I am pretty new to the electronics field and know even less about programming ,are there any books or great websites to learn about programming for the ABSOLUTE novice who wants to be self-taught, in advance, thanks.

 

I think the best avenue to follow is to pick a language and try to learn that. The thing you are looking to learn is just general programming practices and how the computer goes through the instruction you write. My school had us do c++. I've heard that java is a decent one to learn on, though I have no experience with it. There is also basic and visual basic which are supposed to be pretty easy to pick up. I'm sure other members here will have more developed opinions about specific languages.

Anyway, once you pick a language try to find the best book for that language and beginning programmers. Eventually you can move up and learn more advanced concepts or you can try out different programming languages.

edit: this is the book we used in my class, I thought it was alright.

 

Try Qbasic. It will run on any computer that runs windows, and even some that dont! Anyway, I think its agreat place to start. Of course I'm not biased or anything - thats why I program extensively in Qbasic!

Try the link and choose the Download Qbasic 4.5 selection. It has its own compiler and you can easily produce .exe ready to run files.



Qbasic 4.5 download @ 871 Kb

 

I recommend C or C++ ( C++ is just a version of C with some added extras that make it a lil' different.) Most programs are written in C or C++ and I would recommend using either. To practice on it you will need a compiler and some tutorials which there are plenty online as well as TONS of books. Try going to www.cprogramming.com to get some info on C and C++. A good compiler is Dev C++(what I use) as well as visual basic (not free like dev but very good for beginners and used in my highschool).Haven't tryed Qbasic but have heard good things about it. Java isn't a real universal language but is used in most games and stuff. Have fun pogramming
thx l8er

-fire

 

Originally posted by Shockly@Apr 23 2005, 10:35 AM
I am pretty new to the electronics field and know even less about programming ,are there any books or great websites to learn about programming for the ABSOLUTE novice who wants to be self-taught, in advance, thanks.

[post=7185]Quoted post[/post]​

What type of programming are you looking at wanting to learn or get into?

Coding for a computer in C++ is much different then coding in assembler for a micro due to the level of control you have over what is happening.

Basic is a good place to start. Beginners All-purpose, Symbolic, etc.
Basic is a serial type of language meant to processed 1 instruction at a time in line. The command words are simple english words typically, GOTO, IF, NEW, etc. It will be very easy to read and understand to start. You will find that you will outgrow Basic very quickly as soon as you want to do some very fast code or want to define some custom varible types, typically called Classes in C.

C/C++ structure is quite different and a bit more complicated as some of the names and concepts used are a bit different like pointers, references, namespaces, etc. Where as it is more complicated, you get much more power over how the program operates. You can have the computer use less CPU cycles to solve a equasion or run a function by the way you name them, how you pass the data they are to work on, etc.

 

Well C/C++,JAVA and other programming languages are very common but it is useless if u write a code and the linker or compiler gives errors.So it's my personal suggestion whenever u learn C/Java or Pascal u should also learn Assembly Language,as it is very useful to know abt Computer Architecture and it's functions...
Thanks!

 

you just need to put in effort and time. you'll learn anything you want.

i recommend that you learn c++ or assembly. there are a lot of things u can do with assembly language.

if you are novice to electronics, also learn all the "gates" and their function. the boolean algebra etc... you also need to learn complex numbers. binary and hex numbers etc..

 

Hi,

I would avoid C/C++ if you have never programmed before, you need to learn the basics first. Once you are comfortable with the concepts, moving to another language will seem easy enough.

Personally, I think Java is a great first language. It has all the basics and allows you to do OOP as well as procedural programming. I would recommend the book "Thinking in Java" by Bruce Eckel, I have found it very easy to understand and the electronic version is free, so give it a try!

HTH!

 

Depends on what you want to learn it for....

Simple programming for pc stuff, or programming PIC's?
What is your goal... Basic or C is a good place to start, but learning assembler gives you a more detailed insight into what is going

 

Originally posted by kensplace@Jun 25 2005, 05:42 PM
Depends on what you want to learn it for....

Simple programming for pc stuff, or programming PIC's?
What is your goal... Basic or C is a good place to start, but learning assembler gives you a more detailed insight into what is going

[post=8725]Quoted post[/post]​

I have been writing software for about 25 years. It pretty much all comes back to C language these days. I have done a lot in Java, but even there you will need to dip into C if you want to do anything that is performance sensitive. If you are looking to program uprocs for embedded systems, then I would learn C. Most development kits have a C compiler for their uproc.