Learning java with no programming language experience, where to start? - Page 2

mmbt0ne · #11 10-10-2007, 04:23 PM

God I hate Scheme. I can't believe someone else has even heard of it.

I mean, it serves it purpose of teaching you how to think like a programmer very well because you have to use prefix notation [aka 3+2 would be written (+ 3 2)] which makes everything you do require some thought.

As lame as it is, I've actually learned more coding post-school than I did in school because I use it to do stuff that's actually useful now, rather than trying to write a scrabble game in Java, or create a recursive loop in Scheme.

Neko · #12 10-10-2007, 04:25 PM

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I would also recommend considering Scheme (a dialect of Lisp).

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Recommending someone learn Scheme as their first language seems like a good way to turn them off programming forever [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] python for really fast and easy developement of small projects

suzzer99 · #13 10-10-2007, 04:26 PM

I took a local community college class to get started. I recommend this over trying to teach yourself from a book. Especially if as you describe, you aren't a naturally gifted programmer.

suzzer99 · #14 10-10-2007, 04:27 PM

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

I would also recommend considering Scheme (a dialect of Lisp).

[/ QUOTE ]

Recommending someone learn Scheme as their first language seems like a good way to turn them off programming forever [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] python for really fast and easy developement of small projects

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Yeah I tried to teach myself BASIC back in the 80s. Turned me off programming for about 12 years.

mmbt0ne · #15 10-10-2007, 04:34 PM

I need to look into this python it sounds like.

fwiw, the first language I learned was Visual Basic back in sophomore year of high school (99-00).

El Diablo · #16 10-10-2007, 04:35 PM

mmbt,

When I went to school at Rice (class of '93), Scheme was used in a bunch of comp sci classes, apparently because it taught good conceptual programming practices.

mmbt0ne · #17 10-10-2007, 04:38 PM

They just took it out of GT's CS1101 class about 3 years ago. I think they do two classes of java now for intro, but I'm not sure.

gumpzilla · #18 10-10-2007, 04:40 PM

What would be a good first language these days? I learned on BASIC and Pascal, then learned C, Java, and specialized nerd stuff (Mathematica/MATLAB). None of these seem like an optimal choice; though Java didn't seem bad at all when I learned it, I already had a very solid basis in programming and only needed to focus a bit on picking up the OOP behavior, and if you're trying to do both I imagine it could get ugly. (EDIT: Oh yeah, and duh, I more or less knew C already. Trading C's memory management for Java's more than made up for learning the basics of OOP, so easiness all around.)

I'm interested in learning Python, and have started reading up on it, but need to find a good project to work on to learn it (really to get me interested enough to spend my leisure time learning to code rather than reading or drinking etc.)

tshort · #19 10-10-2007, 04:42 PM

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

I would also recommend considering Scheme (a dialect of Lisp).

[/ QUOTE ]

Recommending someone learn Scheme as their first language seems like a good way to turn them off programming forever [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] python for really fast and easy developement of small projects

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I should have included the standard Scheme / Lisp disclaimer. OP, learn Python then take a stab at Scheme.

Tupacia · #20 10-10-2007, 05:35 PM

If all you want to do with Java is to program a few little apps that will help you at the office, why don't you just outsource it via Elance.com? There are tons of competent cheap programmers who would complete your app and you could save yourself from learning the hassles of learning to program.