Hello there I am interested in learning to program but I could not find much information on the subject, any one got some resources for a total newby. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
I assume it's for web development purposes? If so it's best to learn the scripting language, PHP. Here is the basic w3 tutorial but I'm sure you can find some better tutorials if you google: http://www.w3schools.com/php/default.asp You must be running a web server with php installed (some free hosts might not have this).
I would recommend learning the .Net languages as its going to become the future. Learn ASP.net ADO.net and XML PHP is good too.
php may require installing a local Apache server. If you are totally new to programming, I will suggest starting with javascript. Following is a source of learning Learning Javascript Good luck.
If you want to learn java, you can take a look here: http://www.engineeringserver.com/t3hc0d3z/forum.html It's my site/forum with programming discussions. I post my open source sofware on the blog and you can see my java projects here: http://www.engineeringserver.com/blog/engineeringserver-projects/ i'm most of my online time on the forums so if u need help you would probably get a reply fast.
Personally would recommend that you learn more about the concepts of object orientated programming etc before going into any language.... I didn't and whilst as a project manager my programming abilities havent needed to become top class I found it much harder to learn the discipline of true programming after years of doing bits and pieces etc in a true amateur method
Baby steps, people, baby steps. Before you start programming web-based applications, make sure you at least have a fundamental knowledge of (X)HTML and CSS before you start getting into the other stuff. There's only so much you can do via a script before you eventually have to pass output to the browser or modify an existing document. You could probably get by with little more than a simple "Hello World" level of knowledge if you aren't planning on doing any actual design, but knowing proper markup and formating can save you hours of time debugging errors that you never should have been made in the first place. The easiest way to learn beginning programming is via a client-side script like Javascript because you don't have to install anything to get started. All you need is a text editor and a web browser, both of which I can guarantee you already have. Javascript is an object-oriented language that manipulates web pages on the client side without interfacing with the server that sends the data (except in the case of AJAX, but that's something else entirely). After you've become familiar with the workings of Javascript, making the leap to ASP is a breeze. That said, I'm a PHP junkie and wouldn't bother with ASP unless someone paid me. I actually started scripting web apps with PHP, but only because I already had a website and hosting when I started. If you want to skip object-oriented programming (OOP) and/or client side stuff, PHP is the way to go. It's a procedural language, meaning that instead of manipulating objects you use a more direct approach. You say "echo" and the page spits out what you want it to say rather than having to say document.write (essentially "hey document, say this"). Of course, PHP also supports OOP, so you can have it both ways.
No no no, you need to learn programming and programming concepts before you dig into any language. I recommend to start with this book. Then, see what it takes to be a programmer, here. THEN you can start with a programming language.
Don't learn. Practice. Think of a project - let's assume a website - and then start doing it. Think of other applications you use day to day - whether websites or PC applications - and aspects of them you think are good then replicate them, looking on the internet for help/ information as previous posters have suggested. IMO, programming is a craft where skill improves with practice. Come across a problem - solve it. Every problem solved is something learned.
You can't practice without learning anything. The main reason is because it's possible to get stuck to a task which might be very easy, and that technique could be presented in a book. I learned a lot of best practices from books.
Good point. For me, I've always found I learn quicker if there is some direction. I start doing something realistic and then learn from books and the internet along the way.