(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Hey guys. I am new to programming and I ain't scared to admit it. I was just wondering since most of y'all know a lot about coding and what not where a good place to start is and the type of programs I need to have to make and have a program run. I have Notepad ++ so please just leave me some information on good things to have and good places to start. Thanks.

My advice: Don't start with C++ just because a bunch of kiddies on forums (like this forum) tell you that it'll make you 1337-h4x0rz. In truth, C++ is probably declining in popularity, and for the purposes of most people, its not any more useful than C.

My next piece of advice: Start with Java, Python, or C. All you need is a text editor and a compiler/interpreter. GCC will work fine for the compiler (unless you're doing Python or Java, in which case you'll need the Python interpreter and/or the JDK). As for text editors, I'd recommend you check out vi, vim, emacs, or nano. You can type up code in the text editor, and compile from the command line.

My final piece of advice: If you're still intent on pushing forward with C++, again, all you need is a text editor and a C++ compiler, not to mention, a good guide/book/tutorial. There's plenty of them if you just Google it, one popular, modern website seems to be You must login or register to view this content.. Personally, I'd recommend a paid book/ebook, those tend to present the most reliably correct information.

Thanks a lot man. I'll start with Java since I have a class on it next semester and I want to get a head start.

If that's the case, let me give you a few things to help you get started on Java.

First off, you'll need the JDK, go to You must login or register to view this content. and select "Java SE" as the download (that stands for Java Standard Edition), note that this can probably be found under the "Top Downloads" list. Choose the latest JDK from the options that appear, don't download any bundles, the correct choice would currently be Java Platform (JDK) 7u1. Complete the download process, download the installer (if available) for your operating system. Finish the install process (by running the installer). You may then want to consider optionally setting your PATH environment variable. You can read a more in-depth tutorial at: You must login or register to view this content.

Next, you'll need a text editor/IDE. One popular choice seems to be You must login or register to view this content. (note that if you choose Netbeans, there is a You must login or register to view this content. in which you can install Netbeans and the JDK all at once). Another popular choice is You must login or register to view this content.. One that I would recommend for people just starting to learn Java is called You must login or register to view this content.. Lastly, you can always type up code in a simple text editor, and compile/run from the command line.

Finally, you'll want a tutorial. I'd highly recommend You must login or register to view this content., from there you can start at the top, and work your way through the tutorials.

The tutorial you gave me is for JDK 6 and i got JDK 7

It shouldn't really matter for the purposes of the tutorial.

actually i'll tell you right now, it doesn't matter that much what programming language you start off with(excluding VB)
you're going to have to put in the time and effort.
further more, if you want to start with c++ download dev-c++ compiler for windows.
link here You must login or register to view this content. as that's like a great compiler for making simple programs.
and as for tutorials i would recommend cplusplus.com for standard programming. they have like a whole book that explains everything about the language.
but if you want to do game programming type stuff. then youtube.com/user/outofmylaboratory has some good videos
most people would recommend thenewboston, i wouldn't as he teaches bad habits.

but also, it really depends on what you want to do. just remember you have to put the time and effort into whatever language you choose.

Dev C++ is really outdated, plus, for people who are just learning, sometimes practicing from the command line is actually better than having an IDE do everything for you. Anyways, if you're looking at IDEs, I'd recommend something slightly more modern or updated, Visual C++ or CodeBlocks. Also, Dev C++ isn't a compiler, it uses the MinGW compiler.

So do you still recommend starting off with Java or what? I'm not doing this for hacking as of now. I'm just trying to start with the basics and work up.

D3ss3rtPr0ducts was correct in his statement that it doesn't really matter what language you start off with. It could be Perl, Ruby, Python, C#, VB, Scheme, Smalltalk, Scratch, or a plethora of other languages. Wikipedia has a pretty good list: You must login or register to view this content..

However, the fact is that there are easier languages to start with that will better prepare you for either a career, hobby, or class in programming. Java is an excellent choice as a first language, so is Python, however, C++ does just fine. Personally, I'd suggest you start with Java, its a great language, and you'll probably use it sometime in the future (its the most popular language as of current). Python is another great language, I'd also recommend it for people new to programming, and I must say, a majority of the actually useful things I create are created in Python (I'm talking about small scripts that directly apply to my life for a specific situation), however Python can also scale nicely to large programs. Stanford teaches Java as their first language, MIT teaches Python as their first language.

All in all (tl;dr), I'd suggest you continue forward with Java.