Nothing ever dies in the world of computers, does it?

can't even manage HTML

I see what you're saying certainly, but I'm not really interested in a quick product. I want to know a good, useful language that will set me up to understand any of the others I may want to learn.

So does everyone here know how to fucking code? This is why I want to learn. I feel like a right spack for not knowing something that everyone else seems to.

I don't see how a webby language like php is remotely helpful to you.

I don't see how a webby language like php is remotely helpful to you and all the people pushing their pet niche language are fine and all, but you'll be able to apply it to fuck all.

He needs to learn about functions and variables and arrays and strings. PHP is the fastest way there. Then, he can think 'Right... now what do I really want to DO, now that I have some idea of how I go about it?', or whatever. C# is surely the best language for him to actually latch onto firmly, but learning PHP first can get him there faster. Yes.

When I started out I didn't care about functions or variables or classes or arrays or strings or anything else, I just wanted to make some stuff move about on the screen.

I was thinking about this the other day, so I'd be interested to hear what people think. If you were going to teach someone to program, would you show them how to do something simple but interesting (make a sprite move around in a Java applet, for example) and gradually explain how you've done it, or would you start them off with functions, variables, classes, etc, and gradually build towards something interesting? My thinking is that if you don't grab someone's attention right at the start they'll never get past the first few lessons.

If you were going to teach someone to program, would you show them how to do something simple but interesting (make a sprite move around in a Java applet, for example) and gradually explain how you've done it, or would you start them off with functions, variables, classes, etc, and gradually build towards something interesting? My thinking is that if you don't grab someone's attention right at the start they'll never get past the first few lessons.

the calculation I did was out by a decimal place. Learning is fun.

Winnar! to Stu, obv.

HTML isn't a programming language.

/me clears throat loudly.

And that's not why Grim... was clearing his, jonny boy.

C? As a first programming language, in this exciting future we live in? It doesn't even do strings!
I rather like C++ and I even wrote the beginnings of a shitty Scramble clone in it (libSDL is lovely for cross-platform gammy stuff). As Mr. jonny's first programming language to see what it's like? 8)

I am going to copy Jonarob and buy that book, as I too am a simpleton who can't code yet who got a C in A-level Computing (by programming a simple database in BASIC).

I also got a C for a-level computer science. The teacher decided that my awesome Pascal (Turbo? Ooh, fancy!) written company payroll system wasn't 'appropriate' as a project. Even though he'd been saying how ace it was all year.

LILO is FIFO, surely?

IT (renamed to ITC eventually - bugger that) was all about word processing and spreadsheets.

You must be a young'un - it was called 'computing' when I was at school, and we did bugger all about WP and spreadsheets.

IT (renamed to ITC eventually - bugger that) was all about word processing and spreadsheets.

And we made circles and stuff on the screen.

I think I have to learn C-something again soon.

Right now the only programming I do (under sufferance) is in LSL, a scripting language. "They" are putting some "Mono" thing into the system so it will be all "proper" languages then.

Bizarre, I too got a C and also used frigging pascal. In my defense though, the lecturer for the course dissapeared after the first year, and for half of the second year we got a sub who just said 'keep, errr, doing your pascal', which basically meant all we did was piss about on the internet all lesson, every lesson. Eventually a full-time person was hired but he didn't actually have a clue about the course, and it was too late to actually teach us anything. Complete shambles, I say.

:D We were joking at work yesterday about how useless most computer courses are. Lots of 'This is how the bus works' and 'This is FIFO, LILO, LIFO, FILO...'. Over and over and over and over again.

I have never needed to know the difference between a MAN and a WAN.

At school I didn't do the computing course, it seemed a bit pointless. Before I even started doing GCSEs, I probably could have passed the A-level course.

Bizarre, I too got a C and also used frigging pascal. In my defense though, the lecturer for the course dissapeared after the first year, and for half of the second year we got a sub who just said 'keep, errr, doing your pascal', which basically meant all we did was piss about on the internet all lesson, every lesson. Eventually a full-time person was hired but he didn't actually have a clue about the course, and it was too late to actually teach us anything. Complete shambles, I say.

So! Instead of learning C, learn how to write/define/build an LSL->CIL processor so you can just port all your LSL stuff straight into the new Mono-based system!