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as the title might make apparent, I've decided to try to learn to program. I had some free time today (classes don't start again 'till tomorrow) and spent some time on the setup. I googled around, talked to a friend, and decided to start with C++. I've dabbled with python, and watched some introductory java lectures over the summer, but lost focus with the start of school and the time sink of meeting new people and being in a new place.
Now that things have settled down though, I've found myself with increasing amounts of free time (mandatory freshman study halls + time management + not doing hw that teachers don't collect= more time for myself) and I figure, why not do something useful with it? So i mucked about with visual C++ express for a while, figured out how to do basic stuff like debug and compile, did some reading, and coded up the traditional first application: Hello World!
Now all I have to do is actually learn how to program
My method might sound strange, but I think it'll work. Basically i've found an introductory document/tutorial thing, to teach myself the commands and the syntax, and I'm applying it by doing problems from a wonderful little site called projecteuler.net. what it is, basically, is a collection of mathematical challenges intended to be solved by creating an application to solve it. I've done 2, and plan on doing at least 1 per night until i've solved them all.
pre-edit: nevermind there are over 300. I'll try to do the first 50, and see where i stand then. I'll report back in a month, if it takes that long.
PS: If i'm ever asking for help in the big programming thread, this is probably why.
 
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Well nice move learning something new 
You may need a more structured approach as the important stuff in programming in not the language but the structures and logic used to create solutions. Have you done any courses in programming? I suck at it but even I know that most of the stuff is similar regardless of which language you are using.
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United States4991 Posts
You should consider what you actually want to do with programming. If your objective is to be able to solve little mathematical challenges, that approach may work fine. If you actually want to be able to write larger applications though, you're probably going to want to read a book or (better) take a class. Being able to solve individual mathematical things with loops and recursion and stuff is great, but unless you have some level of software design, it's almost guaranteed that any larger thing you end up putting together will be a horrible kludged together mess 
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Check out Codeforces too, it's more programming centered than projecteuler. Good luck, I have a C++ project worth 12% of my grade due next week, haha.
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It'd be neat if you included how you achieved an answer to a problem on Project Euler in your blogs. Code that you tried, but didn't work... and how you went about fixing them. Your mindset at each turning point.
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oh, im doing Project euler too. I think they actually require some mathmatical insight cuz I've brute forced most of it and it's taking longer and longer to output the answer.
also, good luck on coding, it's the greatest thing in the world!
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Like insane said, don't do project euler unless you want to get better at employing math tricks. Besides, I think eventually those problems will require some knowledge of data structures and algorithms, and you'll run into a wall where you'll no longer be able to solve them efficiently. I guess what I'm trying to say is that project euler isn't for beginner programmers trying to learn to program. It's more for experienced programmers who want to write programs to solve math problems.
My recommendation is that you take on a mid-sized project that will be fun for you. For example, program a game from scratch. Along the way you should learn the basics.
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The best way to learn how to program is to read books about a specific language(low as possible while still being easy, C++ is a good start imho, C# is also fine) and then just go program stuff. Even though that is what people think, programming is no rocket science if you put in the work hours.
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Hey my friend and I made a website for learning c++, you should check it out @ link
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This is awesome. Striving to make yourself better in your free time instead of just going through the motions of everyday DULL life. Fuck yeah smart people.
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What do you need to start screwing with a programming language like C++? I've been wanting to start familiarizing myself with a language, because I plan on taking some actual classes in the near future, but I'd like to get myself at least familiar with the basics and such. Basically, how did you start learning on your own. I'd at least like to be able to start solving those basic little math problems and such before I start taking classes.
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EPT
