How can I learn to program? • Hacker News Board

Re: How can I learn to program?

#11

Post by chromejs10 » Sun, Apr 17, 2011, 9:50 PM UTC

Following what other people said.. Python is a great (and powerful) language to get started with. It is what we teach our CS110 class at my University. Honestly, get a Mac or, like espeed said, install linux. Learning bash is invaluable. Also, learn HTML5/CSS. Every business needs a website, and with as powerful as HTM5 is, you could get up a decent one with just those two things (though javascript would be handy).

There are a ton of good resources online. Hacker News is awesome, Stack Overflow, etc. Python has a nice and free online book to get you started.

Best of luck!

Oh, I agree with the need for a good editor. Emacs is great (of course others will argue for VIM of course ;). Unless things have changed in the last release, you'll have to install it yourself which is one of the reasons people choose the lighter weight editor of VIM.

If you have a mac, I would suggest TextMate. I recently came across SublimeText 2 which is currently in alpha stages but is really cool too! It is cross platform so it will also work on Linux.

Re: How can I learn to program?

#12

Post by wccrawford » Sun, Apr 17, 2011, 9:52 PM UTC

Either take a class, or do it like most self-taught programmers: Find a need and start looking up how to make it happen. It's going to be VERY painful at first if you teach yourself, but if you stick with it, you'll get there.

Re: How can I learn to program?

#13

Post by simon_kun » Sun, Apr 17, 2011, 10:01 PM UTC

http://pine.fm/LearnToProgram/

Re: How can I learn to program?

#14

Post by michaelochurch » Sun, Apr 17, 2011, 10:05 PM UTC

wccrawford wrote: post #12

Either take a class, or do it like most self-taught programmers: Find a need and start looking up how to make it happen. It's going to be VERY painful at first if you teach yourself, but if you stick with it, you'll get there.

It's going to be VERY painful at first if you teach yourself, but if you stick with it, you'll get there.

Painful? It's fun.

Sure, it's difficult, but if he doesn't find difficult things to be fun, he's neither going to be an entrepreneur nor a programmer.

Re: How can I learn to program?

#15

Post by will_lam » Sun, Apr 17, 2011, 10:06 PM UTC

If you're interested in taking the Ruby on Rails route, you can check out Chris Pine's book "Learn to Program" in Ruby.

Also there's HacketyHack, Rails for Zombies, CodeSchool.com.

Also there was an old HN thread that is very similar to your situation. http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2280070

Re: How can I learn to program?

#16

Post by kodisha » Sun, Apr 17, 2011, 10:08 PM UTC

When i think about it - one language wont do it. When you learn html/CSS - you will know how browser renders elements on the page, nothing else. If you learn javascript - you wont know anything about server side. If you learn PHP - it will complement your knowledge of html/css nicely, but you still need to know some javascript.

So my vote goes to PHP + javascript (+node.js) + HTML + CSS

edit: i recommend Ubuntu for development, or if you own a Mac, just install xampp and enjoy.

Re: How can I learn to program?

#17

Post by gte910h » Sun, Apr 17, 2011, 10:09 PM UTC

telemachos wrote: post #8

a_bad_dream wrote: post #2

You could probably get away with not knowing how to code, but even an elementary understanding helps you to know what is and isn't possible. Spend a week or two getting the fundamentals of programming (even if you won't be able to program very well at the end of that time), and you'll be in a much better place. Try Mark Pilgrim's Dive Into Python. It's free online, and python is one of the better introductory languag…

>> Try Mark Pilgrim's Dive Into Python. I have to disagree with the book choice - for this case. The first sentence on the main site for the book[1]: >> Dive Into Python is a Python book for experienced programmers. It might be a great book, but not for someone who knows nothing about programming. [1] http://diveintopython.org/

It's not even that good anymore for python. Does several thing "unidomatically" now according to Mark Pilgrim himself.

Re: How can I learn to program?

#18

Post by ksmith » Sun, Apr 17, 2011, 10:09 PM UTC

If you'd like to learn basic programming concepts right away, check out Pine's 'Learn to Program' (http://pine.fm/LearnToProgram/)

If you'd like to learn best practices, check out Hunt & Thomas' 'The Pragmatic Programmer' (http://www.pragprog.com/the-pragmatic-programmer).

To get up to speed fairly quickly on what's going on under the hood, check out Petzold's 'Code' (http://www.charlespetzold.com/code/) and Nisan & Schocken's 'The Elements of Computing Systems' (http://www1.idc.ac.il/tecs/).

Re: How can I learn to program?

#19

Post by Zolomon » Sun, Apr 17, 2011, 10:09 PM UTC

espeed wrote: post #10

Set up a Linux computer (Ubuntu Linux is the easiest to set up), and spend the summer learning to program in Python. Here are some of the best online Python tutorials, including a link to videos and course material for MIT's introductory computer science course, which uses Python: http://www.quora.com/How-can-I-learn-to-program-in-Python/an... Build something that you want to use so it will be meaningful to you. Do y…

This answer is of exceptional depth, even if it only mentions one of the infinite ways to learn programming. +1

Re: How can I learn to program?

#20

Post by dr_ » Sun, Apr 17, 2011, 10:17 PM UTC

There are numerous online resources most of them have been mentioned here. I agree Python seems like a great way to start, its what I've been working through as well. I'd also suggest to see if there are local classes available in addition to the online stuff. Sometimes paying for a course at a college can get expensive but if you are in a area which is start up friendly and has incubators etc., you can get some cheaper courses there, to supplement your other learning. For example, in my area (NYC) there is General Assembly.

Remember though - entrepreneurship is not a career. You have to have a solid idea that you can develop into a product - developing and then taking that product mainstream and running that particular business (or working on selling it)is then your career.

Just like non-profit work is not a career - usually people who go into a non-profit work environment have a passion for something in particular, that then becomes their career, which so happens to be for a non-profit entity.