Self taught computer programming?
- Thread starter wazup
- Start date
English?? Just kidding, but that is my knowledge level, I bought them so I guess that would be a start to find that out, I worked in a trade for many years so my computer knowledge is opening my laptop, turning it on and hoping it works so I can surf, and then closing it when I'm done.
Someone recommended lynda.com, i don't mind paying if it's worth it.
{any questions with any of the acronyms or anything else said here? GOOGLE!!!}
There are a number of technologies involved in website-building. Before even getting to programming you have HTML and CSS which are huge topics on their own., and before that, you have to decide on a Web Server that matches the live environment (most popular being Apache) you'll be deploying to. Do you know the difference between what's meant by "server-side" and "client-side"?
Client-side programming is almost certainly going to mean Javascript (which is NOT "Java", by the way, don't confuse those two).
Server-side programming can be many options, but the most common ones are: PHP, ASP (if a Microsoft server), and many other newer ones coming down the pipe. The important thing with server-side programming is that it makes it fairly easy to "serve" content (usually HTML but can be other types of content, as well).
You are very likely going to need a database behind your website. MySQL is the standard open-source answer for that. You could also go with SQLite. In either case, these databases force you to learn/understand SQL, to some degree.
If you're working in Windows and you don't really want to install a bunch of servers yourself you could go with XAMPP which will install the Apache Web Server, MySQL Database Server, and PHP and Perl (a language that was the rage on the web at one point).
As for editing, there are a number of editors to help you with the coding, depending on your platform. You may want an "Integrated Development Environment" (IDE) and a "What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get" (WYSIWYG) editor for the HTML.
Also, FTP software is pretty important for moving files to/from a website.
As someone who started programming as a kid in the 80s with Commodore 8-bit machines and has since gone on to it as a career, I've gotta say programming is something you should really know you want to do. I once worked with a guy who I think got into it because someone convinced him it was where the jobs were. He didn't have the aptitude for it but he also really didn't have the instincts to know why he was programming something or how to do it. Hard to work with him. Respect the fact that this is something people do spend a lot of time and money perfecting.
Good luck.
There are a number of technologies involved in website-building. Before even getting to programming you have HTML and CSS which are huge topics on their own., and before that, you have to decide on a Web Server that matches the live environment (most popular being Apache) you'll be deploying to. Do you know the difference between what's meant by "server-side" and "client-side"?
Client-side programming is almost certainly going to mean Javascript (which is NOT "Java", by the way, don't confuse those two).
Server-side programming can be many options, but the most common ones are: PHP, ASP (if a Microsoft server), and many other newer ones coming down the pipe. The important thing with server-side programming is that it makes it fairly easy to "serve" content (usually HTML but can be other types of content, as well).
You are very likely going to need a database behind your website. MySQL is the standard open-source answer for that. You could also go with SQLite. In either case, these databases force you to learn/understand SQL, to some degree.
If you're working in Windows and you don't really want to install a bunch of servers yourself you could go with XAMPP which will install the Apache Web Server, MySQL Database Server, and PHP and Perl (a language that was the rage on the web at one point).
As for editing, there are a number of editors to help you with the coding, depending on your platform. You may want an "Integrated Development Environment" (IDE) and a "What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get" (WYSIWYG) editor for the HTML.
Also, FTP software is pretty important for moving files to/from a website.
As someone who started programming as a kid in the 80s with Commodore 8-bit machines and has since gone on to it as a career, I've gotta say programming is something you should really know you want to do. I once worked with a guy who I think got into it because someone convinced him it was where the jobs were. He didn't have the aptitude for it but he also really didn't have the instincts to know why he was programming something or how to do it. Hard to work with him. Respect the fact that this is something people do spend a lot of time and money perfecting.
Good luck.
This part is true, it's harder to do my regular job as I age and this statement you made is true, 20 years ago learning this stuff would have driven me crazy, now I have more patience, time and money to learn basic stuff.
Picking a job you're not cut out for isn't a good idea.
Pick a simple problem. Print the odd numbers from 1 to 25. Pick a procedural language, PHP, powershell, are easy to install and use. google "help php" or "help powershell" . Start reading. There are lots of forums; some as perverted as this one.
12 sites that will teach you coding for free
http://fortune.com/2015/09/21/free-...cket&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=pockethits
http://fortune.com/2015/09/21/free-...cket&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=pockethits
Would help if you knew what coding is already being used.
Lynda is worth it for something's. If your site is a wordpress site then YouTube would be better. PM me if you want. I will be able to tell you in about seconds if I see the site.
Back in the horse and buggy '60s when I programmed my first computer, it was just was machine language, FORTRAN, or COBOL. Today, with computers everywhere from your smart doorbell to vast server farms mining bitcoins and using whole cities of electricity, "the best way to teach yourself computer programming" is a hopelessly broad ask.
As Jessica and others have said, to do anything useful yourself, you will first have to learn enough to at least narrow your question. The computer section of your good ol' Public Library comes right at the beginning of the book-shelves, and although not likely to be up to date, the materials are meant for people who don't know anything yet. Scanning the shelves will give you at least a sketch of how wide and how detailed and specific "computer-programming' has gotten. That can give you some terminology for the bits that matter to you, if you have to keep asking. But you might just stumble on exactly the topic you're really after (maybe bound in jazzy yellow and black) and be able to make a little progress as soon as you got home. Or maybe just find something fun.
But those folks you bought the work from which didn't fully please you probably spent years of practice getting to their level. You probably will need to as well, if you really are determined to DIY their jobs. You might do better to think of your quest as a way to make yourself a better, more knowledgeable, more exacting consumer of their services. One who can better express the requirements, and more usefully judge the results the pros are selling. Books you can skim and dip in and out of, may get you up to speed and into places faster than videos you have to watch from start to finish. The place you really want to be is someone who doesn't settle for less, and knows what more can be done when the programmers deliver their product.
Or do you really want to give up your day-job and become a programmer?
Programming is too generic. Technical knowledge is very broad. Yes you will need aptitude and at least some passion.
Over the last couple of years I've taken online courses in Java, Javascript, Python, and C and udemy.com. Each course was under $20.00 and you get loads of learning materials, classroom presentations, and access to large online user community. The courses are updated regularly so once your a student you'll always have access to any courses you've registered for.
I recommend udemy.com for anyone serious about learning to program. Can't go wrong with the price. They're a great springboard into further computer studies in college or University.
I just took a look and they have a new student promo going on today where one can signup for courses for $13.99 cad each! Great deal in my opinion.
I recommend udemy.com for anyone serious about learning to program. Can't go wrong with the price. They're a great springboard into further computer studies in college or University.
I just took a look and they have a new student promo going on today where one can signup for courses for $13.99 cad each! Great deal in my opinion.
What exactly do you mean by being disappointed in the outcome? Write an email or open a ticket with your IT people and tell them exactly what you want. Many organizations have set processes / workflow that must be followed to make any changes. So you could get reprimanded if you overstep your authority to make changes without the proper people knowing. HTML, CSS and Javascript are not hard to learn, but a simple typo can break things. So the primary people responsible for making changes might not appreciate having to fix something that you broke especially if happens after hours or the weekend.
There are 10 kinds of people in the world. Those that understand binary and those that don't.
I've been a software developer for the past 20 years, and I'm self taught with no degree. Occasionally it's an advantage because I approach things in an unusual way, but most of the time I feel like I'm faking it. There are some seriously smart people out there and I'm not one of them. There are also lots of idiots, but they tend to compensate with good people skills and become management. I don't have good people skills so my career is stagnant.
To format and display content for a website you use CSS and HTML/HTML5, to add functionality you write Javascript code. It is entirely very meh and boring.
If you want to learn programming, I suggest you learn python. Python has incredible reach and can be applied to a vast array of problems/hardware/Operating systems. Python is a growing language and it's reach will continue to expand. The only major area that it does no have reach into currently is app development for mobile devices, but I suspect in the near future that will be added or is already in the process of being added. Python is also a language who's syntax is very easy to learn and read. I do not know Python myself, but I am looking to learn it for image processing and AI work.
If you want to learn programming, I suggest you learn python. Python has incredible reach and can be applied to a vast array of problems/hardware/Operating systems. Python is a growing language and it's reach will continue to expand. The only major area that it does no have reach into currently is app development for mobile devices, but I suspect in the near future that will be added or is already in the process of being added. Python is also a language who's syntax is very easy to learn and read. I do not know Python myself, but I am looking to learn it for image processing and AI work.
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