Newbie question

[Darron Jeans]

Hi,

I am trying to learn computer programming and figured c would be a great
place to start.

I have a couple of books on learning c, but was wondering if any of you
have suggestions on how to really get started.

Also, does anyone know where i can download examples of c source code to
look at and learn from?

Thanks

Darron

 

[Default User]

Hi,

I am trying to learn computer programming and figured c would be a great
place to start.

I have a couple of books on learning c, but was wondering if any of you
have suggestions on how to really get started.

Write programs. Start with little itty bitty ones, then make bigger
ones. Find something you like and make a program that does something
with that idea.



Brian Rodenborn

 

[Mac]

Hi,

I am trying to learn computer programming and figured c would be a great
place to start.

I have a couple of books on learning c, but was wondering if any of you
have suggestions on how to really get started.

Also, does anyone know where i can download examples of c source code to
look at and learn from?

Thanks

Darron

Write short programs and post them here. Most likely people will critique
them brutally, but you will learn. Make sure to read the FAQ for this
newsgroup before you post. Right now, much of it won't make sense to you,
but some of it will.

http://www.eskimo.com/~scs/C-faq/faq.html

A simple program to start with, assuming you've already got Hello World
running, might be one that simply echoes back whatever you type in. Then
maybe a file copy program, then who knows, maybe a simple program that can
parse numerical input robustly. Then you can actually write some code that
does some numerical function, such as finding the roots of a binomial, or
whatever.

Good luck.

 

[Richard Bos]

I am trying to learn computer programming and figured c would be a great
place to start.

You figured wrong. C is a very good language to program in, but not a
good language to start learning to program in. It allows the programmer
a lot of freedom, which is nice if you know what you're doing, but
dangerous if you don't yet know how far you can go.
Learning to program is best done using a B&D language. I recommend
Pascal, but there are other valid options that I haven't tried myself.

Richard

 

[CBFalconer]

.... snip ...

A simple program to start with, assuming you've already got Hello
World running, might be one that simply echoes back whatever you
type in. Then maybe a file copy program, then who knows, maybe a
simple program that can parse numerical input robustly. Then you
can actually write some code that does some numerical function,
such as finding the roots of a binomial, or whatever.

A file copy, if maintained as he progresses, will become an
excellent template for the whole class of filters. Proper
maintenance includes proper breakdown.

 

[Darron Jeans]

You figured wrong. C is a very good language to program in, but not a
good language to start learning to program in. It allows the
programmer
a lot of freedom, which is nice if you know what you're doing, but
dangerous if you don't yet know how far you can go.
Learning to program is best done using a B&D language. I recommend
Pascal, but there are other valid options that I haven't tried
myself.

Richard

I chose C because it seemed like the basis of so many other languages
(C++, Objective C, C#, and even Java i hear), but I have learned here
exactly what you said. It can be dangerous if you don't know what you
are doing. I definitely fit that category.

Python was recommended to someone else here, so I have also taken a
look at that as a starting place. It seems a little more comprehendable
to me at this point.

I appreciate all the replies.

darron