(Part 2) Reddit mentions: The best programming for beginners books

Thank you for that. Let me go into some deeper background so I can try to explain our business model.

I first started writing this game back in January of 2010. I was doing that because I couldn't find the game I wanted to play, so I decided to write it (pro tip: your first game shouldn't be an MMORPG. I was sooooo naïve).

A few months later, I moved to a new country, had a new job, a new baby, a new book contract, and I shelved the game due to lack of time. A few years ago I made a post about the game to an obscure blog and due to some private reactions I received, I decided to resume working on it.

Later, our company, a consulting firm specializing in "hard" projects (mostly dealing with the Perl programming language), decided to make it an official company project because we thought it had real potential and it was fun to work on.

The thing to keep in mind in all of this is that at no point did we have any experience creating games. This is our first and only game and me, not realizing what was really involved, figured it couldn't be that hard. After all, I'm used to working on huge projects for the BBC, the world's largest broadcaster, on their central metadata repository. I worked on searching and filtering for booking.com, one of the world's largest e-commerce companies. I figured that with my background working on large scale, high-traffic systems, that I could do an MMORPG.

At this point, any experienced game developers are laughing themselves silly.

I've learned a lot about the game industry over the past few years, but I don't claim to be a gaming development expert, so take everything I say with a grain of salt. What I'm about to describe explains why the free to play business model is so popular.

In 2016, the game industry was worth about a tenth of a trillion dollars, dwarfing the movie industry. However, there's a problem with this. There's a significant barrier to entry to the movie market, but there's virtually no barrier to entry to the games market. This causes a huge problem. Case in point: Hearthstone and Clash Royale, both highly successful card battlers, were making tons of money. Naturally, everybody and their dog decided that they needed to make card battlers, even though they had no idea of how those two games were actually performing internally. So by 2016, Teut Weidemann, one of the world's top free to play experts, reported that 90% of his clients were working on card battlers. The market might bear a few card battlers, but not the thousands that exist today.

Thus, if you want to build a game on a subscription model, you're virtually guaranteed to get ignored, have a handful of players, and if you're remotely successful, you're likely to be crushed under the weight of the competition. Most games that you've heard of are the exceptions to the rule.

Thus, the free to play industry found that be releasing their games for free, they had a way to attract far more players than a subscription model could. Instead of charging up front, you could try the game for free and pay as you go, if you liked it. Unfortunately, this model was so successful that it brought in a lot of unscrupulous companies (Hello, Zynga!). Many companies entering this space had dubious business models and really abused their players. They did things like:

• Level caps. Want to progress? You have to pay.
  
• Pay to win. Make some problems so insanely hard that you have to pay to pass them.
  
• Renting items. Give the player something really powerful and then take it away unless they pay.
  
  However, that led to the "ethical free to play" model and that's what we subscribe to.
  
  We have no level caps. There is no "pay to win". We don't take things away from players. Everything in the game is available via time, skill, or money. If you work 60 hours a week and have a family, you can't take the time to keep up with your friends who have more free time. Thus, you can buy a "VIP Pack" which gives you 50% higher experience rewards and 50% faster stat regeneration (amongst other benefits). If you don't have the time to earn "bonds" in the game, you can choose to buy them. Those bonds will speed up some activities and let you buy premium items, but you can get them in game if you spend the time.
  
  So that's the market today. It's a mess, everybody is copying everyone else, and unethical free to play games have given the ethical ones a bad name. We strive hard to make our game available for free to everyone (we even cater to blind players using screen readers). We think this is important. But we also have to earn money to pay for the game.

I play chess. My USCF rating is currently 2123... And I thought the sphere chess looked absolutely retarded at first too.

>Nah, I feel you should start from openings.

You shouldn't. Opening theory is quite dense and heavily influenced by computer analysis. You benefit more from trying to understand what you are trying to achieve, rather than trying to simply memorize some openings.

Logical Chess: Move by Move is a great book for anyone that has mastered the basics but is looking to learn more. You will pick up some opening knowledge along the way, learn how openings give rise to specific kinds of middle-games. And you will come across some endgames (although endgame basics are absent).

If you wish to seriously improve there are 3 parts:

• Understanding the reasons behind moves in the opening of a game - decisions regarding pawn structure are especially significant as these will determine the nature of the battle to come in the middle-game. For this - annotates games (like those in Logical Chess) are beneficial. Specific opening books are also useful but only after you've got a feel for what kind of middle-games you like (because then you know what kinds of openings to pick!). Other game collections (there are tons of great ones): Botvinnik: One Hundred Selected Games and for the more advanced Zurich 1953
  
• Tactics. Chess, like other things, has a large component of pattern recognition. Solving tactical problems from workbooks (there are hundreds of these, so I will recommend 2: Chess: 5334 Problems, Combinations and Games and 1001 Winning Chess Sacrifices and Combinations
  
• Endgames. Endgames are the most math-like in terms of study. You learn basic endgames (K+P vs lone K, K+R+P vs K+R, etc...). Once you have the basics, you can 'solve' more complicated positions by trading down (reducing them) to basic endings. Know nothing about endings? Here is one place to start: Pandolfini's Endgame Course. Dvoretsky's endgame books are also excellent.
  
  
  There is quite a lot of chess literature. If you enjoy chess and wish to study and improve there are plenty of ways to do that. If competing in tournaments interests you check out the United States Chess Federation if you are in the states. If you are abroad, check out FIDE. And of course there are online options such as chess.com, the Internet Chess Club, etc...
  
  Sorry... bit of an enthusiast :)
  

I have recently read this book. I didn't like it at all. Just to give you an idea of my skill level, so you can compare it with where you are at, I've been doing HTML/CSS/Javascript for over a decade. My Javascript skills though have been more script line by line style as opposed to OOP intermediate level stuff. So I bought this book look to increase my Javascript skills.

While the book says its HTML5 with Javascript programming, it doesn't really cover the basics very well for either, even saying you should be familiar with both before reading it. At the same time, it spends half the book, quickly covering the basics, in such little depth, I would struggle to understand who its for.

The second half of the book, just spends one chapter at a time going over the various HTML5 APIs and how to use Javascript with them. For a 600 page book, there is so much fluff here, its unbearable. Its a really poor book. Its not for beginners, but its probably too simple for intermediates.

...

If you need to know HTML/CSS I'd highly recommend http://www.htmlandcssbook.com/

You'll want to install Sublime Text to do your work in it.
You'll want to create a Github account and download the client and learn how to version control.

After you've done the HTML/CSS book. I'd recommend learning about SASS from DevTips https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XmUUa_pWw8

You can install CodeKit to make compiling it easier.

...

For Javascript, I recommend "A Smarter Way to Learn Javascript" https://www.amazon.com/Smarter-Way-Learn-JavaScript-technology/dp/1497408180/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473808304&sr=8-1&keywords=a+smarter+way+to+learn+javascript

It's a really good, QUICK, and straight to the point book on beginner Javascript. ~250pages

Then... If you want to round it out, I'd recommend Head First Javascript Programming https://www.amazon.com/Head-First-JavaScript-Programming-Freeman/dp/144934013X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473808479&sr=8-1&keywords=head+first+javascript+programming. While being full of fluff, as is Head Firsts way, is a much better book than their HTML5/JS one. With a lot of great examples ~600pages

After that, I'd recommend Learning Web App Development https://www.amazon.com/Learning-Web-Development-Semmy-Purewal/dp/1449370195/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473808519&sr=8-1&keywords=learning+web+app+development ~300pages which will start to introduce the full javascript stack to you.

...

I hope that helps mate.

If you are a newbie this is what you should do:

Get a proper chess course/book/video/whatever that explains well the basic tactics, positional game and most importantly the endgame. Back in the 90s I loved Karpov's introductory book but I don't think what's out there now, I read it in a different language and I cannot find it in English anywhere. In chess.com I think there's plenty of material including introductory material, although I haven't gone through it.

Don't just play the computer on easy levels too much, this is mostly a waste of time and won't improve your game at the beginner level. It's a common mistake. It will actually stall you big time if you get used to play back moves, have no discipline to continue in disadvantage and play for the draw, etc. Keep it real against even a poor computer opponent. Play it no more than a few times a day.

Don't try to memorize a lot of opening lines. Memorize the basic ideas from a good generic introductory source. Don't go reading opening books as a beginner, that can wait. Definitely the endgame must be mastered before going into that.

This is how you effectively use a computer as a beginner:

• easy level games, no more than a few.
  
  
• set up endgame drills on an editable board against a strong opponent. No matter how strong the opponent is a strongly winning endgame must be won. I don't recommend specialized books on openings to beginners but you can get endgame books that cover basically any level up to International Master or even Grandmaster. For instance you can peek inside this one (Amazon lets you) and set up positions and finish off Stockfish on them: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fundamental-Chess-Endings-One-Encyclopaedia/dp/1901983536/ref=pd_sim_b_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=01WPWY9AXZMEJ2TKK5VT
  
  
• with solid endgame play you will be able to beat many engines on easy levels, you can try upping the level but beware of that, because the kind of play and errors engines make are rarely human-like. This can twist your game and hurt your progress. Eventually you want to face humans to progress, get beaten in humanly ways, win in humanly ways with blunders on both ends, the psychological aspect, etc.
  
  
  EDIT: another book you can peek inside for classic endgame positions and tactics http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pandolfinis-Endgame-Course-Concepts-Explained/dp/0671656880/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1418228655&sr=1-1&keywords=pandolfini%27s+endgame+course
  
  
  All that should keep you busy for a while. Then, calculation and tactical + positional theory. Maybe best with a coach because it will be hard to keep motivation on your own with just books.
  
  EDIT2: as a beginner, you should not spend more than 15-20 minutes trying to figure out one single position. If you find yourself doing that, you are aiming too high. Your learning will be a lot more effective if it's incremental. As a higher-intermediate maybe studying a position from a book 20 minutes is just fine. But by then you will know.

I did this and just got offered a position as a "Software Engineer"

I'd recommend starting in Java or C# even though a lot of places are starting people on JavaScript. From what I've seen, JavaScript is being taught in a way that you will never conventially use it for, and it has a LOT of quirks (== type conversions etc.). Though the internet has all the resources you need to teach yourself, I would really really recommend using books as your main source of education, as they provide thorough and (the most important part) LINEAR explanations to whatever you want to learn. Tutorials are great, but a lot will be left out, and the amount of hand holding involved will give you no confidence as a programmer. To be effective, you need to be able to sit down at your computer and build a program without having something giving you tips every step of the way.

Start with this book to teach you the basics of Object Oriented programming:
http://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Java-Programming-Comprehensive-Edition/dp/0132130807/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1345145435&sr=8-3&keywords=y+daniel+liang

You should read this next. It is a very thorough and easy to understand explanation of data structures and algorithms:
http://www.amazon.com/Data-Structures-Algorithms-Java-2nd/dp/0672324539/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1345145623&sr=1-2&keywords=data+structures+and+algorithms+in+java

I personally read a textbook chapter a day on a book covering whatever it is I want to learn at the time. To prepare for my current job, I've read an 800 page book on ASP.NET in two weeks by just reading and following examples one chapter a day. You can do the same thing. Start at chapter one and just run straight through, one day at a time. Make sure you do a few of the programming exercises at the end of each chapter as well. Really visualize it as, "With each chapter I finish, I am becoming a better programmer." If you look at it with this mindset, it really starts to become fun.

You CAN find whatever you need on the internet, but there is so much information out there that it makes it hard to know which direction to go in. To most people this is paralyzing. You need concrete short and long term goals to maximize your education, and setting a goal of x amount of pages, or x amount of chapters a day/week is a very tangible and satisfying goal. Once you complete these two books, you'll be at a level where you can start specializing into whatever area you want.

C# has excellent tutorials on the official Help site for Visual Studio 2013. You can download Visual Studio Community for free here. It is fully-featured and allowed for personal use (both non-commercial and commercial); you just are not allowed to use it on a development team of more than 5 people. After you become experienced with C#, learning Java is as easy as going through a textbook (also available in a physical version) and/or study guide (the latter might be a little too toy-ish for you if you're looking for job skills). If you are opposed to C# due to not liking Microsoft etc, then I'd use the previously linked Sedgewick and Wayne book and download Eclipse. Fair warning, C#'s tutorials are excellent and I've never found a better way to learn to code using a language with significant real-world use... if you choose the Java route to begin with it may be hard if you're not using a formal class. Once you know how to program, I'd say going through the MIT OpenCourseWare Intro to CS class would be a good idea to learn a different kind of language (Python, which has more scripting elements to it). C++ would make a good language to learn third, the best resources I've found so far for that are here, the book can be found as a PDF here or as a physical version here... warning, not all the material is available at all times due to the fact that it's an actively running class. A class on algorithms (book here, you may need to learn more math... probability, calculus, set theory, and the like... first, not sure what your background is on that) would be a logical step to take somewhere down the line. After that you will pretty much have most of the skills that someone with a minor in CS would get, learning the HTML/CSS/PHP chain and building a website would be a good way to round out your skill set. You should be able to get through quite a bit of this in the next 18 months. Good luck! Also, as others have said, try not to spend too much money... most of what you need can be found on the Internet, and the rest should only be a hundred dollars or so for a textbook. If another topic in CS that I haven't mentioned interests you as well, there's probably an OCW course for it, the sky is the limit once you have a firm foundation (I'd say the bare minimum for that is knowing Java and C++ and thoroughly understanding the material in the Algorithms class I linked above... still I've found C# is far easier as a first language though so if you try to shortcut it you might struggle... once you know one language the rest come pretty easily, especially if they are as similar to your first as C# and Java are, so your first goal is to learn C# [or Java if you are still that adamant]).

I agree with everything cyrusm said.

You're definitely on the right track. Don't sweat this so much right now, but eventually you'll need to pick a direction. Don't do that until you try everything and find out what you like the most/what you're best at. I say this because net+, microcontrollers, and the raspberry pi are really three different things.

Microcontrollers you're looking at C running bare-metal (no operating system) mostly, with direct interaction with hardware meaning you need to have a basic understanding of electronic circuits. The Raspberry Pi is really embedded linux development. You can still do C, but you can also do C++, other object oriented languages, and stuff like python, all the while with some cool libraries that still give you access to hardware (but not in the same way as a microcontroller). Net+ from what I understand is more towards the IT realm, which I am not very familiar with so I cannot comment very much.

I highly highly reccomend learning C, it's pretty much the grandfather for all modern programming. I learned from this book when I was younger, and it really accelerated my learning process, I recommend it.

Source: BSEE in a career as an embedded firmware engineer.

Good luck, don't give up, and have fun.

1. IDE. The quicker you start the better you will be. Writing code in Java without IDE is possible, but in real development you will use IDE. SO the quicker you start lerning one of it (all useful tricks) then better for you. The only disadvantage is, as my class mate said "when you are using IDE you will end up with typing 'syso' and CTRL+space to complete syntax, without remembering that it is 'System.out.println()'". Because of that, some resources recommend to use text editor. But I think better way is to use IDE from start.
   
   
2. I'm not in the point yet to tell you when.
   
   
3. In London and into Java? London Java Community is one of the biggest local JUGs around the world. Check http://www.meetup.com/Londonjavacommunity/. We have plenty of events around Java, where you can learn new stuff. It's maybe not as useful for beginners as for advanced developers (I consider myself as beginner too), but you can find your place there. Also we have in plan to run computer club under the wings of Graduate Developers Community (more beginners friendly) which is associated with LJC.
   
   Anyway London is a great place if you want to be involved in any community, there is plenty of them.
   
   
4. I recommend "Java, A Beginner's Guide" by Herbert Schildt (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Java-Beginners-Guide-5th-Edition/dp/0071606327). I tried few others, but this one is the best in my opinion.
   
   PM me if you are interested to join LJC. I'm quite active member of it and we are almost same age (34).
   
   Another thing is, if you think that 10 weeks course (even intensive) teach you Java, then you are wrong. I don't think anyone can say I learn all Java.

Well, what language?

I actually JUST got back home about an hour ago from riding on my bike to the library (check out my reply to /u/zabzonk ) for one of if not THEE book that has helped me most when I was first interested in programming.

[Python Programming for the Absolute Beginner, 3rd Edition - by Michael Dawson] (http://www.amazon.com/Python-Programming-Absolute-Beginner-3rd/dp/1435455002/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1405791222&sr=1-1&keywords=python+programming+for+the+absolute+beginner)

The book itself has a "fun" writing style, at least enough to make me engaged in the reading, the examples are easy to understand, and it helped me grasp basic concepts very quickly. Also, Python 3 itself if a really solid pick for a first language IMO.

Really though, check out tons of books on one language, even if you don't read them all, you can sample a bit of each to see which one you want to read. And if you don't understand something, try reading it in one of the other books to see if you understand THAT example. It might also help you a little bit to pick up a book on a DIFFERENT language, in my case I REALLY started grasping concepts when reading [Beginning Programming with Java For Dummies - by Barry Burd] (http://www.amazon.com/Beginning-Programming-Java-Dummies-Burd/dp/0470371749/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1405791600&sr=1-4&keywords=Java+for+dummies) because his writing style was really entertaining and had me entirely focused and learning the whole time.

In the end, I still can't code much worth 2 cents, but I've touched on C++, Python, Java, and C# now and really understand the concepts of programming without having programmed much of anything. I'll tell you right now the reading is important, but PRACTICE. MAKES. PERFECT.

Read, and code every example in the book and try to put your own twist on it. Once you understand a little, try for a simple idea you have in mind, maybe a Dice Roller with X amount of dice and X amount of sides? Maybe tic-tac-toe? Whatever sounds like a fun little project, try to make it as you learn. And any GUI (graphical user interface) programming is best saved for last, learn how to code before you learn how to make pretty menus.

Others have recommended great languages already, but you also need a good book to teach you not only the syntax and the libraries, but how to think in a different paradigm. So, here are some of my favorites:

Prolog:

• Dennis Merritt: Adventure in Prolog (free!) - the gentlest introduction to a new programming language I've ever seen.
  
• E. Shapiro - L. Sterling: The Art of Prolog (Amazon)
  
  Common Lisp:
  
  
• Paul Graham: On Lisp (free!)
  
• Peter Siebel: Practical Common Lisp (free!)
  
• Peter Norvig: Paradigms of Artificial Intelligence Programming: Case Studies in Common Lisp (Amazon)
  
  Scheme:
  
  
• H. Abelson - G. J. Sussman: Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs (free!) - the classic text; if you read only one book from this list, let it be this one.
  
• D. Friedman - M. Felleisen: The Little Schemer (Amazon)
  
• D. Friedman - M. Felleisen: The Seasoned Schemer (Amazon)
  
  Haskell:
  
  
• B. O'Sullivan - D. Stewart -J. Goerzen: Real World Haskell (free!)
  
• Simon Thompson: Haskell: The Craft of Functional Programming (Amazon)
  
• Paul Hudak: Haskell School of Expression (Amazon)
  
  Enjoy!

The first thing you should ask yourself is do you want to learn to code for personal reasons? Or are you looking to change careers? If you are looking to change careers then the bootcamps are useful as you can point to the experience on your resume in order to show employers your skills. However, I think you will find it difficult to identify a bootcamp that fits your schedule, as the "bootcamp" aspect of these programs means they are a few months of intense learning with the intent of turning a student into a developer in a short period of time.

If instead you just want to learn on your own time, I think the best option would be to either A) buy a textbook and learn from that, reading all of it and doing the exercises until you master your understanding. If you are looking for more structure and/or a mentor with whom you can ask questions, you could enroll in a non-degree program at UAB and take an introductory programming class. It will probably fall within your job schedule but it would only be 3 hours per week.

Lastly, I am assuming that you have little to no background in software development, so if I am mistaken in this assumption don't worry about this point too much. For your first language, you are going to want to learn a robust language that is going to be able to expose you to a great deal of computer science topics. Because of this, I would recommend either Python or Java as a first language. If you are feeling very brave then consider C++. These languages are abstracted enough that you won't be bogged down by syntax and more internal computer operations when trying to learn the basics. Your first language will be the hardest to learn, then they all become pretty easy. If you want a textbook recommendation I would say this one.

If you want to learn to be a programmer, I think this is one of the best ways to do it. I learned by taking a non-degree course at UAB while waiting to begin business school, and with a little extra work I was able to become a competent coder in about 5 months.

I learned from this book. However, it was a much older version.

The thing I like about this book is that it shows you how to actually write things in Perl. When I first started to write Perl, it was not pretty; True it was Perl, but it written like C. I didn't fully embrace all the great language features and syntax that Perl offers you as the developer.

Check out CPAN and /r/perl.

The other great thing about this book is that it tells you what Perl, as a language is really good at. In addition to showing you what Perl is good at, the book alludes to what Perl may not be so good at.

Like ElCapitanMarklar said, don't get too carried away learning Perl if you don't need for your prospective internship.

If you just want to learn Perl, do it. Perl is an all-around neat language and can be a blast to work with.

> Thanks for your help and support, real appreciated.

You're welcome. I'm sorry I wasn't able to be more help. It's nice to see new faces in the Perl community. I just don't swallow the "Perl 5 is dead" mantra. It's installed by default on an LSB compliant Linux install and just too damned useful a tool to be ignored.

Every new face I see proves me right.

Good luck with your project. If you get stumped again, feel free to ask more questions. I'll try to be more useful next time.

Also, since you're maintaining and (I presume) refactoring some Perl 5 code, you might be interested in Modern Perl, 4th Edition because it covers the Moose object system. Moose and kindred libraries Moo and Mouse are what make "Modern Perl 5" a thing in the minds of many.

If you're still struggling with the basics, check out Beginning Perl, 1st Edition by Curtis "Ovid" Poe. It's a wonderful text that is most definitely not stuck in the 1990's.

I recommend this book; it is not that long but is very thorough and will teach you almost everything you need to know to get started.

https://www.amazon.com/Rodales-Basic-Organic-Gardening-Beginners/dp/1609619838

For cheap fertilizer it depends how much you are growing. Fish fertilizer is relatively cheap because you only mix about 2 tablespoons of it per gallon of water; one bottle could last years if you just have normal medium sized garden. Also big bags of granular fertilizer can be cheap and last a while but it really depends how big your garden it. The best advice i have read, which is actually from that book, is that organic gardening is more about taking care of the soil and “guiding” nature to do its thing as opposed to taking control and forcing your garden to produce by using lots of products. For example, there are flowers you can plant that attract good bugs that eat the bad bugs which effectively gets rid of pests. Good compost with lots of worms and light applications of balanced organic fertilizers, and understanding the practical things like soil aeration and drainage and plant spacing is really all it takes to get going

Here's my list of the classics:

General Computing

• But How Do It Know? - The Basic Principles of Computers for Everyone
  
  
• The Elements of Computing Systems: Building a Modern Computer from First Principles
  
  
• Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software
  
  
• Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid
  
  Computer Science
  
  
• The New Turing Omnibus: Sixty-Six Excursions in Computer Science
  
  
• Compilers: Principles, Techniques, and Tools, 2nd Edition (aka The Dragon Book)
  
  
• The Art of Computer Programming
  
  
• Algorithms, 4th Edition
  
  
• Introduction to Algorithms, 3rd Edition (aka CLRS)
  
  
• Essential Algorithms: A Practical Approach to Computer Algorithms Using Python and C#, 2nd Edition
  
  
• Grokking Algorithms: An Illustrated Guide for Programmers and Other Curious People
  
  
• Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs, 2nd Edition (aka SICP, available for free on the MIT website)
  
  
• Discrete Mathematics with Applications, 4th Edition
  
  Software Development
  
  
• Designing Data-Intensive Applications: The Big Ideas Behind Reliable, Scalable, and Maintainable Systems by Martin Kleppmann
  
  
• Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software (aka The Gang of Four)
  
  
• Think Like a Programmer: An Introduction to Creative Problem Solving
  
  
• The Pragmatic Programmer: your journey to mastery, 20th Anniversary Edition, 2nd Edition
  
  
• The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering
  
  
• Code Complete: A Practical Handbook of Software Construction, 2nd Edition
  
  
• The Design of Everyday Things
  
  
• Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship
  
  
• Programming Pearls, 2nd Edition
  
  
• Soft Skills: The Software Developer's Life Manual
  
  
• Hello, Startup: A Programmer's Guide to Building Products, Technologies, and Teams
  
  
• Hacker's Delight, 2nd Edition
  
  
• Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams, 3rd Edition
  
  Case Studies
  
  
• The Soul of a New Machine
  
  
• Masters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture
  
  
• Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution
  
  
• Where Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins Of The Internet
  
  
• Fire in the Valley: The Birth and Death of the Personal Computer, 3rd Edition
  
  Employment
  
  
• Cracking the Coding Interview: 189 Programming Questions and Solutions, 6th Edition
  
  
• The Complete Software Developer's Career Guide: How to Learn Programming Languages Quickly, Ace Your Programming Interview, and Land Your Software Developer Dream Job
  
  
• The Self-Taught Programmer: The Definitive Guide to Programming Professionally
  
  
• The Passionate Programmer: Creating a Remarkable Career in Software Development
  
  Language-Specific
  
  C
  
  
• The C Programming Language, 2nd Edition
  
  Python
  
  
• Automate the Boring Stuff with Python: Practical Programming for Total Beginners, 2nd Edition
  
  
• Python Crash Course: A Hands-On, Project-Based Introduction to Programming
  
  
• Python Programming: An Introduction to Computer Science, 3rd Edition
  
  
• Effective Python: 59 Specific Ways to Write Better Python
  
  C#
  
  
• The C# Player's Guide, 3rd Edition
  
  C++
  
  
• The C++ Programming Language, 4th Edition
  
  
• Starting Out with C++: from Control Structures to Objects, 9th Edition
  
  Java
  
  
• Introduction to Java Programming and Data Structures: Comprehensive Version, 11th Edition
  
  
• [Java: A Beginner's Guide](https://www.amazon.com/Java-Beginners-Seventh-Herbert-Schildt/dp/1259589315/, 7th Edition)
  
  
• Java: The Complete Reference, 11th Edition
  
  
• Core Java Volume I - Fundamentals, 11th Edition
  
  
• Starting Out with Java: From Control Structures through Objects, 6th Edition
  
  
• Effective Java, 3rd Edition
  
  Linux Shell Scripts
  
  
• The Linux Command Line: A Complete Introduction, 2nd Edition
  
  
• Wicked Cool Shell Scripts: 101 Scripts for Linux, OS X, and UNIX Systems, 2nd Edition
  
  
• Linux Command Line and Shell Scripting Bible
  
  
• Mastering Linux Shell Scripting
  
  Web Development
  
  
• Learning Web Design: A Beginner's Guide to HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Web Graphics, 5th Edition
  
  
• Eloquent JavaScript: A Modern Introduction to Programming, 3rd Edition (also available for free on the author's website)
  
  
• JavaScript and JQuery: Interactive Front-End Web Development
  
  
• HTML and CSS: Design and Build Websites
  
  
• You Don't Know JS: Up & Going
  
  Ruby and Rails
  
  
• Ruby on Rails Tutorial: Learn Web Development with Rails, 4th Edition (Note: this book is somewhat out of date compared to the live version on the author's website.)
  
  
• The Well Grounded Rubyist, 3rd Edition
  
  
• Practical Object-Oriented Design in Ruby: An Agile Primer
  
  
• Agile Web Development with Rails 5.1
  
  
• Programming Ruby 1.9 & 2.0: The Pragmatic Programmers' Guide, 4th Edition
  
  
• Eloquent Ruby
  
  Assembly
  
  
• Assembly Language for x86 Processors, 8th Edition

Hi my name is William B. Skates and i'm the author of Excel VBA: Programming for Complete Beginners the book is focused on beginners who want to dive into the world of VBA and help them understand the various loops, string functions and arrays used in Excel VBA. The book is written in an easy to understand way by using illustrations to learn by doing.The book just entered its free promotion from 11/10 to 15/10. I would love to hear your thoughts down in the comments below. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07JV9ZJGM

In Excel VBA: Programming for Complete Beginners I touch on:

• The fundamentals of VBA.
  
• How to work with variables.
  
• How to create VBA macros.
  
• The numerous functionalities of the string.
  
• How to use loops.
  
• How to make arrays
  
• What are functions and how to use them

I have an unorthodox recommendation. Most people here like Silman's endgame book, but I preferred Pandolfini's endgame book to start. The book does have some typos, but they are pretty easy to figure out. I went through the entire book to get a feel for the different themes and strategies, then I moved on to Nunn's Understanding Chess Endgames. What I like about the Nunn book is that each lesson builds on the prior lessons.

This may sound weird, but I have a correspondence game going on now where I was up a rook against a knight and I had 3 passed pawns. I haven't gotten to the Knight endgames lessons in the Nunn book, and I'm more comfortable with the pawn endgames so I just exchanged my rook for his knight because I know how to win the pawn endgame.

I found that thenewboston and this book are great for learning Java. I've almost finished the book and I plan to move to thenewboston's tutorials once I'm finished that as well as making a basic text-based game for practice.

It can be good to learn to draw depending on what role you want to have in development. I've been learning to draw because it can help me as a game dev, but I've also had the interest my whole life and finally learned where to start. Best of luck with your endeavors!

I don't have much experience with MatLab but have you had any experience with object orientation? Java programs tend to be strongly object oriented so you might want to learn about that. As for getting into Android in particular, I'm on the learning stages as well. I would look at some java resources http://www.youtube.com/user/mybringback has a good series on learning Java I believe and they are coming out with new videos constantly. As for other materials http://www.amazon.com/Building-Java-Programs-Basics-Approach/dp/0136091814 is a beautiful resource for learning the basics of Java, however if you feel comfortable with MatLab this might be too simple for you. Either way. Find something and dive in!

That is a very broad question. To be a good programmer you have to practice (program) a lot and not just the same thing, but various kind of projects and challenges, there are just too many areas to list here and the challenges vary by programming language, operating system to the actual problem domain.

Choose a language or 2 from different paradigms (functional, OOP, structured) and try to solve the same problem in each of them.

You'll also want to spend time doing some reading, some well known books for example:

• The Pragmatic Programmer
  
• Clean Code
  
• The Passionate Programmer
  
  For just the programming aspect you can start trying to solve leet code style questions such as the ones found in Coder Wars or Leet Code
  
  The following book does a much better job at providing an overview of what you can do as a programmer and the available career paths:
  
  
• The Complete Software Developers Career Guide
  
  > And second question backend or mobile development(native) in future?
  
  For this I think you can be a successful professional in either, there are times when you can get away with not needing a "backend" with custom logic and you can just use a data store, but if you ever need to do some centralized processing or computation that requires more resources (memory, CPU) than a typical device can offer there's no escaping the need for backend development. The challenges in the backend are very different to the ones on the frontend (be it native or web based) and the approach is more focused on system design with a bit more traditional Computer Science topics.

You can always look at software engineering degrees. Its programming but without all of the calculus advanced math classes. My SO is a programmer and he failed his calc class three times. He finally passed it and became an expert at calculus but he'll be the first to tell you that he sucks at math in general but he can get anyone to pass calculus lol. He did computer science so he was required to take up to calc three.

I'm in software testing and am trying to transition to automation testing so I need to know how to program. I know a little but not enough to break into automation. I'm currently reading Java Programming: From the Beginning by K. N. King and I absolutely love it. It was the one my SO recommended to me. There's also /r/learnprogramming/ (and a few other languarge specific subs like /r/learnpython) and https://www.codecademy.com/learn. My SO always recommends http://www.w3schools.com/.

Edit- Corrected calculus to advanced math. It depends on the school.

This. Two years ago i bought Sams Teach Yourself Java in 21 Days and only read like half of it, and I know everything my APCS teacher is teaching us. Definitely recommend this if you are OK with reading a bit.

Also, it really helps to practice what you learn. I got much better at Java just by coding Minecraft mods for a while. You could also just start coding random things with what you learn; who knows, you might come up with something useful!

It really depends on how you learn.


If watching videos helps you learn, here as some good resources:


Derek Banas He goes pretty in depth about Java, design, game, OO, etc.


OR, you can watch Java in 30 minutes, where he quickly recaps the syntax, which maybe all you need.


thenewboston beginner playlist


thenewboston intermediate playlist


If books are the most efficient for you then...


cant go wrong with sams!


Other than that, you can take a quick online course, but it may be more quicker to do videos and practice writing code. Best of luck!

For anybody downvoting, don't. This is very much the kind of question that deserves asking and answering on this sub.

You said you preferred Python or Swift.. I'd recommend just using Max or SynthEdit like /u/BennJordan suggested. But if you're serious about making VSTs I would recommend looking into JUCE. It's a C++ library so you're gonna have to learn that if you haven't yet already. C++ is an essential language. If you've yet to pick it up, I recommend starting with C. The transition from C to C++ is not difficult.

JUCE is nice in that it is cross-platform ( OSX, Win, Linux, Android, iOS ). It is proprietary, but
> most JUCE modules are shared under the GNU Public Licence (GPLv2, v3, and the AGPLv3).

The documentation seems organized and there's a healthy amount of tutorials and resources, and it is already used by many developers.

Make sure to read up on your Linear Algebra
and
DSP.

Most books are either about growing ornamentals or vegetables, not both, so it’s hard to make a recommendation without narrowing down your interests. Indoor gardening is a whole separate category, and I don’t doubt that there are plenty of books devoted solely to succulents, although I’m not personally familiar with them. You could try asking the folks at r/succulents for some suggestions.

Anyway, I wouldn’t say that there is any one “must-read” gardening book. I happen to like New England Getting Started Garden Guide as a basic reference for ornamental gardening. For vegetable gardening, I have an old hand-me-down book from my mother that is almost certainly out of print, but this one looks like a good starting point. You could also check your local library—they probably have some good basic references.

Amazon link for the lazy

Yes absolutely, it is one of a handful of books recommended by the C FAQ for learning C. Although K&R is the book most people learn from, I recommend King for readers who want a less terse book with a bit more explanations. King is my favorite book for learning C and is still the one I recommend new programmers.

King also wrote a Java book titled Java Programming - From the Beginning, which is a bit dated, having been published in 2000. But if you like his teaching style in his C book, you will also like his Java text.

I’ve done Codeacademy’s Python course before but I’ve mainly forgotten it by now. When I did do it felt very easy, Codeacademy really spoon fed.

With the courses/book you've recommended would it be best I finish the course first, and then go back to learning Python?

The 'bottom up' approach should enable me to understand more of the code, with the rest explained by the A-Z course (https://www.udemy.com/machinelearning/ and https://www.udemy.com/artificial-intelligence-az/). Then I can apply my Python knowledge with the practical course (https://www.amazon.com/Automate-Boring-Stuff-Python-Programming-ebook/dp/B00WJ049VU), before giving my own project a shot.

My undergrad research is heavily involved with perl. I pretty much learned all the basics during my winter break using books. Perl is really easily to learn especially if you have some programming experience.
Here is one book that showed me some cool tricks book

But I think i learned more from Perl using this book llama book

Enjoy! I know I love Perl even with its bad rep CS people give it (I'm taking a Java course and everyday I say... man in Perl it's soooo much easier than this)

I always think the best way to learn a new language is to just start writing programs in it. A book I learnt from during my OO programming course was Java From The Beginning. But as cag_ii suggested, the resources on the sun website are very useful.

Before I had experience with C, C++, bits and pieces of python and some php.

Good luck.

In the interim, I suggest the following books:

• Digital Design and Computer Architecture, by Harris & Harris - covers the circuitry & hardware logic used in computers. Should also cover how data is handled on a hardware level - memory's a bit rusty on this one, and I can't find my copy of it right now. Recommend that you read this one first.
  
  
• Computer Organization and Design, by Patterson & Hennessy - covers the conversion of system code into assembly language, which itself turns into machine language (in other words, covers the conversion of programs from operating system code into hardware, "bare metal" code). Knowledge of digital circuitry is not required before reading, but strongly recommended.
  
  
• Operating System Concepts, by Silberschatz, Galvin & Gagne - covers all the basic Operating System concepts that each OS today has to consider and implement. While there are Linux-based ones, there are so many different Linux "flavors" that, IMO, a book that covers a specific Linux base (called a Linux kernel) exclusively would be incomplete and fail to address all the key aspects you'll find in modern OSes. Knowledge of coding is required for this one, and therefore should be read last.
  
   
  
  As for the coding books, I suggest you pick one up on Python or Java - I'm personally biased towards Python over Java, since I think Python's syntax and code style looks nicer, whereas Java makes you say pretty much everything you're doing. Both programming languages have been out for a long time and see widespread usage, so there's plenty of resources out there for you to get started with. Personally, I'd suggest going with this book for Java and this book for Python, but if you go to Coursera or Codecademy, you might be able to get better, more interactive learning experiences with coding.
  
  Or you can just skip reading all of the books I recommended in favor of MIT's OpenCourseWare. Your choice.

It doesn't matter how old you are or whether you can afford classes or not, you can learn to program. There are tons of resources online for learning a programming language. If you're wanting a book you could buy the book from amazon or something or you could download an ebook from somewhere for free (hint hint)

Here's a few good books for different languages:

Learning Python - Python

Beginning Java - Java

C++ Primer - C++

If you don't like reading books then a lot of people like thenewboston although I've watched a few of his videos and he teaches some bad coding habits.

If you need any more help, feel free to PM me here on Reddit or email me @ jhpy1024@gmail.com

btw, I'm 16 ;)

Hhm. Well, first of all, I think you might have a hard time finding a book that will teach about both design and web development. Each of those are complicated enough to write separate books on. I think you'll be better off by finding two separate books (one on web dev, one on design) than finding one that combines both.

A kind of the same goes for Web. Dev. This is such a broad term, that you will hardly find any book that tries to cram in every possible aspect of web development. If you are a bit more specific and focus on a specific technology (like NodeJS, ASP.net with Angular or just plain old PHP, MySQL and JavaScript ) you'll get more value for money. There are more generic books out there, but the technologies (especially for web dev) change almost daily and books simply can't keep up with that. If you'd ask me, I think you'll be much better off having a good understanding of JavaScript in general before you move on to a specific stack or framework.

I highly recommend The Haskell School of Expression by the late great Paul Hudak. Also you should learn as much as you can about Lambda Calculus in general like for example this paper.
After that you should learn as much as you can about types, Types and Programming Languages is really important for that.
Finally don't skip the important fundamental texts, mainly Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs and the original video lectures by the authors (about the nerdiest thing you will ever watch ;)

The book i found very easy to read is "Automate the Boring Stuff with Python: Practical Programming for Total Beginners"

Content brief:
Once you’ve mastered the basics of programming, you’ll create Python programs that effortlessly perform useful and impressive feats of automation to:
–Search for text in a file or across multiple files
–Create, update, move, and rename files and folders
–Search the Web and download online content
–Update and format data in Excel spreadsheets of any size
–Split, merge, watermark, and encrypt PDFs
–Send reminder emails and text notifications
–Fill out online forms

Check it out and give another chance if you've missed this one.

Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Automate-Boring-Stuff-Python-Programming-ebook/dp/B00WJ049VU

If you have truly finished single variable calculus (including infinite series and polar coordinates), the direction you head from this point depends on the direction you wish to go. I see three paths from here:

You can go up.

You can go down.

Or you can go sideways.
.

.

.

By up, I mean, more complicated calculus and other math techniques that would help you if your end goal is to eventually do physics or engineering. The courses to take next would be:

a. Multivariable calculus

b. Linear Algebra

c. Differential Equations

d. Probability and Statistics (with Calculus, so that you actually understand what you're doing)


the above can be taken in any order
.

.

.


By down, I mean, you can investigate the fundamentals. If you are interested in becoming a math teacher or a math professor or just a math theory person in general, this is the way to go.

a. Discrete Math (you may have done this already, not sure)

b. Basic Proof Writing

c. Number Theory

d. Abstract Algebra

e. Computability Theory


These are listed from entry to more advanced, though they don't necessarily build off each other. Realize that a lot of this, while interesting won't necessarily have direct applications if you really want to get into some particular applied field.
.

.

.

.

By sideways, I mean something applied. Learn how to solve new problems with the math you already know:

a. Physics

b. Data Analysis or Inferential Statistics (helpful to have Prob and Stat first)

c. Modeling and Simulation (helpful to have Prob and Stat)

d. Numerical Analysis

e. Information Theory (helpful to have Prob and Stat)

f. Computer Programming


*Note that it might be helpful to learn more about the other subjects before getting too heavy into any of these save computer programming.
.

.

.

.

Here are some nice books in no particular order:

http://product.half.ebay.com/Linear-Algebra-by-Ray-Kunze-and-Kenneth-Hoffman-1999-Hardcover-Revised/50499&tg=info (Linear Algebra)


http://product.half.ebay.com/_W0QQprZ57268950 (A well-written approach to Multi-variable calculus that makes you think to learn)


http://product.half.ebay.com/_W0QQprZ43118664 (The text book on Computability)


http://product.half.ebay.com/Discrete-Mathematics-by-Charles-R-Wright-and-Kenneth-A-Ross-2002-Paperback-Revised/2379179&tg=info (a more readable treatment of Discrete Math)


http://product.half.ebay.com/_W0QQprZ77981207 (a less readable treatment of discrete math but uncommonly thorough and rigorous, don't do this one alone though, you need a helper of some kind)


http://product.half.ebay.com/John-E-Freunds-Mathematical-Statistics-with-Applications-by-John-E-Freund-Irwin-Miller-and-Marylees-Miller-2012-Paperback/124286253&tg=info (sometimes obtuse, but generally very sound treatment of probability)

.

.

.

Some of the beaten path stuff:

http://product.half.ebay.com/_W0QQprZ290535 (a fun read that makes you think)


http://product.half.ebay.com/_W0QQprZ109083098 (to help with reasoning and understanding what formal systems are, perhaps get this new as it comes with a one use cd that gives you lots of interactive exercises)

.

.

.

Programming:

http://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Java-Programming-Comprehensive-Edition/dp/0132130807/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1373519082&sr=8-2&keywords=java+liang (Java Programming)


http://www.amazon.com/Starting-Out-Early-Objects-8th/dp/013336092X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1373519198&sr=1-1&keywords=addison+wesley+starting+out+with+c%2B%2B (C++)
.

.

.


Unfortunately, I'm not qualified to recommend any other books.

It is a great book that I highly recommend to support the authors. Here is the Amazon link.

I'll definitely give that book a look. The reason I'm using this book is because it's the book for the class I'm taking. This is the book.

Thanks again for the extensive replies to this post. I really appreciate your help.

I have Beginning Java. It's very comprehensive, but geared towards beginners. So it can get dry at times. Great reference for later on.


Only downside is, it's not one of those learn java fast books. It covers everything properly and thoroughly.
Also pretty cheap for such a large book.

I'm also a newbie when it comes to Android programming, however I'd like to jump into it. I have a bit of a background in C++, but Java is entirely new to me.

I just purchased two books on Amazon for Java and Android programming.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0672334445

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0672335743

Always interested in learning with others. Just let me know. :)

if you're developing in C++ and the other guys is programming in Perl, then that seems like a big Bus Factor for a small company withouth introducing even more languages.

Perl has some pretty good introductory books, including Learning Perl and Beginning Perl.

Also check out Perl's Excel handling on CPAN. Not sure how this compares to Python.

Bump

www.codeacademy.com is a good resource for intro javascript, jquery, html, python, and ruby (though I can only vouch for the javascript segments). The material varies, but it is all code-as-you-go, which is my preferred way of learning programming (vs. a lecture style). I think that's actually why Coursera is limited on the intro programming front: it's very difficult to teach an intro lecture without a significant amount of hand-holding, which coursera simply isn't set up for.

Also, my intro computer science (java) class used this book: Introduction to Computer Programming, which I REALLY liked. Their recommended compiler is Dr. Java, which is very simple - good for the very beginning, but eventually you'll want to switch to Eclipse.

Haskell is a really complicated language that demands of a lot. It may not be possible.

Making it more popular though:

As others have mentioned the tooling is complicated. Haskell has the same problem Tex had. Stack and Haskell platform get part of the way there but the installers need to configure editors and project tools to work out of the box fully configured. In particular include a fully configured Leksah or Geanny or Kate.

Finally and this will be controversial. Strip options. There is one easy web framework with a note in the documentation of where to find the full featured but hard one. The database is preconfigured out of the box (SQLite or something), a script for say MySQL and Mongo (single node on desktop) and then a link to how to do it for a real setup. Because the options are simple there can be a simple management tool to make minor changes to the environment.

Then include targeted tutorials for that environment.

Paul Hudak's environment for https://www.amazon.com/Haskell-School-Expression-Functional-Programming/dp/0521644089/
was perfect. It got a Haskell, an editor and enough of an environment to do graphics and sound programming.

Basically Haskell platform got too focused on Haskell libraries and not focused enough on ecoystems. Make a Haskell the way Microsoft, Adobe or Apple would make a Haskell.

I recently purchased a beginners organic gardening book since I just moved in with my fiancée and he has a house with room for raised garden beds. Starting the compost now, and early spring raised beds will be installed! This book is perfect for it too, it has example gardens, what should be planted and when, and a month to month care kind for your garden.

Link: Rodale's Basic Organic Gardening: A Beginner's Guide to Starting a Healthy Garden https://www.amazon.com/dp/1609619838/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_BQb7xbC09F9ZG

Same thing happened to me at my last job. I was actually led to believe in the interview that it was a job relevant to my experience but I quickly learned on day 1 that it wasn't. Read as much as you possibly can in your free time for a while, you would be amazed at how quickly you can pick things up. Three books I recommend as a crash course are:

• HTML and CSS
  
• JavaScript and JQuery
  
• Learning Web App Development

Here are all the local Amazon links I could find:


amazon.com

amazon.co.uk

amazon.ca

amazon.com.au

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amazon.de

amazon.it

amazon.es

amazon.com.br

amazon.nl

amazon.co.jp

amazon.fr

Beep bloop. I'm a bot to convert Amazon ebook links to local Amazon sites.
I currently look here: amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, amazon.ca, amazon.com.au, amazon.in, amazon.com.mx, amazon.de, amazon.it, amazon.es, amazon.com.br, amazon.nl, amazon.co.jp, amazon.fr, if you would like your local version of Amazon adding please contact my creator.

Copy pasting my old post here.

> Hello! I would highly recommend this book. It is by far the best book on programming I have ever read. It has around 20 exercises at the end of each chapter.
While some of the exercises are dull, they cover a lot of areas you might be interested in(games, biology, math, finance, that kind of thing). But at the end of the day I find that the projects you think of your own and expand them as you go along really teaches you more than any book or a teacher could.

I've always found Derek Banas to be pretty good link. This book is pretty decent too, it's slightly out of date (Java 7) but still good imo.

About 10 years ago I met a kid online who was at school majoring in something CS-ish. I don't recall the specific school or exact major, but it involved development. He seemed to be having sort of a mid-major crisis because he felt like he was only learning how to use tools without understanding the underlying concepts. To me, it felt like he was on the brink of giving up and switching to something non-technical. So, that Christmas, Santa-by-way-of-bookpool.com dropped off a box containing A Book on C and Learning Perl. It might not be a monumental gesture on my part, but I still feel pretty good about it.

Heres some book I have bought in the past on Programming. You can just download a PDF/e-reader file if you dont want to spend the money, but I would recommend supporting the author.

Programming:

Python Game Developement

Pro Python

Java For Dummies

How to Program Java

Networking:

Networking All-In-One

Networking: A Beginner's Guide

General:

Computer Repair with Diagnostic Flowcharts

Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software

If you want to try a book approach, I would recommend Sams Teach Yourself Java in 21 Days. I have no illusions that someone new to programming is going to learn Java in 21 days. But I have a bit of experience with this book (well, the one for Java 6, but they're written by the same person), and it is fairly well laid out.

Udacity used to have a Java course, but I don't think they do free courses anymore.

All that said, I don't recommend learning Java on the Pi. Java works fine on the Pi, but only if you already know how to work with Java from the command line, as the GUI=based IDEs for Java will barely run on a Pi.

Building Java Programs: A back to basics approach is the one I'm using right now for my class. It is expensive ( you can get it for around $55 on amazon) but I find it easy to read and therefore easy to learn the stuff.

Design Patterns In Ruby - Russ Olsen

• Attempts to take some of the patterns in the famous gang of four book and show a "C-like" way to implement in Ruby and the "Ruby way" to accomplish the same patterns.
  
  Practical Object-Oriented Design In Ruby - Sandi Metz
  
  Those two are just good general Ruby/programming books. Here is a good beginner web dev book for Node.JS:
  
  Learning Web App Development - Semmy Purewal

1. Chicago
   
2. I spend far too much time on reddit, browse this sub a few times a day.
   
3. I've been subscribed for a few years. I've been on reddit since before subreddits existed and I've never modded before, which is why I'd like to give it a go. I have plenty of time on my hands, and I watch most games. Even last season.
   
4. I can't think of any needed changes. The sub serves its purpose.
   
5. I have a general IT background. Some programming, some basic web development.
   
6. I'm taking time off work right now (aka unemployed) and coincidentally have been learning python. Currently working through projects from Automate the Boring Stuff with Python to fill in gaps in my IT knowledge. I don't have any experience with PRAW or reddit scripting, but it would be a great resume padder if there are any projects I can learn from and contribute to.

For Java you should start with Introduction to Programming in Java: An Interdisciplinary Approach and then move to Algorithms. Sedgewick also runs a two-part Algorithms course on Coursera that you should be able to find videos for somewhere.

Good Luck!

Hi there, I'm a student studying Software Engineering, if you want to learn Java I recommend reading "teach yourself Java in 21 days", you can get it on Amazon but there's also an old version as a pdf for free available here. The book will take you through the fundamentals although you may need to familiarise yourself with methodologies of coding also get eclipse or netbeans (free).

If you have little to none experience I recommend trying JUST-BASIC or something similar to familiarise yourself with basic programming then work up to Java (OOP can be confusing)

my school uses http://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Java-Programming-Comprehensive-8th/dp/0132130807/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1382894105&sr=1-1&keywords=Introduction+to+Java+Programming%2C+Comprehensive+Version+8th

I actually find myself referencing it from time to time. It covered the first 2 or 3 java classes in my school. It was the last book I ever bought, because it teaches the basic concepts, my instructors really focused on using current javadoc and man pages. Once you have the basics down you can understand the more advanced concepts used in the javadoc or man pages.

*note i didn't do much research on this book before I bought it or had I considered many other books, but I do find myself still referencing it because it was clear to me.

Check out Codenewbi podcast, on of the more recent ones is with a software developer recruiter and has a bunch of good info. Also simpleprogrammer has allot of good stuff.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0999081411

if you want to learn the basics (not game related) Java, A Beginner's Guide is a very good book. then you build on top of this.

I think Beginning Perl by Curtis Poe is one of the best introductory texts for complete beginners.

I have several shelves of programming books that I purchased while a dirt-poor student. I like books.

However, I found it frustrating that I had to read a book about Perl to understand what was going on - $_ made it so every function looked like it was operating off no input and assigning the result to nothing.

As a contrast, I started working in Python after 10 minutes of cheatsheet. That's not to say I knew everything about the language - I learned quite a bit more after that, and continue to learn - but rather that it allowed me to use my prior programming knowledge to quickly start getting things done.

You should at least be able to read both languages, given their popularity.

I recommend these 2 books:

• Fundamentals of Computer Programming with C# (FREE!!)
  
  This will give you a very solid foundation in Programming. I can't recommend this enough. Get this now and look over the Table of Contents. If you skip to the last chapter it tells you how you can continue after reading the book if you decide to go professionally.
  
  
• Complete Software Developer's Career Guide
  
  This book gives an overview of the software development industry and what you need to do to begin a career in it (if you decide to jump from hobby to professional). It's packed full of information such as which programming language to use and whether your choice of which first programming language to learn is important (answer: doesn't really matter which language you first learn).

21 days is all it should take. ;)

http://www.amazon.com/Sams-Teach-Yourself-Days-6th/dp/0672324482

Seriously, if you want advice on that career path, feel free to PM. 15 years in the business myself.

You will probably start running into roadblocks if you lack programming experience. These tutorials are quite good for learning java:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hl-zzrqQoSE&list=PLFE2CE09D83EE3E28

This is a good book also:
http://www.amazon.com/Ivor-Hortons-Beginning-Java-Horton/dp/0470404140

This thread is fucking stupid. Everyone is giving their opinion on language learning. Just learn Java OP, spend no time on anything else. If you want to make an Android game, that is. Here's a link to the best Java book I have found: http://www.amazon.com/Building-Java-Programs-Approach-Edition/dp/0136091814/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1354886722&sr=8-1&keywords=building+java

Ready through the first 8 or so chapters (they have practice problems too), and then learn about how to code specifically in Android (Google has some fantastic guides on it). It will be a project longer than 3 months if you aren't ready to devote 2-3 hours a day for 3 months. (minimum).

In case anyone wants to learn Haskell (highly recommended!!) or just get a better look at the image: https://www.amazon.com/Haskell-School-Expression-Functional-Programming/dp/0521644089

If you want a book for complete beginners in programming, then try out Java for dummies and Objects first using BlueJ.

I'm using those for my Java Programming class and they are really useful.

I learned Java in the late 1990s from the first edition of Learning Java and also some of the official online tutorials. I just fooled around with it a short bit. I relearned Java some years later from Head First Design Patterns and Effective Java. The Patterns and Effective books really help you design your classes. Ps: I know nothing about Android programming.

You'd need to learn most of the syntax rules and also learn about variables, loops, objects, methods, etc.

With absolutely no programming knowledge and experience, I don't see how you could grasp the basic syntax rules for Java and programming fundamentals within a 1.5 weeks.

If you try it though, you could always hammer through a book like Java in 24 hours and basically read up until the point where you feel comfortable implementing the hangman/football program.

The Haskell School of Expression

This book teaches Haskell through multimedia, some of which is programming music. I own it. It's good.

Modern Perl

Beginning Perl

Both good books

I like "Java, A Beginner's Guide, 5th Edition" by Herbert Schildt.
http://www.amazon.com/Java-Beginners-Guide-5th-Edition/dp/0071606327
It's also not hard to find a pdf version of it.

I like Java, A Beginners Guide.

I was roughly like you, I bought a book ( http://www.amazon.co.uk/Teach-Yourself-covering-Android-Yourself/dp/0672335751/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1317733525&sr=1-1 ) and then went from the dev site

• I wouldn't call it K&R, the examples are toys, and I didn't learn Haskell through it, but The Haskell School of Expression: Learning Functional Programming through Multimedia is great.
  
• I found Real World Haskell, which is probably the standard recommendation, too dirty (and in many cases outdated and relying on packages that wouldn't compile for my platform) to learn the language from in the first place.
  
• I don't think it's out in dead tree yet, but Learn You A Haskell is absolutely the best tutorial out there.
  
  I personally stumbled (and continue stumbling) into Haskell by picking up bits and pieces in academic papers. I don't recommend this route at all.

I'm a fan of Pandolfini's Endgame Course.

If you want a traditional route, then learning the fundamentals/basics using Java and/or C++ is the way to go. Python basically takes the training wheels off and expects that you can handle some of the more intricate stuff. I would look at some beginning level programming books that are used in university and go from there. This is the one I started out with and still use from time to time.

I've been meaning to start with something fun - how would you people say I'd fare with this as an introduction into functional programming, assuming I've got no programming background?

If your not afraid of math then I would recommend the books by Robert Sedgewick. His java book really shows off Java. His Algorithms book is a religious experience. And if your feeling masochistic, the Sipser book is well suited.

I really liked this book: Learning Web App Development: Build Quickly with Proven JavaScript Techniques https://www.amazon.com/dp/1449370195/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_BlPVzbEHTXSRS

I wanted to build an app, but was having trouble with the concepts of requests. This helped me grasp those. It covers more than just JavaScript. The rest I learned from various sites like stackoverflow.

Just change to the Amazon Australia domain; try this: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B07JV9ZJGM

> I purchased 3 books - Perl for Beginners, Perl by example, Learning Perl (6th edition)

I can't find a book called Perl for Beginners. If you mean Beginning Perl then that's a highly recommended book.

Learning Perl is also very good.

The two books above are written by acknowledged Perl experts.

Perl By Example appears to be written by someone who knows very little about Perl. I really can't recommend it. Sorry you wasted your money.

I think you might want to start with something a little less intimidating. I'm reading [this book] (http://www.amazon.ca/Beginning-Programming-Java-For-Dummies/dp/0470371749) and it is helping me learn the fundamentals.

That should be more than enough time.

I realize these are older titles but java is still built on the same principals.

http://www.amazon.com/Head-First-Java-2nd-Edition/dp/0596009208
http://www.amazon.com/Ivor-Hortons-Beginning-Java-Horton/dp/0470404140/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1407753555&sr=1-1&keywords=beginning+java

Java: A Beginner's Guide by Herbert Schildt.

For anyone in the UK;

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Excel-VBA-Programming-Step-Step-ebook/dp/B07JV9ZJGM/

Try out "The Haskell School of Expressions: Learning Functional Programming through Multimedia".

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Complete-Software-Developers-Career-Guide/dp/0999081411/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=software+developer+guide&qid=1555595039&s=gateway&sr=8-1

I find Building Java Programs, A Back to Basics Approach 2nd Ed. to be the most coherent while learning. I have several books but this one makes the most sense, but it is a bit expensive.

http://www.amazon.com/Building-Java-Programs-Approach-Edition/dp/0136091814/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1341698314&sr=8-1&keywords=building+java+programs+a+back+to+basics+approach

They have this book.

Pandolfini's Endgame Course essentially covers exactly what you're asking about.

I am bias to Building Java Programs by Stuart Reges and Marty Stepp

Also their corresponding CS1 and CS2 classes.

I was in your position a year ago, all I have to say is keep practicing and it'll eventually click. I ended up reading this book over the summer and it helped out so much on the stuff I wasn't getting (MAKE SURE YOU READ IT FRONT TO BACK!).

Some Example Books:

(1) Automate the Boring stuff

(2) Black Hat Python

(3) Violent Python

These are all Kindle books and recommended for Python.

I'd like to make an official request that the book cover please not suck. With AIMA and HSoE, my bookshelf is looking decidedly ugly now...

Also off the beaten path:

The Haskell School of Expression

What's really cool is it appies Haskell to multimedia. This helps because it's not hard to compare what the author presents with how you'd approach the same topics using tools you already use.

It stays away from language wars and just focuses on explaining Haskell.

classroom type? find one on udacity + buy a book hard copy. work on them simultaneously. udacity for da classroom and get the book from amazon. http://www.amazon.ca/Ivor-Hortons-Beginning-Java-Horton/dp/0470404140 fuck my bad i meant this one: http://www.amazon.com/Starting-Out-Java-Control-Structures/dp/0132855836 p4p b e s t undisputed book for java

really dont need anything else if you take the book and do every exercise