want to learn programming

[wilcopshot]

Hi. I was sitting here eating a pot noodle and suddenly realised i didnt know how to program properly. Iv don esome stuff at school for my A level course (A lot in pascal. made a naughts and crosses game that can kick my backside. and a little VB. But very basic VB) but i havnt done anything in any decent languages. I was wandering what language i should begin to get my teeth into as programming is of great interest to me.

Im espeicially interested in sound programs, speach recognition and i want to be able to create nice graphical user interfaces, like in VB.

Could somebody point me in the right direction. Also, i'm a student so if anyone can give me the addy of some free software to help me program i would be greatfull.. Running windows XP pro (wish i could try linux but i have family).

Cheers for any help.

Wilcopshot

[Paul Victorey]

Try C++. Microsoft Visual Studio often can be obtained at student rates -- check your school or contact Microsoft. I bought my copy for $35. (And no, I can't buy others copies -- limit one per student).

Visual Studio makes GUI as easy as it ever is.

[Khashayar]

C++ would be a good choice but if you rally like programming I suggest you master C first and then start C++ or Java.

[Khashayar]

i donno why i typed "rally", anyways i meant "realy"

[Paul Victorey]

I think it's best to start with C++, myself. You won't come into it with bad C-style habits then.

That's my opinion (I did learn C first, though, so it's certainly a viable option).

[wilcopshot]

I think i'v decided on C++. I tried some of the free compilers but i couldnt figure out DJGPP or the latest borland. I install them and they seem to do nothing. No matter how closely i follow the instructions. Im not brilliant in dos but its annoying that in XP it still limits you to the user profile directory wherever you happen to be. Anyone got any tips that i might just understand? Know any windows compilers? I'm not good in command line. Though im learning.

[doctorgonzo]

A good Windows C++ complier is Dev-C++ by Bloodshed software. Just do a google search and you will be able to find it. It is the compiler I used before I got Visual Studio.

[LoveJones]

C++ is hard to master and can be quite intimidating. Learn Java first.

If you are serious about learning to program so that you can do it for a career, good luck. It's really difficult to learn proper theory on your own. But people are all different though, so I mostly speak for myself and most the people I've met at school. A lot of things in Computer Science theory stop being intuitive at a certain level. This makes sense though, because a lot of theory took smart people (phDs) a few years to figure things out, like the best ADT for certain jobs etc etc.

Learn Java first, you will notice a lot of similarities with C++ minus the quirks.