Coding... where to start???

[TheFaQQer]

Don't most people start coding with something like:

10 print "Hello world.";
20 goto 10

Although I'm sure even that small program could be made more efficient by purchasing a super duper (and expensively licensed) modern development language such as ADA or PL/S.

10 REPEAT
20 PRINT "Hello"
30 UNTIL FALSE

Never use a goto!

[Spacecadet]

Get your feet wet with some JavaScript. You can start this second with Notepad and a browser. It covers a lot of core concepts of most programming languages.

failing this then open excel and try your hand at some Excel VBA

Lots and lots of online resources so you can build a nice VBA app for excel very easily including forms, writing to external files, external data sources etc etc and a basic visual development environment.

Once you get the hang of that then you will know if you have the mind set for "coding"

[Fred Bloggs]

That's a cracking idea actually and costs nothing if you have Excel already. I guess you can learn a bit of SQL from Access too?

[BrowneIssue]

10 REPEAT
20 PRINT "Hello"
30 UNTIL FALSE

Never use a goto!

I don't know why REPEAT ... UNTIL FALSE offends me, but it does.

1000 REM Constants
1010 TRUE% = -1 :  FALSE% = NOT TRUE%
1020 EndOfWorld% = FALSE%
2000 REM Main control
2010 WHILE EndOfWorld% = NOT TRUE%
2020 . . PRINT "Hello world! ";
2030 WEND
9999 END

Perhaps it was the Pascal influence.

[VectraMan]

10 print "Hello world.";
20 goto 10

10 PRINT "BOOBIES"
20 GOTO 10

> RUN

Then run out of the shop.

Serious answer:

JavaScript with HTML might not be a bad place to start as at least you don't have that big problem of having to do a lot of work to get something basic, as you can start off with a web page and then enhance it with scripting. ActionScript (i.e. Flash/Flex) for similar reasons, and that's pretty much enhanced JavaScript and from there you're virtually up to the level of Java/C#.

[Cowboy Bob]

VB is a great language and dont let anyone put you off it. There are no real arguments against it and its a lot easier on the eye than Cx.

Now just you go and wash your mouth out.

[NickFitz]

I don't know why REPEAT ... UNTIL FALSE offends me, but it does.

In Forth, it was a simple matter to define the word "forever".

Hence the main loop for a game I wrote on the Atari ST:

:  run ( - )
    repeat
        attract
        play
        highscores
    forever ;

(Transition of control through the three inner words was achieved by dropping the requisite number of return addresses off the return stack, then returning - arcane, but it made for a readable main loop )

[BrowneIssue]

1000 REM Constants
1010 TRUE% = -1 :  FALSE% = NOT TRUE%
1020 EndOfWorld% = FALSE%
2000 REM Main control
2010 WHILE EndOfWorld% = NOT TRUE%
2020 . . PRINT "Hello world! ";
2030 WEND
9999 END

That NOT <constant> in the conditional is such bad practice. A completely redundant operation caused by bad design. Bad me. The TRUE constant setting is a bit assumptive, too. Got to put in a permitted rulebreaker too, such as the forgiveable GOTO.

100  REM Analist.BAS v0.6 Demo prog BrowneIssue 28/01/2009
110  GOSUB 1000 ' Initialisation
120  GOSUB 2000 ' Main control routine
130  GOTO  9999 ' Bomb out.
1000 REM Constants
1010 . FALSE% = 0: TRUE% = NOT FALSE%
1020 . ThereIsStillBreathInMyBody% = TRUE%
1999 RETURN
2000 REM Main control
2010 . WHILE ThereIsStillBreathInMyBody%
2020 . . . PRINT "Hello world! ";
2030 . WEND
2999 RETURN
9999 END

[darmstadt]

http://www.oorexx.org/

[Churchill]

10 REPEAT
20 PRINT "Hello"
30 UNTIL FALSE

Never use a goto!

There is nothing wrong with the use of "goto"!

#ifndef FALSE
    #define FALSE 0
#endif

#ifndef TRUE
    #define TRUE !FALSE
#endif

int main( int argc, char *argv[] )
{
    while( TRUE )
    {
        printf( "Hello world " );
    }
}

FALSE is the only absolute as any value !FALSE is TRUE!!!

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