Help me learn to program, please

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Hey, just looking for pointers. I have absolutely no clue about any programming language, but here's my plan:

I want to create a Solitaire game for Mac OS X (of course with different rules than the ones currently out)

Gotta start somewhere, so I figure I'll start here. What programming language should I use, how do I learn this in the easiest way, and will I need a program for writing this (what program)?

Thanks for your time
 
Your best bet is probably REALBasic, if that's all you want to do. Pick up that and a book about using it and you should be set.

If you ever want to advance in programming, like into C++, I recommend you enroll in a class at your local community college or university. That way, you're focused on the material and you can't just "put it off." Besides that, books are a good way to go if you can dedicate yourself to reading it and learning from it.
 
Will REALbasic allow me to take advantage of a few elements like tranparancy and animation?
I'd also like to take advantage of a few OS X features...this will start as a Solitaire, but I want it to eb the ultimate Solitaire in time, with high score lists on Rendevouz (sp?), custom background (including transparent) and custom decks...
 
I've never user RealBasic, so can't speak to it's capabilities, but you could start by looking at the software's website:

http://www.realbasic.com/realbasic/rb_indepth.html

This page in particular lists the capabilities of the language. It sounds fairly powerful.

If you want to be Mac native, and really have access to everything the Mac can do, you can download the Apple developer tools for free (after a free registration) and have unlimited access to Apple's online documentation, including sample code. Unless OS9 capability is important to you, I strongly recommend the Cocoa framework over Carbon. Cocoa programming is an absolute dream.

Howver, I should warn you that if you're starting with NO coding experience AT ALL, this is a much harder road to walk. There are a lot of important concepts you need to understand before the sample code will be of any use to you, and Apple's docs, while quite good, are not aimed at an absolute beginner. RealBasic would actually be a good way to 'get your feet wet' in this respect. Maybe move to Cocoa for version 2.0!

If you do decide to try cocoa, there are a lot of great books and online tutorials that can get you started. The O'Reilly series are good, for instance. Best of luck.
 
If you're using graphics with alpha masks in REALBasic, then you can use transparency.

Cocoa is the next step, and Project Builder is the way to use it. Definitely get the Developer Tools when you're done with Basic.
 
tell u what! get a book on objective-c/cocoa, it's not that hard. then you'll be able to program almost every type of program for osx.
 
I started with REALbasic. Bought the Dummies Guide and started building apps the next day. VERY simple to use. But it really takes time to create a good-looking/running application.

REAL is the way to go. But if you're looking for raw power start with C, go to C++, and then upgrade to Cocoa with the Apple Developer Tools. ;)
 
Hey dude. I hate to burst your bubble... but I dont think you will be writing a Solitare game anytime soon. I think your best bet is to take out a Learning C book from the Library. That's "C". not C++ or C#. Yes, you will only be able to write programs that run in the terminal, but you have to start somewhere.
 
Hmmm, your mileage may vary, but I disagree with the choice of C as a first language.

I've been in this business for 26 years and have worked in almost every programming language there is, and think C is just too 'loose' for use as a beginner language -- too much room to develop bad habits that you have to unlearn later.

I'd go with Java as a first language personally.

hth,
bear
 
bootedbear: I second that. Java is a good choice for several reasons, and the most important one being that it is totally object-oriented. Learning object oriented programming first is a good thing, since it keeps you away from bad programming habits. Java is probably the best choice, since you can't "cheat", ie throw in a little procedural stuff to glue things together.

If you're serious about learning to program, get the book "Objects first with Java" and download BlueJ from www.bluej.org. That'll give you a good start. You can find links to web sites selling the book from the BlueJ site.

BTW: I'm not affiliated with neither BlueJ nor Sun. Just like the stuff...
 
No disclaimer necessary.

Java may be the way to go for beginning programming, but why is it so slow? A certain file-sharing program I use that was written in Java takes a long time to start up, and the program itself has interface quirks that make me wonder. What's up with that?
 
the speed of the execution depends on the jvm largely.

if the jvm is well tweaked for ur comp, u'll get better speeds.
 
Hey, nobodies mentioned Python ;) Its an interpreted language so you don't need to compile sourcecode everytime you make a change (like with C++ or Realbasic).

I'm learning to programme right now, and after trying out C++ for a while I realised that I had gotten in over my head. Transfered to Python and am having much more fun now. Checkout the website below for some info and beginners guides. Still plan to learn C++, but only when I have more experience.

Enjoy, will

http://honors.montana.edu/~jjc/
 
word of advice. dont start programming in any language with the intent of developing a program. it will be some time after you start learning before you can develop anything useful.

another thing, as you can probably gather here, there is no sure fire language to start with. find a friend or colleague that can help you with a particular language so you dont have to rely solely on a book. good luck
 
I have no friends who know how to program. I have one friend who thinks he's THE hacker since he's put a downloaded script on a floppy and successfully screwed up a Windows computer with it, but that's the closest I get.

Whatever I choose, I know I'll learn eventually. First I just want a goal (since I don't want to learn EVERY language out there to find a suitable one). I want it to be 100% OS X compatible, and, if possible, making apps easily ported to Windows or Linux (in case it's a hit).

Thanks for the suggestions, people, I'll look into these more closely, and then choose one.
 
Im sure someone has mentioned Python before, but I'm in the same kind of position as you voice, and am using this tutorial to get into it. Python is a very simple language, and good because it introduces you to the basics of programming (variables, loops, I'm still learning) without having a real hard to understand grammar. I hope to move on to C after I get python down pretty well.
 
Get realbasic fits all your needs and as the name says its realbasic to learn/use and powerful enough for a begginer/intermediate programer

im currently learning it now so if you want more info then PM me
 
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