@ PFT: Leaning basic programming is a pretty generic thing to ask. I would say start out by buying an O'Reilly book in what ever language you would be interested in. If you are more interested in web development/design I would recommend C# and ASP.NET my self since I deal with it daily, although I know php is also pretty powerful for web applications.
@THEFROG: I am currently a junior majoring in Computer Science. I'd rather not say which college I go to, but we have a super computer in the top 75.
Back to school subjects. For a programming class, you will probably not need the "required" book listed by the book store. When I was a freshman I bought the Java book for $130 from the book store. I opened it a total of 3 times. Each time was to get the JDK from the disk because I didn't want to download it. If you need to know anything about the Java API, then the well known saying in the computer world "Google is your friend" applies. Also Oracle has the entire Java API on their website for reference. Save the money, you probably don't need the book. Buy the book, and then think you can sell it back to the book store for a decent price? Maybe, but I have never seen it happen. My book store tried to give me $15 for the $130 book in perfect condition.
Just another comment on college books. The book store on campus is there to rip you off, go somewhere else to buy your books. Amazon is a good place to start looking. Also, wait to buy books until after the first class meeting. A lot of times the professor will tell you on the first day if the book that the book store told you was required, is actually required.
One other place I would like to point people looking to learn more about programming to is DreamInCode. It's a forum community specifically for programmers. They have a pretty large collection of tutorials and snippets in many languages, as well as a pretty active community.
computer engineering major here too. dreamincode is definitely bookmarked haha
ReplyDeleteThanks for this, I'm getting all my books from Amazon.
ReplyDeleteHaha computing student here, finally proficiently programming in java after 2 years of slacking off.
ReplyDeleteAgree about using the Oracle API, my best pal for good while.
IT student here, not as hardcore as java and C++ right now, just using visual basic but haven't been studying too long at college. Love to see some things you write and them working. Followed.
ReplyDeletei still have books wrapped in plastic that i never touched. i couldnt resell them either. ill never buy college books until i really know i need em.
ReplyDeleteI've always been interested in programming. Unfortunately I've never had the time to do it.
ReplyDeletewell thanks for posting :D
ReplyDeleteworthy blog :D what university do you go to? im gonna take software engineering in u soon :)
ReplyDeleteSo helpful. As a student, I can't thank you enough
ReplyDeleteI got my CS book online in PDF form; saved me a bundle.
ReplyDeleteI'm actually considering going into the comp. sci program at my school. I'm going to have to read through all your blog posts to get a good feel for what it's like. Thanks!
ReplyDeletealso you can sometimes find a pdf version of the book you need on demonoid or filesharing sites. not always with college textbooks, but i've had some luck.
ReplyDeletecollege textbooks are the biggest scam ever...It pisses me off
ReplyDeleteI get all my books from the internet, and even with that, in my old job I was copypasting code all day erry day.
ReplyDeleteYou always have to buy the books, even though you'll never use them!
ReplyDeleteGreat read, thanks!
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