Programming

[.Maleficus.]

Anyone here a programmer? If you are, for what kind of stuff? Games, maintenance utilities, scripts to make your life easier? Well, to anyone who does anything like that, I need some help from you.

I've got a few questions.

1. What language do you use? I've been looking into Python, but I don't really have time to read a 70 page tutorial (the only decent one I've found) and I don't know how useful it really is. I've also been messing around with C++, and that's fun and seems pretty easy. A few languages I was thinking about were C++, C# (though I'm not yet sure how they differ), BASIC, J#, and Python. They seem the most common. What do you recommend? Each has it's own advantages and disadvantages I'm sure, but which is for practical for basic programs?

2. Microsoft Visual Studio? Is it worth looking into? I was messing around with VB on my school's computers yesterday, but I'm not sure if I want to learn that way, or do the coding from scratch. I imagine I'd learn more from doing everything from hand, but that takes a lot longer right? Kinda like the difference between Dreamweaver and writing HTML and CSS? Also, are there any free programs that do the same thing as Visual Studio, or something similar?

3. Graphics... OpenGL or DirectX? I'm leaning more towards OpenGL, since it can be used in Linux, but DirectX has more uses, correct? Sound, video, hardware communication.. right? I don't know if I'm ready to do all that yet, so OpenGL is still more what I favor.

4. .NET? What is it exactly, and what does it do?

Thanks for any help guys!

[DaveW]

Java should be on that list somewhere. Java is great to program in. I estimate in a few years Java will be the new mainstream programming language; all it really lacks is a proper GUI builder. Swing is severely lacking in several areas.

I'm a programmer. I'm pretty much a jack-off-all trades, although there's some things i prefer and some things i don't; I'm happiest with Assembler and Java, and most miserable with C.

I had an argument with a guy in the lab the other day; i said C was a hack language, he said it wasn't. I pointed out that if you want a boolean, you have to use integer. He said 'ok...well, fair point' and that was pretty much it. :)

-Dave

[Ticien]

I wanted to be a programmer for a long time. I wanted to make games and took a bunch of C++ in highschool and the beginning of college. Its a pretty good language, IMO, but for some uses, Java is better. A lot of programming languages are on some level similar, in that even though the syntax and commands are different, the basics are the same. Once you learn one language it makes it lots easier to get your feet wet in others.

Dont know anything about visual studio, sorry. I did do a little messing around with VB and thought it was neat, but for what I was planning to do with programming it didnt seem useful to me.

OpenGL CAN be used with Linux, but DirectX seems to be a lot more widespread in use (due in part to MS and NVidia)

and i havent the slightest clue what .NET is...

I ended up changing my major to 3D Animation because I realized that programming games wasnt going to be nearly as fun as playing them :D

[xRyokenx]

I'm hopefully going to be learning programming and a couple other things to do with making games sometime soon, any advice on what I should take? I have absolutely no experience in any sort of programming except hacking the .ini file for C&C Red Alert because I didn't like the way the game was by default. I was also planning on taking a couple other courses to do with making games, such as graphic design/whatever...

[Scotty]

Does Flash Actionscript count? I can do minimal AS, looking into AJAX for web programming stuff. I attempted C== and failed but thats probably because of the 1/2 a week i did on it lol. I used Visual Basic but can't say much about it as i hardly ever used it.

[DaveW]

Scotty, i might have to wallop yer arse for that 'Location'. ;)

-Dave

[.Maleficus.]

Dave: Isn't J# similar to Java? On the Visual J# page, they use J# and Java a lot together, but if it isn't Java, that's what I meant. I was looking into Java a little a school a while ago too, but I don't remember much of what I read.
Oh, and your 'jack-of-all' trades may need some touching up... I lol'ed when I read the 'of' part.

Ticien: Yeah DirectX is more widespread, but I'm hoping to make Linux capable apps. as well.

Minty: Thanks for the info! And yeah, that would be great if you could send me a sample.

Ryoken: My advice would be do what I'm trying to do; learn as much as you can at a young age so you're ahead of the game when the time comes that you need it.

Scotty: As far as I'm concerned, Actionscript can count. From what I've used of it (not much) it reminded me of C++.


Thanks for all the help guys!


Edit: Well, I've never done this before, so I think I've earned it with this post. w00t 1,000th post w00t! lol

[nil8]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.net_framework

It makes coding apps in Windows easier.

I'm not, nor will I ever be a coder. I much prefer PC, Server & Printer work.

[simon275]

I am been force taught Java at university. It makes my head hurt at times. :dead:

Next year I do C and C++

[azminisk8r]

first thing im taking next year at college and/or high school simultaneously, C, then Java, then C++, and maybe direct x, but thats an optional, i dont find any other codes widely used or useful and i alreadyknow that just learning these 4 is going to take forever

[.Maleficus.]

In case anyone else was interested in Visual Studio, here's something cool I found. (http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/express/)

[BinaryDemon]

I have done a little programming in VB6, but thats about it. I never transitioned to .NET, and everytime I try my hand at C++ I get frustrated trying to figure out what the compiler errors are really referring to.

VB Express or Python are probably good places to start.

[Ticien]

C++ errors: "You forgot a semi-colon...the system will self destruct in 3...2...1..."

<<cout "BOOM";

[AJ@PR]

C++ errors: "You forgot a semi-colon...the system will self destruct in 3...2...1..."

<<cout "BOOM";

cout << "Boom MoFo!!!! ! !! 11 !! 11 one!! 1!" << endl;

[intergalacticman]

i can do c++ thats kinda like the basic language now, also i do actionscript in video game design class

[DaveW]

Oh, and your 'jack-of-all' trades may need some touching up... I lol'ed when I read the 'of' part.

Smart ass. I'm not correcting it. :p

Oh, and for the record, I'm only kidding about Scotty's location. That's just some traditional Scottish/English rivalry. :D Think some people got a little confused about that one. ;)

-Dave

[Scotty]

Scotty, i might have to wallop yer arse for that 'Location'. ;)

-Dave


:p only going by the fools i know who live their. You kn ow anyone by any chance :D

[DaveW]

You kn ow anyone by any chance

I know a lot of people. (shifty eyes)

-Dave

[.Maleficus.]

Smart ass. I'm not correcting it. :p
Haha oh well, looks like I was the only one who noticed anyways :banana:.

[Exley]

I know a bit of C and C++ and a good bit of PHP