Food for the Brain Required

[D1SS1D3NT]

Hello everyone, I am new to Daniweb. A good networking friend of mine said that if I was interested in learning about computers that I should find a good forum based site where people talk about them and learn as much as I can. Fortunate I'd stumble across this place, right? That is what I am here for though, to listen and learn and gather as much as I can about computers. I understand this will take time, but I figured I'd announce myself in case there are people out there who have some advice, or critism, to share with me before I start stalking. Any idea where a good place to start would be?

[deceptikon]

"Computers" is a broad subject. Can you be more specific?

[D1SS1D3NT]

Broad it was meant to be, I am interested in learning everything and anything about computers.

[deceptikon]

Broad it was meant to be

I have some criticism for you. :) Specific questions get good answers. Broad questions go unanswered or attract flames. If you're asking for help, it's unproductive to be actively hostile in making it easy for others to help you.

I am interested in learning everything and anything about computers.

I'm interested in that too. But it's not realistic.

[D1SS1D3NT]

Thank you, I'll keep that in mind. Let me think of a specific question then... If one was to get into college for computer science, what other general classes do you believe would be helpful in that area, if any? And I apologize if I came across as hostile. Typing isn't exactly the best form to express emotions. At least not without smiley emoticons and such. ^__^

[deceptikon]

If one was to get into college for computer science, what other general classes do you believe would be helpful in that area, if any?

I'd suggest brushing up on algebra, linear algebra, and formal logic. Higher math helps but isn't required since it really only helps for nailing down certain concepts (like recursion) and proofs. It also couldn't hurt to do research on data structures and algorithms, because a lot of the CS course will stem of that stuff. Finally, a 10,000 foot view of how computers and communications work under the hood will help immensely. You don't need to understand everything about TCP/IP or exactly how a CPU works, for example, but you should have a rough understanding of the basics.

And I apologize if I came across as hostile.

By hostile I mean either intentionally or unintentionally (unintentionally, in your case) forcing us to work harder to help you. It doesn't mean I think you have a bad attitude or anything.

[D1SS1D3NT]

Thank you very much. I see what you mean now about specific questions get answers. If I could ask another though? When it comes to learning computer languages, there are so many. For a beginner, what would you suggest I start with? And are there any internet resources you could recommend as well?

[Stuugie]

In my university they started us off by learning Java. I would suggest that too and am of the opinion that once you learn one language, others become easier to learn. Syntaxes may change a bit between languages but they tend to function the same. For example, looping is a very generic topic but important in (probably) all languages. As for resources, try here. Books help too but there are many and I can't be specific for you at the moment.

[deceptikon]

For a beginner, what would you suggest I start with?

You can search google for a general overview on different programming languages as well as high level comparisons. I'd strongly recommend picking the language that interests you most, because you'll be more likely to stick with it. However, with that said, Python is a friendly language for beginners.

And are there any internet resources you could recommend as well?

Google and a lot of skepticism. It's surprisingly educational when you have resources with a wide range of quality and need to weed out the crap.

[samreddevilz]

1. Milk
2. Ghee
3. Honey

[BigPaw]

Like others have said, start programming. Have a look at the tutorials on this site, whether it be Python or any of the others. Tweak the tutorial programs a little to gell with the expectations of the language.

I was dithering between C++ and Python, but because I have a history of programming I already 'get' the way it works. I wanted a language that involved more of a challenge, a challenge from my point of view at least. (often the challenge depends on the sort of program you choose to write) For my purposes I found a fantastic video tutorial online for C++, which I won't divulge here out of respect for these forums which also have excellent tutors and tutorials.

What sort of computer do you have, and if you would like to say, what is your work/hobby interest? Maybe someone will suggest a program you could write along with a recommended language for it?

[m_ishwar]

Welcome to Daniweb! You can begin with free online courses in C, Python, html and many kinds of programming languages. That along with discussions on this forum will give you a sound idea about Computers. Post all your programming queries on the right forum and get all your doubts and problems solved.