How to learn programming?

First C# Program Line by Line

2011-03-29T20:55:00.001-07:00

The following is a typical Hello World program for C#. On the left side is the code and the right side its explanations.

using System;	This reference is used by Console class. Otherwise, you need to type the class in full (to include its namespace System): System.Console.WriteLine(“…”);
using System.Collections.Generic;	Not used. Something useful that Microsoft tries to promote.
using System.Linq;	Not used. Something useful that Microsoft tries to promote.
using System.Text;	Not used. This reference contains the StringBuilder class that is memory efficient when working with strings manipulations.
	Blank line or tab or space has no effect on the final compiled code. Add them to improve the code readability.
namespace ConsoleApplication1	A way to group related code together. By default, Visual Studio will use your application name as the namespace.
{	1^st curly bracket START Curly brackets { and } comes in a pair. They group block of code. Everything from here till the 1^st curly bracket END, belongs to the namespace ConsoleApplication1
class Program	Everything in C# must in a class. In this case, the name of the class is ConsoleApplication1.Program (You need to include the namespace as part of the name of the class)
{	2^nd curly bracket START Everything from here till the 2^nd curly bracket END, belongs to the class Program
static void Main(string[] args)	static: it is a keyword to specify that the method Main is “static” . It belongs to the class and not instances of the class. void: it is a keyword to specify that the method Main returns nothing. string[] args: a string array variable with the name args curly bracket { } : for code block curve bracket ( ) : for method square bracket [ ] : for array type
{	3^rd curly bracket START Everything from here till the 3^rd curly bracket END, belongs to the method Main
Console.WriteLine("Hello C Sharp!");	Code doing the actual work!
}	3^rd curly bracket END
}	2^nd curly bracket END
}	1^st curly bracket END

What is programming in a nutshell?

2011-03-23T02:36:00.001-07:00

Apply problem solving skills, then use programming language to tell the computer what to do and finally the result is a completed program.

How to eventually become a good programmer

2011-03-12T03:01:00.001-08:00

According to Peter Norvig’s “Teach yourself programming in ten years”, researchers have shown that it takes about ten years to develop expertise in any area. The key is deliberate practice: not just doing the task over and over again but challenging yourself with a task that is beyond your current ability and make improvement from the practices.

According to Malcolm Gladwell’s “Outliers: The Story of Success”, the elite performers had totaled 10,000 hours of practice over the course of their lives.

It is never too late to start now, but do be patient with yourself and keep on learning to get better.

Problem Solving Skills

2011-01-26T23:32:00.001-08:00

Learning about problem solving skills is more important than learning programming syntax.

From Microsoft Beginner Developer Learning Center > Windows Development > Tier One > The following 5 lessons bring the beginners from daily life problems to the basic of computers and computer programs:

The Big Picture of Being a Professional Programmer

2011-01-26T23:17:00.001-08:00

Microsoft Beginner Developer Learning Centre has the following videos:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/beginner/dd547995.aspx

Working Together
Learn how a professional development team works together to get the job done.
It Works for Me!
Learn how to write solid code from the start and make sure that people understand what the code is doing.
Going with the Flow
Learn how to dig into someone else’s code, keep up with documentation, and make your code fit with what’s already there.
Cradle to Grave
Learn how the Software Development Lifecycle can help you put together a detailed work specification, proper documentation and thorough testing.