c c# c++ or java

bpb101

hi everybody.
im 16 and i want to learn a programing language.
what do you think is the best to learn
c c# c++ or java . i want to learn how to create applaction for ubuntu software center mostly as an end result. and could you recommend a few book (prefferly one enable on the kindle)

background.
i havent got a clue about programing language. but i have touch on html but a good understanding of the inside of a computer.

i dont want to use phython because it hasent got a great "support" by way of books
i kinda leaned towards java because of the multi platform
i want a book that start off with "turn on your computer" and is very easy to read and understand.

thanks
barry

henryporter

I'm sure everyone will give a different answer here depending what they use themselves. If you want to consider development as a career then maybe head more for C++ or C# (Considering thats what a lot of commercial software is based on). Having said that the transition between C# and Java is relatively painless so once you get one you'll get the other. And like you say Java is cross-platform so if you're developing for Ubuntu it might suit to head that way. If thats the case get yourself a copy of Eclipse or Netbeans. A good book to get on Java would be 'Building Java Programs, A back to basics approach' If you get stuck on anything there's plenty of people here to answer any questions.

bpb101

henryporter wrote: »

. A good book to get on Java would be 'Building Java Programs, A back to basics approach' .

checked the price $81 im also a unemployed 16 year old .
any other books could could reccomend

djpbarry

I'd be in general agreement with henryporter - C would be the way to go in my opinion. Relatively easy language to get you up and running quickly (and, despite it's age, still very popular) and moving on to Java (and other languages) from there is pretty straightforward. The NetBeans Development Environment has a plug-in for C/C++, so it covers those two bases for you. A copy of The C Programming Language (The C bible) shouldn't set you back too much.

bpb101

dose c have a lot of putionation ( .,)( ] [ )
and is it case sentive

so do you think netbeans is the way to go. ( offtopic...quote from netbeans.org "its open source and free" :L )

also dose c work on multi platforms.?

other comments

bpb101

also could you suggest another few books . one aviable on the kindle

henryporter

They all have 'punctuation' (They're not called curly braces languages for nothing ), but that all comes with practice. Yeah the book is dear, there's a first edition which you could pick up secondhand on amazon. There's also tonnes of online material but I'll let others direct you to the best sources.

They are all case sensitive but most IDE's show you where you're mistakes are before you go too far.

As for C Cross Platform see http://www.ski-epic.com/source_code_essays/ten_rules_for_writing_cross_platform_c_source_code.html

I find Kindle good for novels but crappy for technical books (alot of back and forward flipping involved)

bpb101

after some consideration im going to buy absolute begineers guide to c . then do the c programming language. as suggested above.
then move on to other lanuage.
reason why im going to start with absolute begiiners guide to c is because i did not c any bad comments and people said the coulnd put it down and children as younge as 10 saying it was good .(i dont know how 10 he was because he had every word spelt correction 100% putionation ect

conor.hogan.2

I was thinking this recently.

A - Skip straight to c++, and go back and learn the low level c concepts when needed or later to become a better more rounded programmer.
B - Learn C and learn it well, then extend onto C++ and learn other languages when you can to become a more rounded programmer.
- I cant think of any reason to learn c# first (and me personally at all atm).

C is still used and many languages are based of it, but modernized and made easier and better so thats why this post is C centric as imo its the most useful to start out with.

Oh and please please learn the newest standard of C (c++ or Java), just nice to do and especially if you want it to be as portable as possible (cross platform).

Check your local library they have many many books for free and if not you can get books sent for free (or 50 cent i think) from any library in ireland via borrowbooks.ie which is then sent to your local library and back to your local library.

Kidchameleon

Its not so much what language to choose. You have to learn to program using a language. Any will do, once you get the fundamentals in your head you can pretty much move onto any language. I would recomend Java to begin with. Youll get a few apps up and running in no time which will give you the confidence to keep going. Also, I would recomend staying away from an IDE like Netbeans for now. Compilers are complex programs to use and may scare you away. Download the JDK from Sun's website and begin writing apps in Notepad or whatever text editor your using. Compile them on the command line, that way youll have to fix, and learn from, your own mistakes instead of the IDE doing it for you. Walk into any book store and there are lotts of "Beginning Prigramming with..." books for any language.

Good Luck.

Anima

Its gonna be very difficult to just sit down and read these heavy boring books day after day for more than a month. I think it's best to pick a project and learn by doing.

Why not try and do something with processing. It's based on Java which is a bonus. It's pretty cool and you'll be able to create something real rather than just parsing strings from the command-line without it exploding.

It's also very easy to setup and get going, thats something that throws a lot of people off when starting I think.

Right now I think that would be the best thing to do. If you keep going with it, you'll pick up the ideas of programming very fast.

Naikon

C is universal. It's the native lang of pretty much any OS out there(most notably Unix). C++ is all well and good, but you should choose it based on your preferences. Want to develop serious OO applications with high performance? C++ is the way to go. Java is good, but I would learn the fundamentals of C first. I appreciate C more than any other lang(save for assembly, though it's not portable) simply because it gives you an appreciation of low level concepts like pointers and is very, very elegant. Plus, nothing gets the blood rushing than trying to track down the root of yet another segmentation fault.

djpbarry

Kidchameleon wrote: »

Its not so much what language to choose. You have to learn to program using a language.

That’s a good point, but I think it’s easier to programme badly with a language like Java compared to something like C.

fabioi

Barry,

If you are completely new in the programming world, you can start by learning Pascal. It's quite simple to learn and you'll be able to develop an analytical/logical thinking in an easy and painless way.

"The pocket guide to Pascal" by Joe Dorward costs £0.70
"Pascal basics" by Sujith S Pillai costs £0.75

This is a simple hello world code:

program HelloWorld(output);
begin
   Writeln('Hello world!')
end.

After you get confidence and understand to think in algorithms it will be easy enough to move to C and C++ (my favourite languages).

Hope I could help.

Fabio

scotty_irish

cplusplus.com ... everything you need! great tutorials and forums.

i recommend starting out with a project instead of working through a book, more satisfaction and you'll probably learn quicker too.

good luck!

rick_fantastic

hi OP.... as your just starting off into the world of programming... dont get too bogged down into what language your going to write your code in.

what you really need to do before you even open an ide / notepad blah is get to grips with the CONCEPT of OOP (object oriented programming)

this is the key - learn about inheritance / polymorphism / etc before trying to "learn" a programming language... there all pretty similar.

if your going MS route - start with C as already mentioned here... you need to understand pointers and also how a badly written C app will have memory leaks and other bad stuff!

fabioi

scotty_irish wrote: »

cplusplus.com ... everything you need! great tutorials and forums.

i recommend starting out with a project instead of working through a book, more satisfaction and you'll probably learn quicker too.

good luck!

I also like this site.

However, I still defend the idea of learning first Pascal so he can learn to think logically and in algorithms, before jumping to C, OOP etc...

sombaht

bpb101 wrote: »

also could you suggest another few books . one aviable on the kindle

This is regarded as the bible for C programming:

<mod snip>
Cheers,
sombaht

amen

if you have problems you can always post here with some code sample of your issue and you will get an answer.

Naikon

sombaht wrote: »

This is regarded as the bible for C programming:


Cheers,
sombaht

Copyright Violation Alert!

conor.hogan.2

1 - Downloaded .

2 - But seriously start out learning the Ansi C standard - or the standard and newest version of whatever langauge you choose.

3 - Very very good point about you just happen to use the language, whichever one you choose to start with is not important you should know a variety of languages and choose the one best for the particular task at hand.

4 - C is the basis for most language and it has the low level important concepts but it is tricky, hard and not as fancy and "useful" as Java or C++. So as I stated above I think it best to start with C++ and then go back when you are ready and learn the low level concepts of C.

bpb101

im bought a book on the kindle last night called absolute begginers guide to c
i took a lot of your opions into though i think that learning c string by string and working up will be the best method for me.

but for anyone in the same sitution fellowing this fourm you could try trowing in the depth end and working down .anyone who has done or try to do this let us know . any1starting this any may be "finish" in a month email be i love to hear as i would like to try to for jave or something
bpb101.1@hotmail.com
tnk

LAC

If I were you I'd start with C++ its much more helpful in the long run ,I started with java although java is a great language there is alot of stuff happening that you don't see happening until you start using C++.