Programming

I spent a lot of time deciding what language to start with and Python is the winner. For starters i recommend this 2 books, in this order:

1. Learn Python the Hard Way

2. Python Programming: An Introduction to Computer Science

Neither is about Python actually, but will prepare you for the task.

This video lectures from MIT are great complement to the second book:

Introduction to Computer Science and Programming

Besides the cheap HTML course in high school, I took a java course a couple years ago at university, but haven't really used it for anything. For my bachelor thesis I taught myself R to automate plotting etc and it was tons of fun. Excel, Sigma plot...never again, I'm only using the ggplot2 package nowadays for any visualization of data.

Besides that I wrote my thesis with LaTeX and am taking a course on LabVIEW, not sure if you can really count both as programming languages though.

Learning Python is on my to do list...

If you guys want to learn how to make a game in unity as well as some basic scripting in Javascript download Unity free version and start watching this guys videos.

Its been a great way to get a glimpse at the work involved in making a game.

http://www.youtube.com/user/Brackeys?feature=watch

Can't remember if someone mentioned it already, but I have been learning Python using PyCharm.
I downloaded a cracked copy and not long after paid the $100 for a licensed copy of

PyCharm Professional (admittedly, i'm still very much an amateur).

I love it! Purchase might not had been necessary as the free community edition is full featured,

but JetBrains did an amazing job and I liked the idea of buying it.

One thing I suggest because it's how I started: start with scripting. Not necessarily a scripting language, but start by just doing simple shit in any language. Python is great for this because all you need to do is name a file [filename].py and type some shit and it works. Set some variables, do some loops, figure out syntax. In other words, don't go straight into object oriented programming. I don't like tutorials that dive directly into OOP.

I just started learning C# and it's awesome

If you know a bit of Java then you basically know C# syntax already, just need to learn the .NET framework and all the packages and such. C# is by far the easiest to use language I've ever used so far, lost of built in support for high level tasks. Making a web scraper to mirror info off a site to my database for more in-depth analysis of the numbers atm and it's working out great. Can then pair it with ASP.NET and build a webpage

I've heard C# is basically Java that isn't slow as fuck, which means I would probably like it.

programming.gif

  On 12/24/2013 at 7:54 PM, gmanyo said:

I've heard C# is basically Java that isn't slow as fuck, which means I would probably like it.

it's also basically a Java that's not entirely shit.

I love how Java works syntactically and structurally but it just doesn't ever run well at all because of garbage collection and the JVM.

  On 12/24/2013 at 8:01 PM, gmanyo said:

I love how Java works syntactically and structurally but it just doesn't ever run well at all because of garbage collection and the JVM.

Same - C# is the superior alternative

I've been enjoying scripting in C# in Unity. I also spent a lot of time this past summer making (or trying to make) shit in PyGame. I realized that it would be better for me to just make stuff in Unity though.

I'm going to be collaborating with a buddy of mine soon on a flash game.

is it true you only really need to know algebra to program? (math wise)

Boolean algebra takes you a long way.

  On 12/26/2013 at 1:09 AM, marf said:

is it true you only really need to know algebra to program? (math wise)

what you only really need is logic. math is useful, but it isn't necessary for a programmer (unless you're working for Wolfram) to be a genius or too good. Pure fucking logic.

sounds... logical

Yeah, having a background in math is useful (especially for 'regular expressions' et al), but not completely necessary. Like logakght said, you just need to understand logic and reason.

Memorizing all of the terminology is the hard part for me.

  On 12/24/2013 at 7:58 PM, phling said:

programming.gif

 

  On 12/24/2013 at 7:54 PM, gmanyo said:

I've heard C# is basically Java that isn't slow as fuck, which means I would probably like it.

 

it's also basically a Java that's not entirely shit.

I LOLed heartily at that - computers in general apply to this - you sit down to do one thing, and before you know it, you're running updates, defragmenting the disc, etc. and have forgotten totally about why you sat down in the first place.

"shaving the Yak"

Mathematics for Computer Science video lectures at MIT

  On 12/26/2013 at 8:48 PM, logakght said:

 

  On 12/26/2013 at 1:09 AM, marf said:

is it true you only really need to know algebra to program? (math wise)

 

what you only really need is logic. math is useful, but it isn't necessary for a programmer (unless you're working for Wolfram) to be a genius or too good. Pure fucking logic.

 

And the "logic" you "need" is completely trivial and can be learned in 20 minutes on wikipedia. If anything, programming helps your math and not the reverse, because it helps you understand recursion and induction. There are many similarities between writing a program, and writing a proof.

its easy for musicians to fall inbetween programming and music.

example: me need generate 7 bit interpolated table, where software? nope, 10 million people have coded that tool but it's invariably kept as part of their personal coding framework. it would take them 2 minutes to release it but 10 years for me to learn to do it on my own

so it helps to have lots of coder friends to bug. bitch i will suck your mother fucking dick for a smooth breakpoint table generator

yeah but for your 7bit interpolated breakpoint table generator you'll need an EntitySingletonFactoryControllerModelCunt first.

  On 12/28/2013 at 2:12 AM, Joseph said:

 

  On 12/26/2013 at 8:48 PM, logakght said:

 

  On 12/26/2013 at 1:09 AM, marf said:

is it true you only really need to know algebra to program? (math wise)

 

what you only really need is logic. math is useful, but it isn't necessary for a programmer (unless you're working for Wolfram) to be a genius or too good. Pure fucking logic.

 

And the "logic" you "need" is completely trivial and can be learned in 20 minutes on wikipedia. If anything, programming helps your math and not the reverse, because it helps you understand recursion and induction. There are many similarities between writing a program, and writing a proof.

 

I totally agree. Programming helps you understand math. In fact, the “hard” part of programming is only learning how each language works. That's totally memorizing shit and methods, including libraries.

  On 12/28/2013 at 2:12 AM, Joseph said:

 

  On 12/26/2013 at 8:48 PM, logakght said:

 

  On 12/26/2013 at 1:09 AM, marf said:

is it true you only really need to know algebra to program? (math wise)

 

what you only really need is logic. math is useful, but it isn't necessary for a programmer (unless you're working for Wolfram) to be a genius or too good. Pure fucking logic.

 

And the "logic" you "need" is completely trivial and can be learned in 20 minutes on wikipedia. If anything, programming helps your math and not the reverse, because it helps you understand recursion and induction. There are many similarities between writing a program, and writing a proof.

 

Lots of people have trouble with it though. For people who like programming and end up doing it for fun, yeah it's trivial shit

But take some random person off the streets who's never programmed before and try to teach them logic, even extremely basic shit like De Morgan's law and set theory notation will look like nuclear physics to them. It's a whole different world for most people and it can't be taught in 20 minutes.

  On 12/28/2013 at 3:34 AM, Zeffolia said:

 

  On 12/28/2013 at 2:12 AM, Joseph said:

Lots of people have trouble with it though. For people who like programming and end up doing it for fun, yeah it's trivial shit

 

But take some random person off the streets who's never programmed before and try to teach them logic, even extremely basic shit like De Morgan's law and set theory notation will look like nuclear physics to them. It's a whole different world for most people and it can't be taught in 20 minutes.

 

That's because almost all non-mathematical people have spectacularly flawed assessments of (i) the difficulty of math and (ii) their ability to learn math. It's incredible, I'm not a musician but I don't pretend to be a retard about music around musicians either. But most random people on the street are like that about math.

If a person off the street wants to learn de morgans laws, and doesn't play stupid, it will take him/her 30 seconds.