"Philip Boyer" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote
> How should a non-programmer learn Lingo?
>
><snip>
>
>I'm having a hard time transferring what I've learned
> to writing my own Lingo. (Joining this list and learning through osmosis
> hasn't worked yet either.:)
>
> My question is: Would a general introduction to programming class be helpful
> when trying to learn Lingo?
Well, that really depends on that kind of class it is. The answer is 'probably'
but then again, if it's very specific to a given language it might be less
useful. One of the best ways to learn a programming language is to set yourself
a specific task which will stretch you a little bit, then don't give up until
it's working. Don't expect to find the best solutions the first time - in fact,
expect to find some really messy solutions, and learn to live with them as you
complete the task. Afterwards you can think about how you might have done it
differently. It's important to go through 'concrete' if you really want to have
command over abstractions.
For learning lingo, you could try running through my tutorial at
http://brennan.young.net/Edu/Lingvad.html
This will give you a big push into the world of object oriented programming, but
is also designed to be accessible for beginners.
For general programming tips, I can recommend 'Code complete' by Steve
McConnell. A big doorstep of a book with hundreds of explanations of the various
nuts and bolts of constructing software, using code examples in C, Pascal, Basic
and Ada. It's the kind of stuff that you end up discovering for yourself, (like
put the busiest repeat loop innermost), but also has some very basic
explanations about what structures to use and when.
Good luck!
--
_____________
Brennan Young
Artist, Composer and Multimedia programmer
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
In software, the chain isn't as strong as the weakest link; it's as weak as all
the weak links multiplied together.
-Steve McConnell
[To remove yourself from this list, or to change to digest mode, go to
http://www.penworks.com/LUJ/lingo-l.cgi To post messages to the list,
email [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Problems, email [EMAIL PROTECTED])
Lingo-L is for learning and helping with programming Lingo. Thanks!]
