Re:Ask HN: Okay okay, I'll learn to program...now what?
by augustflanagan on Monday August 16, 2010 @11:59PM
(#1610203)
If you do start with Python I found Zed Shaw's Learn Python The Hard Way to be incredibly helpful when I first started learning to code some months ago.
Re:Ask HN: Okay okay, I'll learn to program...now what?
by metamemetics on Tuesday August 17, 2010 @12:23AM
(#1610256)
I like the link I posted because it's an intro to Computer Science in addition to Python. So in addition to introducing more and more complex Python, the problems you have to solve are meant to symbolize actual areas of CS research instead of text-based adventure game development.
And your code often gets to control graphical libraries to spice things up.
Re:Ask HN: Okay okay, I'll learn to program...now what?
by ajankovic on Tuesday August 17, 2010 @03:33AM
(#1610514)
When talking about python I found http://diveintopython.org/ to be an excellent book for beginners.
Re:Ask HN: Okay okay, I'll learn to program...now what?
by jhck on Tuesday August 17, 2010 @04:39AM
(#1610599)
Supposedly it's pretty dated, though; see the author's comment here: http://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/bv9gt/dive_into...
I would recommend http://diveintopython3.org/ instead.
Re:Ask HN: Okay okay, I'll learn to program...now what?
by imp on Tuesday August 17, 2010 @09:59AM
(#1611108)
The MIT course for Intro to Comp. Sci is pretty good too. There's a bunch of people working through it on my website, Curious Reef, if anyone is interested: http://curiousreef.com/class/mit-opencourseware-600-introduc...
Re:Ask HN: Okay okay, I'll learn to program...now what?
by jessor on Tuesday August 17, 2010 @04:11AM
(#1610559)
I began with "Dive into Python" and switched over to Zed Shaw's "Learn Python The Hard Way" after 20 pages. His concept works great for me, somehow I manage to come up with enough discipline to actually do every exercise and the extra credits.
In short, do this course: http://cs.northwestern.edu/~akuzma/classes/EECS110-s10/index...
All the labs and assignments are online. You get to make maze solvers, generate fractals, implement Conway's Game of Life, lots of genuinely fun stuff. Just work through it and tell yourself you are doing it for fun not for work. You'll be done before you know it. Good luck!