Path: csiph.com!usenet.pasdenom.info!weretis.net!feeder4.news.weretis.net!eternal-september.org!feeder.eternal-september.org!mx04.eternal-september.org!.POSTED!not-for-mail
From: Jeff Higgins <jeff@invalid.invalid>
Newsgroups: comp.lang.java.programmer
Subject: Re: Newbie needing advice
Date: Thu, 03 May 2012 13:02:58 -0400
Organization: A noiseless patient Spider
Lines: 27
Message-ID: <jnudd9$fvg$1@dont-email.me>
References: <7fb27b6b-a974-49ea-b252-c043cfd81fc4@z17g2000yqf.googlegroups.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Injection-Date: Thu, 3 May 2012 16:57:13 +0000 (UTC)
Injection-Info: mx04.eternal-september.org; posting-host="lN5NBsxb/Hl+dKZczfqfVQ"; logging-data="16368"; mail-complaints-to="abuse@eternal-september.org";	posting-account="U2FsdGVkX19Piq4oPb9qMMugcEREWjDZi4nraoG2eZw="
User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux i686; en-US; rv:1.9.1.16) Gecko/20120320 Icedove/3.0.11
In-Reply-To: <7fb27b6b-a974-49ea-b252-c043cfd81fc4@z17g2000yqf.googlegroups.com>
Cancel-Lock: sha1:IP0M+gMVP3k+gkM7qLxNDZvFYWs=
Xref: csiph.com comp.lang.java.programmer:14195

On 05/03/2012 11:55 AM, zack ballard wrote:
> Greetings,
>
> So, I am a complete newb when it comes to programming and am wanting
> to learn.  Been clicking on stuff for years and finally want to learn
> what makes what do what and how it works. I have been checking out
> some tutorials and have noticed that some of them are for people with
> prior programming expierence.  My main question is this: should I
> start with java or start with a different language to learn as my
> first steps.  Again, no expierence with any programming before (way
> back in high school, but don't remember a single thing) but am willing
> to put in the time and effort to learn.
>
> Any suggestions would be great.  Thanks.

There are a lot of levels of "what makes what do what and how it works".
Java is a fine language for many programming tasks, not so fine for 
others. If you could pick a subject area of interest that would probably 
narrow the choices of a language. Device drivers, dynamic HTML, etc.

Michael L. Scott
Programming Language Pragmatics
2000
ISBN 1-55860-442-1
For a great "what makes what do what and how it works" (on one level).