What's the best way to learn how to code?

Depends on how you want to approach it - as a science, skill, craft, hobby etc.

As a science you need to start from first principles and work your way up. As a modder (with some basic knowledge - maybe) you can examine other peoples finished project, follow a youtube video on how to add a feature and mess around and it becomes blindingly obvious with the immediate outcomes. Or maybe it is just experienced me when exposed to a new language? I like to top down approach. Use a finished product, mod it, then learn how it was built from the bottom up.

Maybe it won't work with learning coding, but that is my approach to using a new library. Instead of getting bogged down from the start I take a finished project and learn how to use the library by modding,
 
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Learn the basics of the language you want to start with - tutorials are good for this.

Then decide on something you want to build and go for it - googling for any issues you encounter along the way.
 
Learn how computers work. Assembly language, binary etc and then work from there.
 
There is a number of free sites that will give you a taste, if its for you take it further.
 
konfab said:
Start from the bottom and learn how computers run the code that you give them.

1) Learn how binary numbers work as well as some Boolean algebra.
2) Learn how to perform basic arithmetic with logic gates.
3) Learn how memory and clocks work.
4) Learn how finite state machines work.
5) Learn how to make a Turing machine from a state machine
6) Learn how to make a basic computer with registers that can follow a set of numerical commands.
7) Write a few basic programs that use the computer that you have designed.

Once you have done this, all other part of programming things like structures,objects and algorithms have an actual place in the body of knowledge instead of being arbitrary things that a hypothetical computer simply does.
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Yes well if you want to design ASIC's/FPGA's, write your own OS in assembler etc then all the above makes sense. Or perhaps if you are fiddling with a raspberri Pi or arduino. But if you want to for example wnt to build mobile driod/ios apps I dont think any of this is necessary?
 
I recently started using Windev express with their tutorials. I am in no way affiliated with the company or their local distributors. They have an exprtess version with a very comprehensive tutorial that allows you to learn the basics.
 
Try try and try, self learn and google.....
 
School. I did Pascal at school and it was easy to get to gripes with C++ on Tech. Then came Java in my 3rd year followed by C# in 2002.

So I guess the answer is "young" - start young.
 
Everyone learns differently, but for me getting a project and just trying things and figuring stuff out on the way using Google and StackOverflow is the best.
 
By far the best way, is finding something you want to be able to automate, computer-wise, and googling the heck out of it. Rinse and repeat xD
 
I'm in favour of the "start by doing" school of approaches. First, basics such as variables, keyboard input, if statements, for loops, procedures, etc. Second, building some application using this. Theory should follow, since any type of theory, be it algorithms, binary arithmetic, programming paradigms, CPU architecture, etc. makes much more sense with this basic experience as a basis.
 
konfab said:
Start from the bottom and learn how computers run the code that you give them.

1) Learn how binary numbers work as well as some Boolean algebra.
2) Learn how to perform basic arithmetic with logic gates.
3) Learn how memory and clocks work.
4) Learn how finite state machines work.
5) Learn how to make a Turing machine from a state machine
6) Learn how to make a basic computer with registers that can follow a set of numerical commands.
7) Write a few basic programs that use the computer that you have designed.

Once you have done this, all other part of programming things like structures,objects and algorithms have an actual place in the body of knowledge instead of being arbitrary things that a hypothetical computer simply does.
Click to expand...
Didn't you forget punch cards?
 
It's amazing nobody asked what Kevin is intending on coding. That would determine the starting point.
 
Swa said:
It's amazing nobody asked what Kevin is intending on coding. That would determine the starting point.
Click to expand...
He's only intention is this page showing up on Google search when a lost teenager considers "coding" as a career.

We are literary writing the articles for them now
 
The basics... maybe change a AD object using vb script or powershell or if you are really new just learn a bit using online content. Strings integers for and while loops recursive loops. Then records and such, then your classes and polymorphism and whatnot.
 
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