Hello everyone, be/g/inner here
I have decided to get into the world of programming and I am asking for /g/'s advice.
I have some ideas here and there which I believe it is time to manifest.
I want to start with small programs for utility, then smartphone apps and, when I git gud, I will start working on a PC game I have been theorycrafting on paper for 4 years now.
Where do I start? What will I need?
Any suggestions about languages/editors?
>a friend of mine recommended C# and/or java
Any books?
>for advanced learners, ideally
What am I missing?
Can I even pull it off without attending university classes?
>assuming I will maintain discipline successfully
Editor does not matter, use what you are comfortable with. Java or C++ is a good start, and will teach you a lot, but python is easier to get into. Peek in the gentoomens library my for books.
>>55066944
Thanks for the info.
>>55067015
If you're an absolute beginner and want to get through the basics fairly smoothly(C++), I'd recommend Jumping Into C++. The author is great, and it's as easy to read as The Catcher in the Rye
puthon very easy, great for prototyping
C++ hard, but fast.
I'd say go full C++ so you lose the fear right now and you don't spoil your programming either. Python will need no learning afterwards.
Good luck and have fun
>>55066923
On average, I'd say your results are going to be something like this: You will not get far, it will be frustrating and if you push on you will keep blaming yourself.
If you keep going, then 5 years down the line you're going to realize your video game will never become a reality.
>>55067692
Not really an absolute beginner.
I know/can figure out how programming works, I just don't know any languages yet.
>>55067769
Thank you, I will. :)
>>55067799
>If you keep going, then 5 years down the line you're going to realize your video game will never become a reality.
Most probably, yeah.
But, maybe it will. You never know where a start will get you.
>>55066923
>keeps calling the same function over and over again with the same arguments while expecting a different result
You're either a shit programmer who relies on side effects, or just a plain retard.
>>55067854
lol no offense, but an absolute beginner is someone who has never learned a programming language. Once you git gud you can join the prestigious cheetos-finger-licking community of /g/ in making CS memes
>>55066944
>normie shit
>object-oriented languages
Don't listen to these guys OP, you need to learn REAL languages like C and Assembly that teach you how computers REALLY work. Also delete your operating system and install Arch Linux. The only editor you should be using is Vim. Don't worry if you don't know how to use these things, just jump in and figure them out from experimentation. The pain of the learning curve makes you hardcore for sticking it out, and you'll be superior to all those normies.
>>55066923
> algorithm will tryAgain() before checking if dead is true
so inefficient
>>55067872
Or scanning for input. By the way functional programming a shit.
>>55066923
>I want to start with small programs for utility
Any language will do
>then smartphone apps
Java's most used for this, but you'll mostly be learning how to use frameworks and APIs for the mobile platform, not the Java language.
>I will start working on a PC game I have been theorycrafting
Start with something simple like making 2D games in Javascript. You can make fun, simple games like sidescrollers, shooters and platformers with little to no knowledge of math and computer science.
Once you are thirsty for more control and complexity over your games, you will need to learn math (algebra, trigonometry, basic calculus, newtonian physics, and linear/matrix algebra) and computer science (algorithms, data structures). Check out free education sources like KhanAcademy, MIT Opencourseware video lectures, Coursera (which provides lectures from multiple universities like Stanford et al.). You can obviously skip the sciencey non-programming-related parts, just learn what's relevant.
• Algebra you will need for dealing with the basic numerical bits and having an intuitive understanding of the 2D Cartesian coordinate system
• Trigonometry will be used for rotations, distances (you will use the distance formula a lot), basically anything dealing with angles
• Newtonian physics should be self-explanatory, like how are you going to implement gravity or deflections from collisions in your platformer
• Basic calculus will help with physics problems dealing with the link between velocity and acceleration, and will be necessary for learning how to classify and analyze algorithms in your further computer science studies
• Linear/matrix algebra is a must if you're going to learn OpenGL and anything 3D-related
• Computer science, you'll want to learn at least learn Big O notation and popular algorithms to know how to manipulate data efficiently
>a friend of mine recommended C# and/or java
Don't worry about the language. You'll learn all of them quickly.
