Languages

[Sebouh]

well if u want an advice from a newbie programer, i'll say i started with VB 6.0, i learned the basics...not much really, but i was very good at it and i really liked it....but then i got encouraged more by C++ cause its a far more powerfull tool then VB, so now i have started C++ and it is pretty hard, and i have to say that my VB knowledge helped me alot since i think i wouldn't have understood C++ as easy as i am doing now if it wasn't for VB, since C++ has the same concepts of programming as VB and if you know VB then u would know for example why u need variables, when to use a certain function..... the only difference is that C++ has a different syntax and most importantly C++ requires a much more concentration and carefullness, since every thing in it controled by u.

 

[Praetor]

Cromewell.. you and Praetor love to hate JAVA, dont you?

Brilliant minds.....

I would not touch VB first.. learning an event-driven programming language first is not the way to go.

VB doesnt need to be event-driven....

Yeah, but why start out with VB then?

Because its an easy transition from English.....

while its easy, it makes learning subsequent languages a bit more difficult.

Not really; the fact that the syntax is easy is good because you can focus on how you are programming without having to wonder if the damn thing will compile or not.

Oh, and when I master like a LOT and become REALLLY GOOOOD I might TRY to learn BrainFu**... I know it sounds crazy to even try but stil... I want to at least know the basics of BrainFu**... Even if it is VERY hard.

LOL hehe BrainF***

but I also hear Java is a good place to start

Java is retarded

I think I'll listen to Cromewell for my first and learn VB.

Good call -- just make you realize VB isnt a very robust language and concentrate on learning how to think rather than getting the program to run and you should be able to learn something

LOL... VB is far from the easiest. I have taken 3 courses in VB 6.0, VB.NET and ASP.NET and I am sooo far from knowing all there is to know. I strongly disagree with Cromewell and urge you to reconsider

VB may be far from easy but there's not a chance in hell you'll convince a beginner that to get a string you gotta mess with pointers.....

I am posting a lot, I know, but I would like to know.... HOW DO I BECOME A "NOT" NEWBIE???????????????????????????????????????????? ?????????????????????????????????????????????????? ?????????????????????????????????????????????????? ?????????????????????????????????

1. There's a search feature.
2. You know that rules page? There's a link to the rank information there
3. Crap like that is more likely to get you banned than promoted

C'mon people! Assembler!

 

[SFR]

Thats why you start with C.... not C++ I agree, beginners need to leave pointers alone ..but I disagree that someone who WANTS TO BE a programmer should learn VB first. The challenges of programming are logic and syntax. I agree that VB will allow you to JUST focus on logic, but a major part of programming is learning syntax.. and the faster you learn it, the better off you are... I think it is a mistake to jump into VB and think you are a programmer. There are basic programming ideas that conventional wisdom says should be taught with a language like C... and not VB.

1. There's a search feature.
2. You know that rules page? There's a link to the rank information there
3. Crap like that is more likely to get you banned than promoted

How do you OC?

C'mon people! Assembler!

I will leave that to minds far superior than mine...

 

[Sebouh]

well if u want the truth i started with a little actionscripting in flash, that's when i loved programming, then i tried python a little and then jumped to VB since i heard it was easy.

 

[Christopher]

I don't like VB at all, I prefer C/C++. I was in the process of learning VB about 4 years ago and dumped it for C++ (I actually jumped right into VC++ which didn't work out too good ).

 

[SFR]

well if u want the truth i started with a little actionscripting in flash, that's when i loved programming, then i tried python a little and then jumped to VB since i heard it was easy.

I figured out my problem ... >> I constantly here how easy VB is.. Well its not. Creating 3 complex forms with near perfect Validation that utilize 3+ Oracle tables, with 3 virtual tables, an Oracle spread table, 2 bound grids and some ADODB data controls... and it gets complicated (and thats far from the most challenging stuff VB has to offer)...

I don't like VB at all, I prefer C/C++. I was in the process of learning VB about 4 years ago and dumped it for C++ (I actually jumped right into VC++ which didn't work out too good ).

Ive created a few MFC applications... What sucks is that you can code everything perfectly and theres so many things going on behind the scenes that the program might not compile... and its impossible to debug... very frustrating

 

[Christopher]

I don't think any language is particularly hard or easy. Some are better for one thing or another, but when you get right down to it, every language is going to have something that is not going to be accomplished in 20 minutes.

I think a lot of people automatically classify VB as "easy" because of it's English-like syntax, but it can be as powerful as you need it to.

 

[OS Dragon]

I think a lot of people automatically classify VB as "easy" because of it's English-like syntax, but it can be as powerful as you need it to

Right On!!! I studied it for a year and I still didn't learn a quater of the functions and features.

 

[Praetor]

I think a lot of people automatically classify VB as "easy" because of it's English-like syntax, but it can be as powerful as you need it to.

It may not be easy but it is easy-to-learn

 

[Praetor]

Thats why you start with C.... not C++ I agree, beginners need to leave pointers alone

Uhhhh I think you have C/C++ confused? C++ has string objects....

but a major part of programming is learning syntax..

Whoa. There's "coding" and there's "programming". Programming (thats what we take CS classes for) teaches you about how to program -- hence the language of chocie varies from school to school as it its utterly irrelevent.

and the faster you learn it, the better off you are...

Better at coding in that language perhaps but it doesnt make you a better programmer by any means whatsoever.

I figured out my problem ...>> I constantly here how easy VB is.. Well its not. Creating 3 complex forms with near perfect Validation that utilize 3+ Oracle tables, with 3 virtual tables, an Oracle spread table, 2 bound grids and some ADODB data controls... and it gets complicated (and thats far from the most challenging stuff VB has to offer)...

Perhaps but I think you're confusing "coding" and "programming" ... coding is getting something to compile and to work. Programming is where you know it will work (i.e., formal verifiacation, proper coding methods) -- the choice of language doesnt determine which category you fall into -- you can make very robust programs in VB however by the time you have the theory background to do so you also conveniently have the theory background to do so in another language, say C. It just also so happens that C is much more rigorous.

Programming places emphasis on "correctness" and "completeness" -- if you've not heard those terms, you'll hate the classes you will hear them in

 

[Christopher]

Every language that I've ever taken an interest in (which is quite a large list) is easy to learn IMO. The difference between learning a language and literally knowing how to program in it is two largely different things.

Just because someone knows how to make a loop in VB or add a click event handler to a button control doesn't mean they can go and create a warehouse database application. Learning how to use a language effectively to solve real problems is more advanced then buying a "VB For Dummies" book.

The argument "it is easy to learn" could be applied to every language. They all share the same basic characters (logic, flow, etc). If anyone is going to take the time to study a language to know it thoroughly, then there's other things to consider then English-like syntax.

Like you said, actual code-writing is a small part of programming. Once you know how to design your programs, the language is just a tool.

 

[691175002]

well if u want the truth i started with a little actionscripting in flash, that's when i loved programming, then i tried python a little and then jumped to VB since i heard it was easy.

I started with actionscript first too but I am still working on it... I am going to try PHP soon...

 

[Sebouh]

Well today i got a C++ book from the library which is "The Complete C++ Training Course" and it is supposed to be really good, so has anyone read it?