Looking for advice - Programming (Learning C?)

[FallonXay]

Hello!

So I'm thinking of learning a programming language as I have a lot of free time at the moment and right now I'm considering learning C. I was just wondering if anyone had any recommendations for resources (or perhaps even an alternate language with justification  ).

Thanks a ton!   

[zsteve]

Hello!

So I'm thinking of learning a programming language as I have a lot of free time at the moment and right now I'm considering learning C. I was just wondering if anyone had any recommendations for resources (or perhaps even an alternate language with justification  ).

Thanks a ton!   

C is a really great starting language. C++ is probably your next step.
Google searching brings up the following:

http://publications.gbdirect.co.uk/c_book/thecbook.pdf

[FallonXay]

C is a really great starting language. C++ is probably your next step.
Google searching brings up the following:

http://publications.gbdirect.co.uk/c_book/thecbook.pdf

Cheers! 

[jamonwindeyer]

Hello!

So I'm thinking of learning a programming language as I have a lot of free time at the moment and right now I'm considering learning C. I was just wondering if anyone had any recommendations for resources (or perhaps even an alternate language with justification  ).

Thanks a ton!   

Definitely agree with zsteve, and I'll add that if you do end up heading to UNSW and studying Computer Science like you are targeting, your first year courses will focus on the C Programming Language! Then you graduate into things like Perl, Java, etc etc (though I think they are starting to introduce Python earlier now? Not sure). C is definitely a fantastic starting point. It's not the easiest language to learn, but it is the go-to

Some other notes:

- Visual Basic (in the context of Excel and Access especially) is a nice one for the toolkit for versatility, really handy to be able to put together a macro in those programs. I did a lot of it in my most recent placement. If you get bored in C, it could be worth a look?
- Languages like Perl/Python are great because you can apply them to more practical scenarios a little more easily. For example, say I wanted to write a script to scrape my ATAR Notes Profile and use my post count to figure out how many times I'd posted that day, then store that data in a CSV file to display in Excel, or something. That is much easier in Perl than C (imo), the reason being that Perl has a lot of shortcuts/convenient tools for the programmer that make what WOULD be a complex thing in C, virtually automatic. Anyway, point being, don't be discouraged if you feel like C is a bit clunky, and you don't see it as applicable to anything useful. Every language has a niche, and there are more practical languages than C for certain applications.
- Big thing I adjusted to in 1st year was using the command line to run programs, open files, that sort of thing. If you are coding in C, you'll probably be doing that (on a Mac it is easiest to compile and run your programs from the Terminal anyway)

[FallonXay]

Definitely agree with zsteve, and I'll add that if you do end up heading to UNSW and studying Computer Science like you are targeting, your first year courses will focus on the C Programming Language! Then you graduate into things like Perl, Java, etc etc (though I think they are starting to introduce Python earlier now? Not sure). C is definitely a fantastic starting point. It's not the easiest language to learn, but it is the go-to

Some other notes:

- Visual Basic (in the context of Excel and Access especially) is a nice one for the toolkit for versatility, really handy to be able to put together a macro in those programs. I did a lot of it in my most recent placement. If you get bored in C, it could be worth a look?
- Languages like Perl/Python are great because you can apply them to more practical scenarios a little more easily. For example, say I wanted to write a script to scrape my ATAR Notes Profile and use my post count to figure out how many times I'd posted that day, then store that data in a CSV file to display in Excel, or something. That is much easier in Perl than C (imo), the reason being that Perl has a lot of shortcuts/convenient tools for the programmer that make what WOULD be a complex thing in C, virtually automatic. Anyway, point being, don't be discouraged if you feel like C is a bit clunky, and you don't see it as applicable to anything useful. Every language has a niche, and there are more practical languages than C for certain applications.
- Big thing I adjusted to in 1st year was using the command line to run programs, open files, that sort of thing. If you are coding in C, you'll probably be doing that (on a Mac it is easiest to compile and run your programs from the Terminal anyway)

Wow - Thanks for the awesome feedback! 

Just an extra question: You mentioned using Terminal on a Mac in the last sentence; would you recommend purchasing a Mac-based computer over Windows for Computer Science?

[jamonwindeyer]

Wow - Thanks for the awesome feedback! 

Just an extra question: You mentioned using Terminal on a Mac in the last sentence; would you recommend purchasing a Mac-based computer over Windows for Computer Science?

In the Computing courses I've taken, doing things on a Mac is easier than doing things on Windows. All the UNSW Computer Science desktops run Linux, and macOS is a Unix system; so there is much more crossover. My first year lecturer said, "If you have a Mac, to run your programs do X, Y, Z. If you have a Windows, buy a Mac." It was a joke, but there is an element of truth; all the lecturers use Macs.

Read the guide to home-computing for the Software Construction course I just finished (a lot of it isn't going to apply to you, just to show the comparison). The options for Windows users are literally to do everything through a connection to UNSW servers, or to install a virtual Linux machine. On a Mac, you just install some developer tools. So without getting into the whole "Mac v PC" debate, it seems advantageous to me.

A heap of people buy a Macbook Pro laptop (incidentally, new ones just came out, though they are ridiculously expensive), but then install Linux and Windows 10 on it too (UNSW gives you both for free). If you do this then you have the best of all worlds if you want them. I do it so I can run CAD programs and simulation software for Electrical Engineering