Learning C# as a first language

5 hours ago, DeathByVisualStudio wrote

As a kid: Commodore Pet Basic, AppleSoft Basic, TI-99-4A Basic, TRS80 Basic  (I'm sure these are all derivations of the some Microsoft Basic with extensions for each platform. Making the TI talk via voice synthesizer was fun), 6502 machine & assembly, and Pascal.

As an "Adult": DBase, FoxPro, TSQL, VB6, C#, XAML, Java 

For me no classes - ever; it all depends on the person. I was very fortunate to live in Silicon Valley as a kid when personal computing took off. Reading is good to start; building something is better. You've got a wealth of resources on the Internet -- sure beats my monthly computer magazine as a kid.

Good luck!

Hey, I grew up in California not far from "the valley"  Stockton,  had a VIC20 and a C=128 - my first two computers where i learned basic and 6502 and then C - spinnaker C compiler for the 128.

@figuerres: Those were the days... I bought a C book but it didn't get read much because I changed focus to girls. I blame them for me not learning C.

I wonder how many professional programmers got their start on the Sinclair, Apple, and Commodore computers of the early 80's?

I hope you are in a much more temperate climate than Stockton; too damn hot.

Kid: AppleSoft BASIC, Commodore BASIC, UCSD Pascal

College: FORTRAN, Turbo Pascal, dBASE, FoxPro

All Growns Up: FoxPro, C/C++, Visual FoxPro, JavaScript, Java, C#, Objective-C, more C++

I've never done any serious development in C/C++ or Java or Objective-C, but I picked them up and have dabbled in them. I also do T-SQL, but I consider that a necessary evil more than anything else. 

2 hours ago, DeathByVisualStudio wrote

*snip*

I wonder how many professional programmers got their start on the Sinclair, Apple, and Commodore computers of the early 80's?

*snip*

I definitely fall into that category: young enough to appreciate never having had to use punchcards or to carry around 7" floppies, yet old enough to remember using a hole puncher to double your disk space.

2 minutes ago, blowdart wrote

*snip*

 

7"? I remember 8", 5 1/4", 3" and 3.5". Was there a 7?

 

7" when it was cold outside.  8" normally...

1 hour ago, cbae wrote

*snip*

I definitely fall into that category: young enough to appreciate never having had to use punchcards or to carry around 7" floppies, yet old enough to remember using a hole puncher to double your disk space.

LOL! I remember the hole puncher technique. Ahhh the memories...

Something was here.

3 minutes ago, Bass wrote

I write poetry that happens to execute on modern computers.

@evildictaitor:

You only managed to capture a sentence of it.

I just thought I said something kind of "interesting" that is worth saving it for another day instead of wasting it on this thread.

8 hours ago, blowdart wrote

*snip*

7"? I remember 8", 5 1/4", 3" and 3.5". Was there a 7?

Aw, man, I now realize that I've been shortchanging myself all these years too.

2 minutes ago, Bass wrote

@evildictaitor:

You only managed to capture a sentence of it.

I just thought I said something kind of "interesting" that is worth saving it for another day instead of wasting it on this thread.

DRY principle doesn't really matter when it comes to posting in forums.

8 hours ago, ScanIAm wrote

*snip*

7" when it was cold outside.  8" normally...

12 hours ago, DeathByVisualStudio wrote

@figuerres: Those were the days... I bought a C book but it didn't get read much because I changed focus to girls. I blame them for me not learning C.

I wonder how many professional programmers got their start on the Sinclair, Apple, and Commodore computers of the early 80's?

I hope you are in a much more temperate climate than Stockton; too damn hot.

well not as cold in the winter, not as hot in the summer but really humid, Tampa FL :--)

so 85-90 here is like 105-110 in Stockton  LOL

1 day ago, JoshRoss wrote

I started with Atari Basic, around second or third grade. If I had to suggest a language to start with it would probably be either javascript or python. Either way, there is plenty of leaning material freely available on the internet.

-Josh

Javascript as the first language? Might one suggest a less tortuous path?

Coffeescript.

I wouldn't recommend Javascript as a first langauge either, for two reasons:

1. JS on its own is pretty useless; the "obvious" environment for it is the browser, and that means learning HTML, DOM idiosyncracies, and possibly a library like JQuery.
2. I'm not sure starting with a language that does OO differently from any other mainstream language is such a good idea.

4 hours ago, Sven Groot wrote

I wouldn't recommend Javascript as a first langauge either, for two reasons:

1. JS on its own is pretty useless; the "obvious" environment for it is the browser, and that means learning HTML, DOM idiosyncracies, and possibly a library like JQuery.
2. I'm not sure starting with a language that does OO differently from any other mainstream language is such a good idea.

And then you didn't even mention "the bad parts".