[Me gusta l920]

ok guys thnx for the help..i will be learning C# once i am done with doing that ..i will update this thread

[Vaibhav Chauhan]

No offence to anyone but i think learning online by tutorials/websites is faster than learning from books, although books will always teach you something extra in some tips & tricks section, but to get up & running soon, digital medium is the best.
& before you learn C# make sure you can code some basic programs in C or C++; that really helps.

[ssapre]

ok guys thnx for the help..i will be learning C# once i am done with doing that ..i will update this thread

No offence, but try to do something with seriousness. Everything is available in India, but just making it like 'I can fake my age to get something' or 'I can start with something just so that I can gain some money' is not good.

[a5cent]

No offence to anyone but i think learning online by tutorials/websites is faster than learning from books, although books will always teach you something extra in some tips & tricks section, but to get up & running soon, digital medium is the best.
& before you learn C# make sure you can code some basic programs in C or C++; that really helps.

I guess we've made different experiences then. I've only ever met two people who learned their craft from online tutorials, but both of them were worthless. Not to say that such an outcome is inevitable, but I do find that online tutorials rarely provide the depth of understanding that books offer.

However, I do acknowledge that different people have different learning styles. If you go the online tutorial route, then it is critical that you find a source that offers a lot of material that is intended for use as a whole and in a set order. Each individual tutorial should offer at least a few dozen hours of online training. The worst thing anyone could do is work through dozens of unrelated videos from different sources. Such an approach simply lacks the structure that is essential for a good programming 101 course.

I also completely disagree that starting with C or C++ offers any benefits. Both C and C++ are very different from each other and neither is in any way similar to C#. Yes, they share a lot of common programming syntax, but that isn't at all what is important about programming languages. Learning a programming language, at least in the beginning, should be about semantics and idioms, and in those regards all three languages are very different. If all you're learning/teaching are simple control structures, then they are all practically identical, so no single one offers any benefit over any other.

Different strokes for different folks I guess.

[berty6294]

What the online stuff has over the books is that they are specifically tailored for the specific platform he is targeting. Definitely not as in depth as the book, but it makes the learning process easier for somebody who is basically looking at just a single platform.

If he is looking to develop in C# he should start with C#. It's an easy language to comprehend, no use in learning another language first.

[a5cent]

What the online stuff has over the books is that they are specifically tailored for the specific platform he is targeting. Definitely not as in depth as the book, but it makes the learning process easier for somebody who is basically looking at just a single platform.

I understand that as saying: you can learn C# using tutorials that use Windows Phone as the platform on which everything is demonstrated. While that is possible, I would suspect you're likely to get the worst of both worlds... neither a good introduction to programming Windows Phone, nor a good introduction to the C# language and the BCL. Of course, I might be completely misunderstanding you here...

[berty6294]

I understand that as saying: you can learn C# using tutorials that use Windows Phone as the platform on which everything is demonstrated. While that is possible, I would suspect you're likely to get the worst of both worlds... neither a good introduction to programming Windows Phone, nor a good introduction to the C# language and the BCL. Of course, I might be completely misunderstanding you here...

you could be right. I started learning 5 years ago when I was 13 on the Zune, and have since taken a couple classes that have made me better so I'm not a purebred self taught, but I remember when I first started I read a couple books cover to cover and they just threw too much information at me at once. I used this online video series that taught me C# for the PC, Xbox, and Zune. I can't find it anymore though :/

[a5cent]

you could be right. I started learning 5 years ago when I was 13 on the Zune, and have since taken a couple classes that have made me better so I'm not a purebred self taught, but I remember when I first started I read a couple books cover to cover and they just threw too much information at me at once. I used this online video series that taught me C# for the PC, Xbox, and Zune. I can't find it anymore though :/

Yeah, I can see that too. It's probably hard to judge what the right book is when you've got no experience to go on. Wanting to advance quickly is only natural, but can also end up being a major obstacle.

IMHO, for someone starting from scratch, the platform isn't important, because the basics of C# (and that is the only thing a beginner should attempt to learn) will be identical on all platforms.

[berty6294]

Yeah, I can see that too. It's probably hard to judge what the right book is when you've got no experience to go on. Wanting to advance too fast can also end up being a major obstacle.

IMHO, for someone starting from scratch, the platform isn't important, because the basics of C# (and that is the only thing a beginner should attempt to learn) will be identical on all platforms.

I think the best platform to learn is the terminal! Just like they teach you in college, just a text editor and terminal. Simplest and most effective way to learn the basics.

[a5cent]

^ 100% agree. It's no coincidence that colleges take that approach. It's about focusing on what is important at that stage of ability and ignoring everything else.

[ImmortalWarrior]

I think the best platform to learn is the terminal! Just like they teach you in college, just a text editor and terminal. Simplest and most effective way to learn the basics.

depends entirely on the program. US colleges are what we call Universities in Canada and University programs teach many different methods and languages. A software engineering program will focus on embedded where a computer science program will cover a wider range.

A College here in Canada is a practical learning school. I've attended both. The college was far more useful than my comp Sci at university.

Terminal languages are complex in a different way than modern top tier languages, but they are still complex. Teach a newbie the differences between procedural python and object oriented python and they will get a headache. Gotta start with the cut and dry.

If you want to learn C# for windows phone, start with Console Applications in Visual Studio 2013 desktop express. Work to the user interface form apps after that.

[a5cent]

Terminal languages are complex in a different way than modern top tier languages, but they are still complex. Teach a newbie the differences between procedural python and object oriented python and they will get a headache. Gotta start with the cut and dry. you want to learn C# for windows phone, start with Console Applications...

What is it that you call a "terminal language"? I suspect both of you are referring to the same thing (console and/or terminal applications).

[ImmortalWarrior]

What is it that you call a "terminal language"? I suspect both of you are referring to the same thing (console and/or terminal applications).

a language that is designed to be coded from a command terminal in its original design. All of them can now be coded in a text editor though.

[ImmortalWarrior]

A Console Application is a .Net program that runs in a command terminal in windows. It's built in visual studio though.

[a5cent]

a language that is designed to be coded from a command terminal in its original design. All of them can now be coded in a text editor though.

So, basically, BASH and DOS scripts etc... I doubt that is what berty6294 meant. It certainly wasn't what I meant when agreeing to it.

[ImmortalWarrior]

So, basically, BASH and DOS scripts etc... I doubt that is what berty6294 meant. It certainly wasn't what I meant when agreeing to it.

and kshell, and shell, and windows command prompt. Powershell as well.

[a5cent]

and kshell, and shell, and windows command prompt. Powershell as well.

Yep. Running a console application will typically open a command prompt window. Therein lies the overlap.

[berty6294]

So, basically, BASH and DOS scripts etc... I doubt that is what berty6294 meant. It certainly wasn't what I meant when agreeing to it.

Haha I as talking about Java or python lol

[Me gusta l920]

No offence, but try to do something with seriousness. Everything is available in India, but just making it like 'I can fake my age to get something' or 'I can start with something just so that I can gain some money' is not good.

i am not here for the money...i am doing it for fun and maybe gain some exp for future

[Vaibhav Chauhan]

Yes, different strokes for different folks indeed. I gave my suggestion based on my experience, and doing a couple of C/C++ programs doesn't hurt, IMO it just makes you comfortable with coding and programming, syntax doesn't matter, it takes maximum 2-3 hours to get comfortable with syntax, but it takes time to get comfortable with programming. & I guess you might be right, Video tutorials are great for things like photoshop, learning guitar and what not, for a programming language books are better.(You can always watch some videos alongside)

I guess we've made different experiences then. I've only ever met two people who learned their craft from online tutorials, but both of them were worthless. Not to say that such an outcome is inevitable, but I do find that online tutorials rarely provide the depth of understanding that books offer.

However, I do acknowledge that different people have different learning styles. If you go the online tutorial route, then it is critical that you find a source that offers a lot of material that is intended for use as a whole and in a set order. Each individual tutorial should offer at least a few dozen hours of online training. The worst thing anyone could do is work through dozens of unrelated videos from different sources. Such an approach simply lacks the structure that is essential for a good programming 101 course.

I also completely disagree that starting with C or C++ offers any benefits. Both C and C++ are very different from each other and neither is in any way similar to C#. Yes, they share a lot of common programming syntax, but that isn't at all what is important about programming languages. Learning a programming language, at least in the beginning, should be about semantics and idioms, and in those regards all three languages are very different. If all you're learning/teaching are simple control structures, then they are all practically identical, so no single one offers any benefit over any other.

Different strokes for different folks I guess.

[a5cent]

doing a couple of C/C++ programs doesn't hurt, IMO it just makes you comfortable with coding and programming

Yes. IMHO every professional programmer should be proficient in at least two languages, to the degree that it is understood how differences will affect software design. Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of any programming language is only really possible if you have something else to compare it with. So yes, not only does it not hurt, but it is extremely helpful.

We differ only on the question of when to start learning that second language. I find that doing so at the very beginning is more of a distraction than beneficial.

[Vaibhav Chauhan]

^ Absolutely right!

[Me gusta l920]

sorry for being almost dead here...but still learning c# ..i am learning it carefully and slowly ..i dont want to rush up and learn it ..

[longnd]

After learning C#, you can take a look at this book:
Windows® Phone 8 Development Internals - O'Reilly Media

Very useful, at least for me :)

[Me gusta l920]

After learning C#, you can take a look at this book:
Windows® Phone 8 Development Internals*-*O'Reilly Media

Very useful, at least for me :)

it looks interesting ..thnx