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starting software programming

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Dynamite

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hiya everyone!

I'm new here and i hope you guys can help me out. i want to get started in programming but i dont know how?? i think i would like to do software instead of firmware because im not very good with electronics, lol. so if you have advice for me it would be appreciated and all, i was thinking of making a website for practice or something? i know there are alot of different languages out in the world, but what would be good for most software programming?

thanks, you all are the best! please remember that im a n00b, so dont work me too hard!

Dynamite - KA-BOOM! :D
 
Get a good hard cover book on "C". Study it follow everything through till u understand it and write a few simple programs. Then have a look at C++

Then go to Uni if u can . If not look around at whats the top language then and read everything you can get a hold of on it.
 
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Firmware is embedded software such as in a cell phone. I think you meant you want to do software instead of hardware.
 
I said " C " first because it is not affiliated with anyone. Get ur start with it ,then if ur inclined to go to a microsoft pushed product you will have some basic knowledge to form a sound decision.
 
If you use a book it is best to find one that teaches C as your first language. Some books are written for people who already know how to program.

I suggest using the gcc compiler. It is open source and there are several free IDEs (Integrated Development Environments) that will work with it. There is at least one decent gcc tutorial that might be a good place to start.

I do not have the links at hand just now and need to run. If this sounds interesting I have helped at least 2 other members find this material in the past. Maybe on of them has it at hand. If not I am sure we can find something that will work for you.
 
hi guyz,

thanks alot for all the help! i think i will do c++ for my first language because i think i can do both software and firmware things eventually? i looked up how c++ works online for an example and it looks good for me. how should i get started? should i install codeblocks? i am still trying to make up my mind, so try to persuade me for another language. :D
 
If you are using Windows, then codeblocks is probably the best choice. Download and install "codeblocks-10.05mingw-setup.exe" from Download binary
It should set up gcc and everything else for you.
 
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C++ is C with object oriented extensions. Use the gnu c++ compiler but stick with c. The ++ extensions for object oriented programming and not that easy to use in c++ and not often used in embedded work.

hi 3v0! whats object oriented extensions? in c++ do i have to do it if i dont need to?
 
C++ is C with object oriented extensions. Use the gnu c++ compiler but stick with c. The ++ extensions for object oriented programming and not that easy to use in c++ and not often used in embedded work.

I agree, stick with plain C at first. C++ is a quite small (and not so well designed) extension to C.
 
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hi i guess ill start with c like both 3v0 and misterT suggested. it sounds like c++ isnt a very good language and has some problems? is there anything similar to c++ after i have had enough of c?
 
it sounds like c++ isnt a very good language and has some problems? is there anything similar to c++ after i have had enough of c?

C++ is a powerful extension to C, but I think it is poorly designed and can get very confusing very fast for beginners. And C++ is really useful in large software projects only. And when you have learned C, you have already learned 90% of C++.

Go with C# if you need to write windows applications with user interfaces etc.
 
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c# is different from C++ ? how?

Maybe I shouldn't have mixed C# into this conversation. I would compare C# to Java rather than to C++.
C# is a programming language developed by Microsoft. It is a modern language that combines the best features from C, C++, Java..
Consider C# only if you need to write Windows applications with graphical user interfaces, internet connections, serial communications, etc.
 
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hey 3v0, im interested in the information you have now that i will start with the c language. any help would be great! thanks!
 
oh hey, i forgot to say this. can i do web design with c?

This type of thread always seems to take several directions.

Though I am not a programmer or for that matter a web master (designer) I believe what you will discover real soon is that certain programming languages lend themselves to different applications in different ways. In other words for some applications you may use one language and for another application another language may be more practical.

Early on in the thread misterT made a very good suggestion and that was to consider downloading and installing Microsoft Visual Studio Express editions of a few languages. It really is a good starter package for free. If you look at this page of information you will even see a link to download Visual Web Developer which is useful for web development at a starter level. There is even a link there to download everything as an ISO file that includes:

Download All - Offline Install ISO image file

This ISO image file includes: Visual Basic 2010 Express, Visual C++ 2010 Express, Visual C# 2010 Express, and Visual Web Developer 2010 Express.

There are countless online tutorials on learning and using all of that software also. Anyway, I agree with Mister T in that it would be a good way to start and get a feel for programming.

Ron
 
**broken link removed**
 
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