I've wanted to learn a programming language for ages and I was just wondering what's the best language to start with? And are there any online tutorials for it?
Thanks!
Thanks!
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
macOS Just starting out...
- Thread starter rogers4815
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Phew what a question. There are literally thousands of languages and a good sized handful of very popular ones. It all depends what you want to write. Games, apps? Whether you want it to just run on Mac or not and whether you have previous experience of any type (it doesn't look like).
To kick off with I suggest Python. It's a modern language thats easy to pick up and can do lots. Python 2.5 is already on your Mac.
http://www.python.org/
http://wiki.python.org/moin/BeginnersGuide
To kick off with I suggest Python. It's a modern language thats easy to pick up and can do lots. Python 2.5 is already on your Mac.
http://www.python.org/
http://wiki.python.org/moin/BeginnersGuide
That's great! Thanks!
I suppose that apps and games would make up the most of what i would want to do with programming but I'm also quite interested in maths based programmes too.
I suppose that apps and games would make up the most of what i would want to do with programming but I'm also quite interested in maths based programmes too.
There is such a huge list to choose from. Do you have any idea what you want to do with it once you've learned it? If you're going for purely academic value, I'd go with haskell. For practicality, I'd say a good foundation in C is never a bad start. If you don't have longterm aspirations and just want to be able to "do" quickly, perl or python might be good choices.
The more information you can give about your intentions, the better advice we give.
-Lee
Edit: After your last post, I'd say a C-style language will serve you best. Most games use C or C++ under the hood. Most OS X apps are Objective-C which is a proper superset of C. Python and Ruby both have Obj-C bridges so they can be used for OS X app development, too. For serious math programming, fortran 95 might be a good choice.
The more information you can give about your intentions, the better advice we give.
-Lee
Edit: After your last post, I'd say a C-style language will serve you best. Most games use C or C++ under the hood. Most OS X apps are Objective-C which is a proper superset of C. Python and Ruby both have Obj-C bridges so they can be used for OS X app development, too. For serious math programming, fortran 95 might be a good choice.
OK! I'm only a school student and this would be to get a foundation in programming before moving onto college, where I intend to do computer science. So, for the long term!
A lot of college programs use java as their lingua franca these days. That doesn't mean you need to know that, or shouldn't learn C. I think knowledge of C is critical for understanding, and a great foundation for learning other languages in the future.
-Lee
-Lee
Well, if you want to do math based programs that have a simple GUI, go for java. Java is a great language, because it is compatible with most OSes, and it is really straightforward. Java is taught in almost every high school, and colleges as well. Do java first, then C++. Python is also great, but I think java is a bit more fun.
I'm not sure how far your interest in maths goes, but there are some dedicated computer math programing languages/systems. If you do a search for computer algebraic systems/computer symbolic maths then you'll find a whole load of programs... some free and others commercial. If you go on to study a subject with a heavy maths part then you'll probably end up learning something like MathCAD, Maple or Mathematica. Each has its own programming language that integrates manipulation of equations symbolically, finding solutions numerically, plotting graphs and a heap of other things. These programs aren't free but they do have heavy educational discounts.
b e n
b e n