I want to learn how to start programming things on my computer. Can someone help?

Question

Like maybe a calculator, or something for an easy project. I'm sort of familiar with html, and I'm trying to learn a little bit of java script, for the time being. any suggestions as a start. please leave instructions.

Answer 1

If you're already playing around with web development and JavaScript, continue on that path.  There's no need for the frustration of a high-powered language like C++ or Java until you need it.  

You've already got everything you need to write programs in JavaScript - a text editor and a web browser.  Learn basic XHTML and CSS first, so you have a solid foundation, and then learn how to use JavaScript to add interactivity to your pages.  Once you learn the basics with a relatively simple language like JavaScript, you can start looking at the more serious languages like C++ or Java.

Another alternative I really like as a first programming language is Python. It's clean, reasonably easy to follow and learn, and incredibly powerful.  It's also entirely free, and works on all kinds of computers.  http://www.python.org

A calculator that looks like the kind you have on your desk, is more complicated than it might seem, but you could easily do a simple calculator that inputs two numbers and performs a calculation on them.  Here's an example of that in JavaScript:

Source code:

http://aharris.pastebin.com/m79f7ae65

Working example:

http://www.aharrisbooks.net/xfd/book_4/c...

You can also do the same thing in Python:

http://aharris.pastebin.com/m2332d58c

Python won't work directly in the browser, but this works just as well.

Answer 2

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&clien...

I wold suggest using C++ if you want to make things like a calculator I myself don't know it but a few days of using google links should get you started.

Answer 3

You can start learning C++ with these video tutorials:

http://xoax.net/comp/cpp/console/index.p...

They are perfect for beginners. This one can get you started by showing you how to install a free compiler:

http://xoax.net/comp/cpp/console/Lesson0...

Here are some simple games with code downloads that you can use to get some ideas:

http://xoax.net/comp/cpp/console/Lesson9...

http://xoax.net/comp/cpp/console/Lesson2...

http://xoax.net/comp/cpp/console/Lesson2...

These tutorials can get you started with graphics programming in OpenGL:

http://xoax.net/comp/cpp/opengl/index.ph...

You can go through the tutorials and if you have questions on them or anything else in C++, please post to me here:

http://xoax.net/forum/

Best of luck!