Today's Posts Follow Us On Twitter! TFL Members on Twitter  
Forum search: Advanced Search  
Navigation
Marketplace
  Members Login:
Lost password?
  Forum Statistics:
Forum Members: 24,254
Total Threads: 80,792
Total Posts: 566,471
There are 1128 users currently browsing (tf).
 
  Our Partners:
 
  TalkFreelance     Design and Development     Programming :

Getting into Programming: Where do I start?

Thread title: Getting into Programming: Where do I start?
Reply    
    Thread tools Search this thread Display Modes  
10-10-2010, 05:59 PM
#1
jimmykup is offline jimmykup
Status: I'm new around here
Join date: Apr 2010
Location:
Expertise:
Software:
 
Posts: 11
iTrader: 0 / 0%
 

jimmykup is on a distinguished road

  Old  Getting into Programming: Where do I start?

Hi everyone,

I'm looking into learning how to program. I've been using HTML and CSS for over a decade now but I've never moved past that. My question is where should I begin? I'm currently reading up on PHP and MySQL but I'd like to do this right. Here's what I would like to accomplish.
  • As a seasoned web designer I'd like to be able to design more than just the front-end of a website with HTML and CSS. In this case I assume that I should look into PHP, MySQL, Javascript, ASP and more.
  • Additionally I'd like to move beyond just websites and learn how to create applications and games. Whether they be for the web, or mobile devices like Android and iOS.

Where should I start? Is there a programming language I should learn first that will assist me in learning others? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

10-10-2010, 06:14 PM
#2
Village Genius is offline Village Genius
Village Genius's Avatar
Status: Geek
Join date: Apr 2006
Location: Denver, CO
Expertise: Software
Software: Chrome, Notepad++
 
Posts: 6,894
iTrader: 18 / 100%
 

Village Genius will become famous soon enough

  Old

PHP is a good starting point, it will teach you most of the major concepts of programming and it has a fairly easy learning curve. If you want to do computer programs try Visual Basic if you use Windows. If you use mac your options become much more limited, C and C++ (very hard languages) become your best options.

I started with C++, but I have since found that doing this is an unusual route due to its steep learning curve.

Thanked by:
Artashes (10-11-2010)
10-16-2010, 06:02 PM
#3
jimmykup is offline jimmykup
Status: I'm new around here
Join date: Apr 2010
Location:
Expertise:
Software:
 
Posts: 11
iTrader: 0 / 0%
 

jimmykup is on a distinguished road

  Old

At my job we use classic ASP, but soon we're moving to .NET. So I'm going to need to have a basic understanding of that so that I can contribute.

However, in my free time as a freelancer I think I'm going to learn Javascript first and then move onto PHP and MySQL.

Thanks for the reply!

Reply With Quote
10-27-2010, 07:45 PM
#4
andr92 is offline andr92
Status: Member
Join date: Nov 2008
Location:
Expertise:
Software:
 
Posts: 428
iTrader: 0 / 0%
 

andr92 is on a distinguished road

  Old

My suggestion is to start from the very beginning - like in school from the alphabet and step by step

Reply With Quote
10-27-2010, 08:42 PM
#5
StrictPixel is offline StrictPixel
StrictPixel's Avatar
Status: Junior Member
Join date: Aug 2010
Location: Minnesota
Expertise: Design, PHP & MySQL
Software: Photoshop, Firefox & Dreamweav
 
Posts: 31
iTrader: 0 / 0%
 

StrictPixel is on a distinguished road

Send a message via MSN to StrictPixel

  Old

I personally believe starting with PHP & MySQL may benefit you the most. I actually learned the basics of PHP & MySQL well before I even learned HTML/CSS. A bit backwards, and caused some bumps along the road. But I felt learning PHP & MySQL help me tremendously down the road. Picking up on other languages seems to be a bit easier with a small background in PHP & MySQL rather than strictly HTML/CSS.

Pick up some books from Sitepoint. Or grab a few ebooks. Start small, build your way up. It's more of an understanding rather than learning at first in my opinion. I tend to grab open source applications built with php, mysql and study them. Helps me out a ton!

Feel free to add me to MSN if you ever want to have a discussion, or need some help! I'm not a pro, but I do have an understanding.

Thanked by:
Artashes (10-30-2010)
10-30-2010, 02:56 PM
#6
DigiTheme is offline DigiTheme
DigiTheme's Avatar
Status: Junior Member
Join date: Sep 2010
Location: Romania & U.S.
Expertise: Coding and Design
Software: Photoshop and Notepad++
 
Posts: 89
iTrader: -1 / 0%
 

DigiTheme is an unknown quantity at this point

Send a message via Skype™ to DigiTheme

  Old

If you have some basic knowledge of HTML and CSS, you should start with PHP and MySQL.

You could grab some books/ebooks and start learning the basics. Once you know the basics of PHP/MySQL, you can allways apply to some advanced programming classes online (in my opinion, this is the best way to learn.. just like in school - with tests, grades and stuff).

Reply With Quote
10-30-2010, 11:00 PM
#7
KewL is offline KewL
Status: OG
Join date: Apr 2006
Location: California
Expertise: Design, Music, Xhtml, Css
Software: Photoshop, Coda, FL Studio
 
Posts: 2,007
iTrader: 11 / 100%
 

KewL is an unknown quantity at this point

  Old

I'm not a programmer, and i'm not sure if this is the way the web is headed or if its a good point to start but:

What about learning ruby on rails? Apparently its way simpler and allows you to whip out cms's and stuff in less then half the time of php

Reply With Quote
Reply    


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

  Posting Rules  
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump:
 
  Contains New Posts Forum Contains New Posts   Contains No New Posts Forum Contains No New Posts   A Closed Forum Forum is Closed