n00b questions...

**jamezzz122** · 05-17-2003, 10:15 PM

what do people learn all these languages for?

what is their purposes?

could it be done with XP or have to be linux?

**cjohnson** · 05-18-2003, 06:16 PM

You seem to be a little confused, so perhaps I can un-confuse you some. Programming of computers is done with various programming languages. Lots of people have different ideas of how programming should be / there are lots of different programming paradigms, and thus lots of different languages to support those ideas/paradigms. People learn languages so they can program a computer by taking advantage of features of the language they're using. For example, if you wanted to write a simulator of a processor you might use Verilog; if you wanted to write alot of networking code, you may use Java; if you just wanted some pretty little user interface and wanted to make it quickly, you might use Visual Basic. Generally languages are independent of the operating system being used, in the sense that if you want to program in C, it doesn't matter whether you use Linux or WinXP or AIX or whatever, there's a C compiler for probably any operating system you can think of. But, of course, code you write in Windows will not work in Linux if you write it in C without recompiling it for Linux (with other languages the code runs on top of a virtual machine or interpreter or whatever, e.g. Java, and you can go across operating systems/platforms like that). The language itself is just a set of rules for the syntax/semantics of the code, but sometimes you don't find implementations of that language on another platform for whatever reason (such as there not being enouch interest/reason to create an implementation), for example there's no Visual Basic compiler for Linux (well, maybe Mono will compile VB code, but I'm not sure... I just associate C# w/Mono), and there's also no CMUCL for Windows. Hope this helps.

**jamezzz122** · 05-19-2003, 06:32 PM

okay thanks i get it now...but what would it help an everyday computer user to learn it? also what programs are needed to get started? any good books?

**cjohnson** · 05-19-2003, 09:46 PM

Depends on what language you want to start learning first. If you want to learn C first, which is probably a pretty common choice, "Teach Yourself C in 24 Hours" is an okay book, but not the greatest. And you could probably find it pretty cheap somewhere. You'll also need a compiler. You can get a free C compiler for Windows from www.mingw.org.

**jamezzz122** · 05-20-2003, 04:27 PM

what would learning it help me do? like what do people do and should an eevryday computer user learn it?

also are there any programs i need ?

**rock** · 05-21-2003, 08:14 AM

Originally posted by jamezzz122
what would learning it help me do? like what do people do and should an eevryday computer user learn it?

Basically, knowing how to program will allow you to get your computer to do more things that you want it to do. There's no reason why an everday copmuter user needs to learn to program, though. Surfing the web, doing email, writing spreadsheets and powerpoint presentations, playing games, etc. don't require a programming background.

But, it can be helpful. Consider that MS Office macros are written in Visual Basic. Ever needed more or customized functionality out of Excel? There is a good reason to program. Most Linux/Unix users are forced to the edges of understanding programming and scripting, but it's still not specifically needed (but it will help a lot).

Whenever I end up doing a task more than once, I immediately think about writing a script or short program to accomplish it for me. Non-programmers are happy doing things repeatedly because they don't think there's any other way.

**jamezzz122** · 05-21-2003, 09:04 PM

o sweet..i think i'll start learning?

should i start with c, c++, or java?

also im in HS and would learning help me in future jobs?...if so which ones?

**OS-Wiz** · 05-21-2003, 09:17 PM

Start with C, then JAVA.

**cjohnson** · 05-21-2003, 10:20 PM

C is poison. Start with Lisp.

**BlueOval** · 05-21-2003, 11:50 PM

Start with VB and work yer way to C.

**TheSpegmaster** · 05-22-2003, 02:10 PM

As you can see everyone is going to have their favorite languages to start. I learned using visual basic and moved on to C++, java and perl. I highly recommend using either C or Visual Basic to start.

**jamezzz122** · 05-22-2003, 05:19 PM

VB what that?...there good books out for it like C?

also are their any programs needed to use programing knowledge?

**BlueOval** · 05-23-2003, 03:27 AM

VB meaning Visual Basic. It's what I started on and is pretty much the easiest language to learn. Get your feet wet with that and then go on to harder stuff like C or C++. Yep, plenty of books on VB. The only program you'll need is a compiler so you can put your code to work and make a game, application or whatever.

**jamezzz122** · 05-23-2003, 06:06 PM

Originally posted by BlueOval
VB meaning Visual Basic. It's what I started on and is pretty much the easiest language to learn. Get your feet wet with that and then go on to harder stuff like C or C++. Yep, plenty of books on VB. The only program you'll need is a compiler so you can put your code to work and make a game, application or whatever.

are "compliers" free?

**BlueOval** · 05-23-2003, 06:48 PM

Some are, some aren't. Check out thefreecountry.com for a huge list of free stuff having to do with coding.

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