coding parts. I now understand why (smart) business owners send their kids to start from the lowest level.
Pick some easy but powerful language and my advice is to be for desktop apps as that is more universal, for example I can scrape even with my PDA when travelling as these became pretty much real PCs lately. I mean the real Pocket PC btw not the flashy surogates like android or iphone where you have to join boxes to make a program.
At any rate, vb.net is both easy and powerful albeit pretty verbose, java (not javascript) seems a good candidate too but it lacks a huge corporation supporting and tweaking it every day. If you go with MS I suggest a book from their Step-by-Step series and yes, read it from page 1 to page last. A couple of hundred pages later you'll know pretty much every basic coding principle that applis to any other high level language as well.
plut0
Regular Member
- Aug 2, 2008
- 273
- 62
I was handy with pascal, but now.. its confusing using delphi.. lol. I just still remember the nice op codes. x75 x90 >> jump and stop.
If you want try to code.. just dive into linux.. and use your terminal. browse with lynx. Sometime GUI just make people lazy.
If you want try to code.. just dive into linux.. and use your terminal. browse with lynx. Sometime GUI just make people lazy.
This guy's right.
VB.net if you want to be able to make some pretty cool stuff without a lot of work and skill. It's considered pretty cheap though, but it gets the job done.
Java is a great language as its syntax is a lot like the more powerful languages like C++.. Once you learn Java, you'll be able to adapt to any language easily. I'd say start with VB if you aren't very smart, otherwise start with Java.
Python is also great for small-time stuff, and it's easy to learn. Very easy.
C++/C/ASM if you're going to do bigger projects yourself, but I doubt it if it's just for hobby stuff. You can manage with other languages easily.
I'd personally go for Java if I was to go back in time. Also, Java's write-once-run-everywhere, so it runs on Linux, Unix, Windows, and so on.
smack
Junior Member
- Feb 1, 2010
- 182
- 80
the great thing about .NET and especially VB.NET is that it grows with your skill.
the syntax of VB.NET makes it easy to pick up and use, then as you progress in your learning path it allows you leverage all the power of a true OOP and the .NET framework in a syntax that is easy to read.
i don't know who or why it would be considered "cheap" though?
generally people who look down their nose at VB.NET are either elitest for no reason about squiggle brackets, or completely ignorant to how the .NET compiler translate from high level syntax in to MSIL prior to compilation in a binary form.
in Visual Studio if you're using either C# or VB.NET at the end of the day it gets compiled to the same MSIL and has the same performance and power characteristics so aside from your high level syntax, and some minor organizational differences it's the exact same thing.
SleepieGirl
Regular Member
- Mar 7, 2009
- 439
- 294
i started with qbasic many many years ago...
Started out playing with mirc scripts a long time ago, then moved to visual basic, asp, php, and then to anything really.. cause once you learn the C-like syntax you can understand almost every other language like C++, C#, java, javascript and very little additional learning is needed to switch between them...
now i mainly use C# and php..the hardest part was moving from the Basic-like syntax to the C-style.. but totally worth it ofcourse
i'd suggest you start with php or something like that.. it's easyer to understand and you won't have to take care of variable types and other stuff while learning the syntax and the logic.. then move to C#
but if you wanna make standalone applications then go with C# directly
PS: i mostly learned from other people's code.. it was always easier for me to learn by example than from a book or whatever.. a tutorial here and there also comes in handy
now i mainly use C# and php..the hardest part was moving from the Basic-like syntax to the C-style.. but totally worth it ofcourse
i'd suggest you start with php or something like that.. it's easyer to understand and you won't have to take care of variable types and other stuff while learning the syntax and the logic.. then move to C#
but if you wanna make standalone applications then go with C# directly
PS: i mostly learned from other people's code.. it was always easier for me to learn by example than from a book or whatever.. a tutorial here and there also comes in handy
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It's not considered cheap everywhere, just at some shady corners of the internet world, mainly for requiring .net framework which means it won't run on all computers. For IM, it definitely gets the work done, and is a great language for that.
It's also considered cheap because you aren't doing a lot of programming for the GUI part, I think. It's a lot harder to make GUIs in, say, C than VB because VB is just click-and-done.
Also, agreed on the C#/VB thing, but people look down upon that as well
smack
Junior Member
- Feb 1, 2010
- 182
- 80
It's not considered cheap everywhere, just at some shady corners of the internet world, mainly for requiring .net framework which means it won't run on all computers. For IM, it definitely gets the work done, and is a great language for that.
It's also considered cheap because you aren't doing a lot of programming for the GUI part, I think. It's a lot harder to make GUIs in, say, C than VB because VB is just click-and-done.
Also, agreed on the C#/VB thing, but people look down upon that as well
i get very touchy about VB.NET because people tend to bash on it quite a bit.
i consider VB my native language since that is what i came up on, and for my own projects what i default to. in the enterprise world though my day-to-day language is C#.
i understand the platform compatibility argument, but at this point with windows hosts being being so cheap and easily accessible the proprietary nature of the Visual Studio suite really doesn't strike me personally as an issue. i know people love their *NIX stuff, but god bless things like IIS and the framework. they make my life many times easier.
i haven't looked at it in quite some time, but the Mono Devlop project was making some pretty serious inroads to developing in .NET on some flavors of linux. that last time i checked it was strictly C# with the intention of adding VB support later. i'm not sure currently if that has come to fruition though.
At start you will find alot of problems that are trivial but you will still break head with them, it might go that far that you will want to give up but after some time those problems that once seemed like a mountain will become something you solve with joy and you will feel great about it
The best thing to do to learn programming is to program. As example take c++, this language is so huge that if you go to learn it by a book you will never get anywhere, why? Because before you learn complete language you will get tired of it. Best thing to do is get basic knowledge which means
OOP - object oriented programming or classes, this is the heart of modern programming and something you need to become very good with, everything is based on OOP nowdays
WHen you understand this and basic things like variables, functions etc.. start making some program
Do it by learning to use some framework(bunch of classes that you use like tools to make stuff of your own)
Just be patient, dont expect it to all come to you in a month and remember you can only learn by making things
The best thing to do to learn programming is to program. As example take c++, this language is so huge that if you go to learn it by a book you will never get anywhere, why? Because before you learn complete language you will get tired of it. Best thing to do is get basic knowledge which means
OOP - object oriented programming or classes, this is the heart of modern programming and something you need to become very good with, everything is based on OOP nowdays
WHen you understand this and basic things like variables, functions etc.. start making some program
Do it by learning to use some framework(bunch of classes that you use like tools to make stuff of your own)
Just be patient, dont expect it to all come to you in a month and remember you can only learn by making things