[OT] partialy I was wondering what suggestions for programing

[Michael Shaw]

   Any number of books are available from which you can learn to program.
My personal feeling is that programming is most easily learned by doing, so
try to have the language you;re studying available on your machine when you
begin your study.  Then try out code snippets as soon as you learn a new
topic.  Also try to find a mentor skilled in programming to simply hash out
ideas and recieve constructive criticism from.  For your first language I
might recommend an interpretive language like GWBasic (if you can find it
anymore) or even BASH shell scripting over a compiled language like C for
instance as they permit you to simply code& test (as opposed to code,
compile & test) allowing you to focus on the new programming concepts your
trying to master.
   Your goals will somewhat determine your choice of language.  You
mentioned device drivers which is an advanced skill requiring intimate
knowledge of you hardware and a low level language capable of speaking
directly to that hardware.  This implies assembler and/or advanced C-coding.
If your considering looking for employment, Java, PHP & C are languages hot
in demand (just take a look at job ads on monster.com).
   Finally as a recently laid off programmer with 25 years service I'd
caution you to seriously consider going into the programming field.  Today
with all the off-shoring by taking place in corporate America programming is
an imploding career field salary-wise.  $60,000/yr american programmers now
have to compete against $6,000/yr programmers in India, and we're losing
fast.  Hack programmers no longer cut it.  You must know your stuff across a
wide range of topics (client/server, GUI/Web interfaces, DBMS's, SQL, etc)
and know it well to compete.  It would also help to be in a niche market
such as device drivers.

Michael Shaw
(816)525-2794
dbwizzard at kc.rr.com
----- Original Message -----
From: Kendrick-LUG <kulua at linux2themax.com>
To: <kulua-l at kulua.org>; Kansas linux ers <kclug at kclug.org>
Sent: Sunday, February 08, 2004 6:33 AM
Subject: [OT] partialy I was wondering what suggestions for programing

> I am wanting to get in to programing eventualy posibly drivers etc.  I
> was wondering if there were any suggestions about where/how to learn the
> basics ie what a aray is for things of that nature the fundamentals of
> programing.  then posibly a good starting language.  eventual intrests
> include perl php c's.   any suggestions are greatly welcome
>