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Extremely Newbie wants to program and pleads to be pointed in the right direction

Fernando Rodríguez frr at ThouShallNotSpam.EasyJob.NET
Wed Feb 27 10:31:12 EST 2002 
On Wed, 27 Feb 2002 15:05:01 +0000, Chris <nospam@[127.0.0.1]> wrote:

>In the olden days I played around with BASIC
>just for fun, writing trivial games and making patterns move on the 
>screen.
>
>Can I do that sort of thing with Python?

Yes, and Python a better and easier language than Basic.

>I've at last got a new machine, running XP Home.
>Will this be OK?

Yes, that's more than enough.


>Before I start wrestling with Python - and with thinking - and with 
>making my brain hurt - is Python the best language for this sort of 
>play?

If you want to learn how to program, then I wouldn't recommend using Python.
Python _is_ a great language for beginners, but there many _great_ (and I mean
great) books for beginners that use it.

I recommend you buy a copy of this book: "The Schemer's Guide" at
www.schemers.com. It's an excellent, short and gentle (let me stress the word
_gentle_) intro to programming and computer science. It uses Scheme, a
language designed for teaching, that is quite similar to Python. IMHO, this is
the most painless way to quickly become a viable programmer.

Search for "DrScheme" at google to get yourself a free Scheme environment.

>Would Java be better?

Nope.  Java is a good second language if you want to get serious about
programming. Personally, I would start with Scheme and read that book.

>Will I be able to make a ball bounce around inside a box etc.?

Once you finish with the book, you will be able to write a game that learns
from its own mistakes (that's the final chapter).  :-)

PS I'm not the author and I'm not related in any way to the editors.




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