I want to get into programming and I don't know where to start - Developers

I want to learn how to program, but I don't know where to start. I only know of Java and C++ that I could use to program with. I chose IT as a subject for next year at school, but I don't know if we are even going to be programming or anything like that. I'd like to have programming as a skill with computers because I think it's a good thing to know how to do. I didn't post this in programming seeing as not many people were in that section just before I posted this.

If i were you. I'd start with C++ as its a powerful language, But yet quite easy to learn.

For starting out you won't make full use of C++, my first programming class was C++ and it was just the C functions and styles that we used. Lower-level languages are good to use after you get a grasp of how languages work. Onces you learn how to program in a language learning another is easy as learning syntax, functions, and sometimes the varying conventions. Limitations are one of the best ways to innovate.

Are there sites I could go on that could provide help? If I do programming at school this year, I want a head start.

Maybe in the programming section ?

Before you become a programmer, you must become a designer. You should only be coding about 10-20% of the time, the other 80-90% should be spent designing it in your head.

[QUOTE=mmavipc;26788819]Before you become a programmer, you must become a designer. You should only be coding about 10-20% of the time, the other 80-90% should be spent designing it in your head.[/QUOTE] That sounds kinda silly. :v:

[QUOTE=DrumStick;26789610]That sounds kinda silly. :v:[/QUOTE] Yea, it does and I also want to get into programming but I'm not even sure what programs I should get.

[QUOTE=DrumStick;26789610]That sounds kinda silly. :v:[/QUOTE] Do you write all your code, then find out you failed in one critical aspect? [editline]19th December 2010[/editline] Take this for example, [url]http://www.facepunch.com/threads/999574-Facepunch-game-project?highlight=[/url]

[QUOTE=mmavipc;26790824]Do you write all your code, then find out you failed in one critical aspect? [editline]19th December 2010[/editline] Take this for example, [url]http://www.facepunch.com/threads/999574-Facepunch-game-project?highlight=[/url][/QUOTE] Your sentence was poorly worded though, you could have mentioned that the thing you're designing is the program's structure, not how it looks like when finished.

[QUOTE=mmavipc;26788819]Before you become a programmer, you must become a designer. You should only be coding about 10-20% of the time, the other 80-90% should be spent designing it in your head.[/QUOTE] This isn't true at all. The majority of programmers (me included) can quite happily jump in and start writing code without spending ages designing every little bit of it.

When you work on a bigger project in a team, you somehow need to synchronize your ideas so that the interfaces match and don't change too much. I don't know how much planning that requires though, but I don't think it's that much and definitely not >=80%.

So, I can download C++ for free off the net right? Also, like I asked before, are there any decent sites that can explain what everything does, like syntax and stuff like? Also, when doing simple coding, what sort of things can I get out of it? Like tasks I could make up or something or rather.

You don't really "download C++", you download a compiler (and maybe an IDE as well) for it. In terms of compilers, MinGW seems quite popular As far an IDE, give Code::Blocks or CodeLite a go. Edit: Or, if you're a student, go to [url]https://www.dreamspark.com/default.aspx[/url] and you can get Visual Studio 2010 for free (definitely recommended)