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March 29, 2024, 10:33:54 am

Author Topic: Intro to Beginner Friendly Languages  (Read 5501 times)

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fun_jirachi

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Intro to Beginner Friendly Languages
« on: August 25, 2021, 11:44:30 pm »
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This is intended as a comparatively small guide to get people started and pointed in the right direction because starting is always the hardest step. This is by no means a complete guide (is definitely incomplete right now) and is opinion-based (so please take everything said here with a pinch of salt).

Common Starting Languages
- C/C#/C++
- Python
- Java
- JavaScript
- HTML/CSS

Other Useful Languages
- R
- SQL

Where to start?
There are plenty of tutorials online, but a good place to start outside this thread (and board!) is the respective documentation for each language. These are extensive guides specific to each language. Otherwise, install the relevant software (compilers, etc.), and make sure you have a text editor you're comfortable with.

Which should I start with?
While reductive, I just want to get a minimum viable thread out :)
HTML/CSS - is comparatively easy to pick up, and often you'll have a tangible end product comparatively quickly. Good for web development, if that's more your thing
C/C#/C++ - a more general-purpose language (C), with classes (C++). Maps well with code initially written in assembler, so is good for looking at lower level computation
Java - has more portability and is object-oriented. Personally have not used this, but will soon (will add to this)
Python - Comparatively slower, but simpler to pick up and easier to translate logic into code. Highly useful for technical interviews. It's very popular and malleable depending on your style
JavaScript - Also runs along the lines of HTML/CSS, interactive and tangible end product. Can be used for making webpages interactive, etc. Think of anything interactive (games, frontend interactivity), JS can probably do the job.

If you're interested in STEM, the chances are you'll run into statistics. R is very handy for handling low-level computation and in particular statistical computing. Definitely worth a go if you're in any STEM field.

If you want to get started on a personal project, can't go past recommending SQL. Databases are a must for every application, and SQL allows you and your application to manipulate said databases.

Resources
C Documentation
C++ Documentation
Linux man pages
Python Documentation
Java Documentation
JavaScript Documentation
R Documentation

Note that SQL has different syntax depending on the database management system (DBMS) you're using, though logic remains largely intact. You should consult the documentation relevant to the particular DBMS you're using.

Still to be completed! :(
« Last Edit: September 03, 2021, 10:26:36 pm by fun_jirachi »
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