Quote:
Originally Posted by ixtab
As with everything else, there is no way to learn this except for the hard way: to try it. And unlike bicycle driving, in IT you have to keep learning, perpetually.
Of course, to get a *really* good understanding of the entire matter, I personally recommend to get a BSc. or MSc. in Computer Science, because that will also teach you the fundamentals which lay hidden *behind* all the shiny UIs and programming languages. But I suppose that's not your goal, so let's keep it simple: I suggest you go grab some of the "Head First xxx" or "xxx for dummies" books, they're generally pretty good as introductions. Examples:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0470371749/
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0596009208/
I personally suggest to start with Java, but I know not everybody here will agree. C / C++ are more difficult to start with and to program for, but will give you more insight into the "inner workings" of the computer, simply because you *have* to understand them to properly code in these languages.
As to the programming environment, any OS will do (even Windows), but IMO it's a lot easier on Linux, because it's a breeze to install support for languages and compilers, etc. Any recent distribution will do - I personally have a preference for Linux Mint lately. |
darn it. you beat me to it.