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Books To Learn To Program


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Hello,

Some of my friends have recommend me to read Head First Java as an introductory book to everything programming-related. They say that even though it is a Java book, it has most of what you need to know about programming and that you won't need to do much work to apply those concepts to any other language, Object Oriented or not. That is my only question about it, if I read this book, would I be able to program in something NOT object oriented like C?

Also, if any of you have a different opinion on which book to get, please state it. Assume that I know nothing.

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Hello,

Some of my friends have recommend me to read Head First Java as an introductory book to everything programming-related. They say that even though it is a Java book, it has most of what you need to know about programming and that you won't need to do much work to apply those concepts to any other language, Object Oriented or not. That is my only question about it, if I read this book, would I be able to program in something NOT object oriented like C?

Also, if any of you have a different opinion on which book to get, please state it. Assume that I know nothing.

One question you would want to ask yourself is why would you want to program something that's not object oriented? C is old and has been replaced by C++ (which is also old) and is object oriented.

More to the point is what do you want to do? What are your target platforms?

I would suggest reading some books on C# or ASP.Net if you want to do web stuff. You can get free IDE's, there's tonnes of material out on the web.

As for specific books on learning to program, you really need to answer the above questions first before recommendations can really be made.

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I don't "know" what I want to do. If possible, I want to be able to be efficient in most areas. As you say, C is old but what happens when you get a job and they demand that you program in C? I don't want to be a guru in everything, I just want to read something that I can use not only in the newest technologies, but also in the old ones. I know that if I read this Head First Java book, I would do good in C# as it's basically the same thing. If I learn PHP, I was told I would easily handle ASP.Net.

Like I said, I was told this Java book is perfect for what I want(learning to program) but I am not sure if I can use those concepts in other areas.

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If possible, I want to be able to be efficient in most areas. As you say, C is old but what happens when you get a job and they demand that you program in C?

Easy. Find another job. Or figure it out then. You can't be prepared for everything. Start with a solid foundation and go from there.

If I learn PHP, I was told I would easily handle ASP.Net.

Did they explain why this would be the case? Two completely different environments.

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I don't "know" what I want to do. If possible, I want to be able to be efficient in most areas. As you say, C is old but what happens when you get a job and they demand that you program in C? I don't want to be a guru in everything, I just want to read something that I can use not only in the newest technologies, but also in the old ones. I know that if I read this Head First Java book, I would do good in C# as it's basically the same thing. If I learn PHP, I was told I would easily handle ASP.Net.

Like I said, I was told this Java book is perfect for what I want(learning to program) but I am not sure if I can use those concepts in other areas.

1) Learn a popular, general-purpose programming language and learn it well

2) Learn basic algorithms and data structures

3) Write something you find cool

From there, you should have a better idea of what programming is about, what are your possibilities, what you would like/not like to do, and choose in what direction to go.

Suggestions for 1):

C# very nice language, you'll be spoiled though

Java boring, but hugely popular

C++ an absolute PITA, but essential in certain domains

Python - not as widely used as the others, but really good for beginners ! An invaluable asset under your belt

Suggestions for 2):

Algorithms and Data Structures

As for #3, you should have some ideas... or else why do you want to learn programming? ;)

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They say that even though it is a Java book, it has most of what you need to know about programming and that you won't need to do much work to apply those concepts to any other language, Object Oriented or not. That is my only question about it, if I read this book, would I be able to program in something NOT object oriented like C?
Saying a book has most of what you need to know about programming is like saying a certain book has most of what you need to know about mathematics. To become a mathematician, it'll take more than reading a single book. It's going to be many books and many years of studying and practicing.

That said, all popular programming languages share a lot of concepts, although they all approach these concepts differently. The hardest part is probably learning the first language, all the others can be learnt by comparing with the first, just like with spoken languages. Actually, there's a lot more to programming than programming languages, which are relatively easy; the bulk of valuable knowledge is in other areas such as algorithms, common abstract data representations, building GUIs, understanding threads, memory usage/allocation, getting familiar with debuggers, build systems, design patterns, etc.

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