Getting mad computer skillz

[Invincible Summer]

So I was interested in getting some computer skills for various reasons, mainly to make myself more marketable for jobs and because it seems like cool stuff to know how to do (I'm a geek).


How would I go about learning more web-based stuff like html (or whatever other web coding people are using nowadays), Flash, etc?

Also, after reading stuff in the Leftist Game group, it seems like it would be cool learning how to program and code and stuff.


But yeah, I know some of you here are pretty computer savvy. I know rudimentary stuff, but I'd like to learn more. Where/how did you guys get these skills? Did you go to school for it? How much time does it take to get proficient?

[Kamerat]

http://www.w3schools.com/
Is a place with very good tutorials on HTML, CSS, XML, JavaScript, PHP, ASP, AQL, Ajax and Flash.
These markup languages and scripting languages are is easy to learn (takes a day, week or month) and are most essential for making websites.

While Flash is not a markup languages or scripting languages it don't requirer any programming skills, since most things can be done with graphic drag and drop interface. Like GML the programming language that got me hooked on programming (its like a drug), there you had the option between drag and drop and making the code yourself. http://www.yoyogames.com/gamemaker/ (just use the free version, if you need something more advanced learn Java)

Programming languages like C, C++, C#, Java and Python are more complex and thuse a little more difficult to get a hang on. But when you have learn 1 scripting language or programming language its easier to learn another, because their are usually just small differences in the syntax.

[Bitter Ashes]

Not sure what it's like in Canada, but over here you can get free college courses if you're on a low income (well, the income that's accepted as low by the goverment). You'll probably be looking at one of two types of course:
-IT/ICT is more to do with using commonly used applications to create spreadsheets, websites, presentations, etc. This is the most that 99% of people ever use really unless you're specially going into a programming job. There may be a bit of hardware stuff in there too like how to build and repair a computer's hardware. You may even do a little bit of programming with a simple language.
- Computing/Computer Science tends to be quite specialised. You're looking at more here to do with actualy writing programs. It is hard work. There's a lot of maths involved and you do actualy have to learn the langage itself, otherwise it wont work. You'll spend most of your time testing and debugging your programs effectivly. You really won't learn much else, other than how to code and as I said at the start, it's a specialist subject. Unless you're planning on becoming a software engineer (and good luck to you if you do want that btw :)) then stick to an IT course, as you'll learn a LOT more that you'll actualy use day-to-day and you'll be suprised just at what you can achieve with a spreadsheet actualy.

[Mendax]

I'm only a bit above the average with computers but my brother learned website design and coding by doing 2 courses from the open university, although I'm not sure if you have anything like that in Canada.

[x371322]

I'm a huge computer nerd. I've got an associate's degree in Information Technology that I went to Community College for. Specialized in Network administration. Though the best way to learn is just to get in there and get your hands dirty. There are plenty of online resources for learning this kind of stuff. Oh and don't forget to hit up youtube for video tutorials. If it's software you're into, start easy with a markup language as Kamerat pointed out. HTML is super easy and you could get a good grasp of the basics within a few weeks, easily. Beyond that, Visual Basic is probably one of the easiest programming languages to start with, at least in my opinion. Remember programming can be tedious, and it takes a special kind of geek to love it. It wasn't really my thing. You can make crazy good money doing it though.

[MarxSchmarx]

I would suggest having a goal and working towards it. Like say your goal is to create a leftist version of that political compass site or something, or even something grandiose like a small simulation of a communist economy. Then you are charged with the task of implementing this in a given language.

Probably the easiest way to get your hands dirty is in a program that immediately compiles and works on many platforms, and that has a reasonably good GUI. Visual basic and html, mentioned in other replies, are good suggestions for starters.

Although I think what is most important is getting to think algorithmically. Try doing pencil and paper to figure out the towers of hanoi problem for example.

[Invincible Summer]

Okay I guess my goals aren't very clear at this point. From the sounds of it, I'm not even very familiar with the differences between coding and programming.

I guess for now, I'd like to learn more web-based stuff like Kamerat mentioned, and maybe Visual Basic, Perl, and Python since they seem to be recommended. This makes me sound incredibly stupid, but what are examples of how Visual Basic, Perl, and Python are used?

I'm not very mathematically oriented at all. I suspect this will hinder me.

I'm not looking to be a professional software engineer or web designer necessarily, but I definitely would like to learn the skills. I'm really interested in this whole Open Source thing and would want to dabble in it a bit, but obviously I have no ability to at the moment.

[mikelepore]

what are examples of how Visual Basic, Perl, and Python are used?

I don't know anything about python or visual basic.

I use perl to create pages where the content depends on the values of variables. These dynamic pages use what they call the common gateway interface (CGI), where an executable program replaces a document that's stored on the server. Note how it's different from a static web page. With a static page, the browser requests the page, the server gets the document from its hard drive and sends it to the browser. With CGI, the document doesn't exist. The browser requests the document, the server receives the address, the server knows it's the address of a program, the server runs the program, the program contains print statements, and the output of those print statements is sent over the net to the browser. You have probably seen urls that contain question marks and equal signs and ampersands, such as domain.com/file-name?product=hat&size=large&color=red , that's the browser telling the server to execute the program and to input the values of those variables.

You need to know HTML before learning perl CGI, because you can't know that you need to program the perl to print an HTML tag if you don't already know the meaning of the HTML tag.

Also you should add PHP to your list of computer skills to learn. That allows you to write a page that can go back and forth between static HTML and an executable program with inputs. Another nice thing about PHP is it was made with built-in commands to read and write MySQL databases.

Compare to javascript - this is also for dynamic web pages where you can have variables with values, but javascript is executed on the user's computer, not on the server.

[El Rojo]

this sounds like a chump's reply, but find / re-connect with a friend with afore said mad computer skillz and have him teach you / do what you want with your computer. maybe teach him something in return. that way you get what you want and also built a bit of a mutal aid netwrok, circumventing paying someone to do something for you.

[Dr Mindbender]

http://www.yoyogames.com/gamemaker/ (just use the free version, if you need something more advanced learn Java)


The free version of gamemaker is pretty restricted and anything you make will have the logo of yoyogames affixed to the corner of the screen.

If youre going to get gamemaker, you may as well pay to upgrade to the full version, its only US$30 so even the tightest of tight arses should be able to meet that. TBH even with the full version, you're going to struggle producing anything that looks superior to doom and 90's era games.

If youre serious about learning how to make games, i'd recommend learning python (http://www.python.org/) and downloading blender (http://www.blender.org/) which is completely free and takes up a measly 2MB of your hard disc. Once you become a pro at blender you can produce stuff which looks like it came from professionally licensed software.

[sascha]

I would recommend:
1) HTML
2)CSS

mostly websites which looks excellent are created HTML+CSS.

3)PHP programming/language & working with MySQL

this is necessary to make websites where you will include new news, etc. Joomla, and many other systems to make websites are created with HTML+CSS+PHP(connected with MySQL but mostly web servers give you MySQL and PHP script will connect website with MySQL even if you don't touch it anymore after installation).

4)Flash (for animations) and Photoshop or GIMP or some other programm for processing of pictures.

You can make clean Flash sites or you can make animations and include it in PHP website, etc. BUT Flash is hard because of programming (ActionScript 3 which is totaly different for Flash CS4 than for previous version of Flash and unfortunately you can find a crowd of video lessons only for older version of AS3), it is not hard to learn how to draw in Flash programm. I gave up because of programming, so, I used ready Flash templates and then I changed it as I need. So, you can learn basic of Flash, just to know something about it. If you succeed to learn AS3, it would be great, in such case you could make full flash websites.
Of course, Photoshop or some other programm is also necessary because you must know how to process images in order to make website better than crowd of others.

I learned HTML from book, before many years, but books are sometimes too much describing, but in any case I would recommend you books for: html, css, php; and Flash video lessons which you can download from torrents; photoshop has many online tutorials but I think there are on internet video lessons as well.

people usually recommend next forum for questions when you have problem in learning of Flash: kirupa.com/forum

[ckaihatsu]

I'm not very mathematically oriented at all. I suspect this will hinder me.


Dealing with computer-based stuff isn't *mathematical* nearly as much as it's *logistical* -- one major benefit of taking the plunge is that you'll develop a "managerial" ability (really!) because of having to efficiently plan out how to accomplish what you want in a complex environment, using wide-ranging resources.

So instead of thinking that you have to "be a genius" and "out-think" an esoteric problem, think of it more as how to make things *flow* the way you want them to by gathering up the right components into the right arrangement.