Not cars but some of you will be able to help me

"Bandit" (2bandit)
05/28/2014 at 21:28 • Filed to: None

My goal for this summer is to start learning how to code so that I am not entirely clueless when I enter college in the fall. How should I start learning and what language do you suggest? I have basically no experience so everything is new to me. I'm going into ME. Someone said Python is something to learn... I don't know

DISCUSSION (27)

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > Bandit
05/28/2014 at 21:31

Java is probably the easiest to learn while still teaching you concepts that are relevant later. But then again all I know are C++ and Java with a good understanding of javascript for coding a website. I guess it depends what you want to work towards.

Frosted > Bandit
05/28/2014 at 21:31

Learn Java. Chances are that that is what you'll be learning when you start anyway.

promoted by the color red > Bandit
05/28/2014 at 21:36

If you're an engineering major, learn MATLAB ASAP and C provides a good basis for that. Python isn't bad either - free download and loads of resources.

Leadbull > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles
05/28/2014 at 21:36

Little known fact: C++ is actually a secret acronym meaning: Cocaine, plus more cocaine, plus MORE COCAINE.

Bandit > promoted by the color red
05/28/2014 at 21:36

I'm going into mechanical engineering.

ddavidn > Bandit
05/28/2014 at 21:37

As suggested, Java is good. Ruby is also pretty popular, and although it won't teach you traditional code structure (braces, etc.) you will be able to write programs that you can pretty easily read as well. It really depends what you want to be able to program right away. Java with NetBeans IDE will probably be the most complete introduction to programming, while providing some convenience in your environment.

promoted by the color red > Bandit
05/28/2014 at 21:39

In that case, it wouldn't hurt to pick up solid CAD in addition to programming. If you frown upon piracy, Autodesk has Inventor for free. If you don't, get SolidWorks off your favorite site if you don't have $99 to shell out.

Bandit > promoted by the color red
05/28/2014 at 21:43

I honestly don't know how to pirate... seriously, I need to learn. I learned the basics of Inventor my freshman year in highschool. I probably don't remember anything though,

PushToStart > Bandit
05/28/2014 at 21:43

I don't have a ton of experience, but I started with Java and I found it to be an effective way to learn the basics/concepts you'll need throughout.

crowmolly > Bandit
05/28/2014 at 21:48

Java.

I've programmed in C/C++/C#, Java, Basic, VB, Lisp, assembler, and probably a few others I've forgotten. Written a few compilers too.

Java has the best usability vs. learning frustration pair. I taught it for a few semesters.

STREPITUS > Bandit
05/28/2014 at 21:54

http://lifehacker.com/get-a-college-…

I've been meaning to start that for a while.

Spoon II > Bandit
05/28/2014 at 21:58

For a good intro, try out Processing. It's java based and gets you doing cool stuff right away to keep you interested. Plus, it lets you transition into the more advanced topics. Check out Learning Processing by Daniel Shiffman.

Spoon II > Bandit
05/28/2014 at 22:01

I graduated from mechanical somewhat recently, you don't need a lot of programming, but knowing more lets you do cooler stuff for projects. Oh, check this out! https://www.udacity.com/ . Good spot to learn various Computer Science things.

Phyrxes once again has a wagon! > Bandit
05/28/2014 at 22:01

Autodesk inventor is free to students, while schools prefer solidworks/inventor/creo any familiarity with a package will help. There are also A LOT of tutorial videos on youtube.
http://www.autodesk.com/education/free…

As for coding and being a ME, MatLab (30 day free trial) is awesome. For languages I would say Java for ease of learning and getting fundamentals down. Once you learn the basics in one language picking up a second is significantly easier.

<—- Physics teacher and competitive robotics coach.

AthomSfere > crowmolly
05/28/2014 at 22:22

Really, you think Java is less frustrating that C#?

I mean, Java the language isn't bad, but getting into the JRE/ JDK and the mysterious breaks is a royal PITA... Not to mention their relationship with Oracle and Oracle's tendency to break itself and the Java installed. And, and, and then!!! Freaking Java 7 hates running older applications or even sharing a system sometimes... Oh how I hate Java sometimes!

That said, for basics and syntax learning Java or C# is a great starting point. The only real problem if you want to try C++ is the lack of conveniences like certain typecasts or the beloved String[] args.

AthomSfere > Bandit
05/28/2014 at 22:25

My thoughts:

Learn C#. It is every bit as easy as Java but with more stability and less hair pulling because of the JRE. It also forces you to learn a ton about how Microsoft uses the .NET framework, and anything you learn in C# you can use in PowerShell or Visual Basic .NET.

Python only makes sense really (IMO) for web devs or hobbyists. Nothing wrong with any of it, but a very niche choice.

Slant6 > Bandit
05/28/2014 at 22:30

You're a Mopar guy. Definitely a Mopar guy. I'm sorry but you've restored the wrong car.

BaconSandwich is tasty. > Bandit
05/28/2014 at 22:38

There seems to be a lot of people recommending Java. There's certainly nothing wrong with it. C# is also very good to work with (it's my favourite). To start off with, you might want to do some Python. Here's a really good resource on it:

http://learnpythonthehardway.org/book/

It seems repetitive, but it does teach you some things pretty quick. I used it to learn Python last summer and wrote a plugin for a piece of software that would export stuff to a format our 3D printer could take. It didn't take long to figure it all out. As far as "get stuff done as quickly as possible", Python is good for that.

miadaman? yes please > Bandit
05/28/2014 at 22:40

Not sure about the courses in US universities, up north I was only taught C briefly in all 4 years of mechanical engineering. Personally, I just brushed up on some highschool Java going in and that seems to be enough. As someone else mentioned already, grab a copy of SolidWorks or Inventor and play around with it will help you loads.

Matlab would be nice to know, but it's not very difficult to use (once you know another language, you'll be able to pick it up easy) and you'll have to show your work anyway. Visual Basic is also pretty cool, pretty intuitive and built in with many of the Microsoft Offices.

Bandit > Slant6
05/28/2014 at 22:46

I really am though. When I was shopping for my car I pretty much only looked at Trans Ams, CJ Jeeps, and awesome mopars like Chargers, Challangers, and Deamons (and their base variants). Sadly though all the mopar cars were too darn expensive. I couldn't afford project chargers or challengers that weren't too far gone.

SaabStutz > Bandit
05/28/2014 at 23:50

I can't really recommend any languages seeing I only know java, but if you want to start learning python then you might want to check out codeacademy. Great online learning tool, interactive, and easy to understand. I've worked on HTML using that. Pretty cool!

crowmolly > AthomSfere
05/29/2014 at 09:16

I was really thinking in terms of learning logical/procedural thinking vs. deeper subjects and more complex applications. Learning conditional statements, looping, recursion, and so forth.

Java definitely has its big drawbacks when you get further into its functionality but it's still not too terrible for most people to learn the basics. One of the subjects I taught was programming for non-CS majors. There were athletes and psych majors in there who did just fine. I would assume that there's tons of C# materials out there just like for Java, but so many universities have taught Java over the years that you can practically take a free online undergrad course. Again, might be the same for C# but I know the Java stuff is solid. In my opinion Java is one of the most popular languages out there with a lot of power and also a lot of materials to help you learn so that's why it got the nod from me.

Really both are just fine just like you said though. Both C# and Java are great choices.

AthomSfere > crowmolly
05/29/2014 at 09:23

From that stand point, I can't disagree then!

The C# community is great too, and everywhere. The disadvantages really come from it being a Microsoft technology. I really like the MS stack, but if you are a Linux/ Unix fan then the C# makes little sense, sure you could user Mono or whatever has replaced Mono this week but why bother when you could just use Java? And like you said, as far as just picking one JRE/JDK and an IDE to learn syntax, the basics of computer logic and maybe uunderstand the concepts of oop... Then there really is not a reason o shun Java.

That said, if you are heavily invested or invested to the Microsoft eco system, learning C# and .NET will teach you a ton about Windows under the hood too.

Bandit > SaabStutz
05/29/2014 at 10:04

I was bored last night so I just started learning HTML on codecadmey. I like the way their stuff is run

mike > Bandit
05/29/2014 at 16:14

deff.. recommend code academy

Matthew > Bandit
05/30/2014 at 22:50

http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/electr…

Everything you need is right there. The language is Python which, despite what old farts who grew up learning Java or C++ will tell you, is an exceptionally good language to start programming with. This particular course also tends to focus more specifically on the type of problems that would be faced by an engineer, so that's a bonus.

Matthew > Bandit
05/30/2014 at 23:04

First you need a torrenting software. I use uTorrent but BitTorrent's great too. Google "how to torrent" or something along those lines, and once you've got that done just

Two words of caution since you're new to pirating:

1) While it's impossible for Bob to know that Joe is downloading from Frank's website, when Frank puts a torrent up everyone can figure out who is downloading it. Theoretically this means that your illegal activities can be discovered and you can be prosecuted, though in actuality the only time anything ever happens is when you download a brand new movie, and the most that you'll get is a letter in the mail threatening to shut off your internet if you do it again.

2) The real potential danger if you do stupid things is viruses. There's no knowing for sure what's in any .exe file you run and there could always be a virus and your virus scan isn't gonna know about it unless it's on a list somewhere. If you want to be safe do two things: 1) Only download popular files like Solid Works. Make sure there are other mules to test their computers so you don't have to test yours. 2) Pay attention to the comments on the torrent website, as if there's a virus there will often be a warning. Although you'll also get people who say there's a virus when there isn't so I'd just back up sensitive data and don't run any sketchy files. Viruses are out there but they're rare. I haven't got one in like 5 years.