Ask in thread about learning to program from scratch

>ask in thread about learning to program from scratch
>say to purchase pic related
>arrives 2 days later
>open book
>requires you to have knowledge of how to program beforehand
Thanks Sup Forums. Which book should I read before reading pic related?

...

look at the intro to programming class at the school of your choice and use that textbook.

Learn Python the Hard Way

>falling for C meme
Why did you ignore all the warnings?

Learn Ruby or Python and get started quickly, occasionally C# if you're on windows

Noted. Thanks.

In all seriousness, "how to think like a computer scientist" is pretty good IMHO

Starting Forth.
Seriously, it's a great introduction to making the hardware do what you've told it to do, while getting you the think about what you're telling it. Plus, free Forth implementations are out there for any host OS.

-Wno-implicit

Do you want to be really good like an autist or are you just trying to get in because you think its cool?

What's the final verdict on this book? Sup Forums seems ambivalent about it

>asking Sup Forums about anything
kys

>requires you to have knowledge of how to program beforehand
really? it literally starts with hello world

>hello world
Which means you have a C dev. environment installed, along with a text editor.

Pick up the book about gcc that Stallman wrote and you're all set.

That is outdated, this is the new release.

Literally just install code blocks if you're on windows or XCode if you're on mac

Yeah, that's what it says, but in practice you really don't need to know another programming language beforehand. It's a very small language and therefore very easy to grasp very quickly.

Most of the big languages nowadays seem to be inspired by C, as the syntax is pretty much exactly the same. You would be hard pressed to find a better language than C as your first. In my experience, people who pick something like python as their first language develop bad habits and are terrible programmers overall.

I would again recommend C as your first language. You already have the book, so just try it. As I said, it's a very small language.

this. OP, do you run linux? If so, you most likely already have gcc for the compiler, and a modern text/code editor is a few clicks and a download away. Also, you could get Codeblocks for Windows, which is a full-blown IDE.

No, OP.
It's perfectly fine to learn with this book.

If you really feel overwhelmed you can look at the internet for some topics. If somethings looks weird, just google it, there are trillions of C tutorials on the interwebs.


Whatever you do:
DON'T switch langauges so early.

A lot of people will say "hey, start with Python or Ruby" but I wouldn't recommend this. Python has just as many quirks as C.

I would learn one of them sooner or later, but not right now. Stick with C for at least three months.

What part of that text tells you how to do that installation? People starting from scratch don't know that either of those choices exist.
>justfuckinggoogleit.com
Google what? Beginners don't know what to search for. Those of us who do know do them a disservice by tossing them in at the deep end, while intending to fish out the few who manage to stay afloat.

What is a bitwise operation?

>You would be hard pressed to find a better language than C as your first.
agreed, only one I could think of is scheme, but would have to start with HtDP instead of SICP

Learn Pascal or Delphi first.

DO NOT start with python or ruby. I tried doing that and once I got into other languages, I was already used to the extra quirks in python and felt like I was using a crutch. Learn C and things like Java first off, that way sidestep languages feel more like appended versions of the original languages.

This cannot be stressed enough. When I first got into programming, I started with C#, then quickly started learning Java and finally Python. Result? I "knew" 3 languages but in reality I actually knew 0, I couldn't do 1 major project in neither of those.

after that, started fresh with C and am actually LEARNING it.

This is not a learning book for C, it's a reference guide for those who already know C, retard

i learned how to program without knowing anything with K&R

if you can't do it you are probably too dumb to program

also anyone recommending zed shaw's books is most likely a troll or a redditor


i dont know why i even reply to stuff like this


i guess it's because there was a point when i was new and people were recommending learn x the hard way motha fucka XD and it was the absolute most useless text i've ever come across for learning anything. i didn't actually spend much time using it because it was so useless even then. for learn python the hard way motha fucka XD its literally 6+ chapters of string formatting exercises which is totally useless. to be fair, the name of the series is fitting


surprisingly people with huge egos, no education background, and average IQ don't make good teachers


if you want to learn at 1/4th the speed you could normally with literally any other text then go with zed shaw's garbage


K&R absolutely does not require you already know how to program though. if you're dumb and need to be spoonfed maybe look at khan academy or whatever

C++ is even more difficult as a first language

If you like a compiled language then Go is a simple language , but I want to recommend Python. There are more jobs that require it and it's simple. The best way to learn Python is the free "computer science 101" course on Udacity.com after Python you should try Java or C# and then C if you want a smooth transition. But you could try C as a second or even first language with another book.

What is a book written by an absolute hack?

kek

what kind of retard can't google
"run c code [MY OS HERE]" ????

Just use youtube man, there are hundreds of videos for beginners

Why am I running source code instead of compiling it?

why don't you try reading the first link that pops up when you type that in mong

And I know to use that phrase because it's intuitively obvious, right?

you're presented c code in the book and you don't know how to use it. of course it's intuitive

>of course it's intuitive
The only things that are intuitive for humans are closing our fists when we sleep and sucking on nipples, everything else is learned.

you're right, I forgot today's kids have no idea how to figure things out themselves, my bad

The only thing you've forgotten is what starting out in coding was like.

I googled things, same as I do for everything else regarding tech that I don't understand. "Teach a man to fish..." and all that.

Why do you want to learn to code? Coding is a tool, it's like asking how to learn to use a screwdriver. What do you want to build?

>ever bothering with a brainlet book

Google didn't exist when I got started. Perhaps that's why I'm not as inclined to be a prick to people who are learning what they need to know in order to learn.

>surprisingly people with huge egos, no education background, and average IQ don't make good teachers
They're not much use here either.

>Spend ~1.5 years coding in Java b/c of University classes
>Have spent the last 2 months learning C
>enjoy coding in C infinitely more than in Java
>Look for internships
>Literally every company looks for Java, C++, or some web design language (barring major tech companies)

Do I learn C++, start coding in Java again, or keep learning C? In the end I just want skills that make me employable, and to become proficient in a language that I can make cool projects in.

Check out Programming Logic and Design by Joyce Farrell, it's a language-agnostic intro to basic programming concepts. Use the C book to implement what you're learning as you go.

>Do I learn C++, start coding in Java again, or keep learning C?
Yes.
Unfortunately, being employable and working on cool projects don't necessarily run together.

Java and C, you can look for embedded jobs with C.
I'm in a similar situation, had a bit of C and mostly Java in uni. I've been doing some front end stuff now for practice, but it sucks. I'll try to become a backend dev.

C#

>requires you to have knowledge of how to program beforehand
What the fuck are you talking about?

Final level

PRIMER!!!!

Something, unless you're writing an embedded application, you'll never use.

>t. brainlet

This isn't true. If you're writing real C software and not fizzbuzz, the bitwise operators are used frequently. However, it's an easier thing to understand than it first appears and a lot of it just involves memorizing the idioms for how to test, clear, and turn on bits, which are the only things people use 99% of the time. Honestly, I think getting your head around how to implement pointer based data structures like lists and hash tables is harder for the beginner.

It's really just because seeing shit like
MEMCHK &= ~(0xFFB8 | SYSADDR)
is intimidating to the uninitiated but it's as simple as working with a row of light switches.

...

C++ actually isn't bad as a first language. Make sure you learn C immediately afterwards though.
When I started out I personally found K&R a bit hard to wrap my head around, but going through C++ Primer was much easier and more enjoyable as a beginner.

Don't listen when people tell you your first language should be X instead of Y. It doesn't matter what you start with, the important thing is that you learn how to program. Some will find it better to start with Python, others will like Java, others will prefer C++, it doesn't matter.

Do yourself a favour and watch the Harvard CS50 course on YouTube, and do the psets that accompany them. The teacher is great, everything is explained clearly, and the material they provide as a supplement is top notch.

They use C as their base language and start at the beginning (what is binary, what are algorithms, what is O notation, what are pointers, etc.) then around the 10 week mark they switch to Python and explore web stuff.

>pick up this book
>it require you to have good text editor and compiler
>google both
>get both
>nothing else is required
Google for dummies maybe?