I am curious if you guys can provide some advice on what tools I should arm
myself with as I prepare to learn programming. I should make it abundantly clear
that I have no programming experience, just a desire that I would like to
fulfill. Don’t know why I am choosing D either but I’m sure it’ll all be clear
after gaining some experience.

Thanks
>:<

Just curious, how did you learn about the D programming language?

If you're the brave type, goto http://www.dsource.org/tutorials/ and try to figure out how the programs work.

If you need more help, get a book on C++ and learn the basics before attempting D, since there are no books on D written yet.

You'll need a good programmers text editor (google it). I use Kate on linux.

Good luck.

>:< <>: wrote:
> I am curious if you guys can provide some advice on what tools I should arm
> myself with as I prepare to learn programming. I should make it abundantly clear
> that I have no programming experience, just a desire that I would like to
> fulfill. Don’t know why I am choosing D either but I’m sure it’ll all be clear
> after gaining some experience.
> 
> Thanks
> 
>>:<
> 
> 
> 

I strongly don't recommend that you *don't* start with an IDE (Integrated Development Environment: a GUI tool that allows you to edit, compile, build and debug all in one comfy environment).

I think you should start using a simple text editor, although one with syntax highlighting would be preferential. (I'm sure lots of chaps will be able to make recommendations here, as I use Visual Studio 98 and GVIM, neither of which are either modern or terribly neophyte-friendly.)

The basic process one goes through is:
    - write some code
    - compile it - the compiler (dmd.exe) will tell you if/what
syntactic errors you've made in the code. If all is well, it will
convert it into machine-readable blocks of 'object code'
    - build it - the linker (link.exe; linking is also available via the
compiler, dmd.exe, and is easier that way when you're beginning) will
attempt to assemble those blocks into an 'executable'. If any bits are
missing, it'll tell you
    - test it - run your program, and see what happens. This is where
the real fun begins. :-)

So, the tools are:
    - text editor
    - compiler/linker - dmd.exe (comes with the DMD download).

HTH

Matthew

Once you
">: :" < <_member@pathlink.com> wrote in message
news:ctuai4$ufl$1@digitaldaemon.com...
>I am curious if you guys can provide some advice on what tools I should arm
> myself with as I prepare to learn programming. I should make it
> abundantly clear
> that I have no programming experience, just a desire that I would like
> to
> fulfill. Don't know why I am choosing D either but I'm sure it'll all
> be clear
> after gaining some experience.
>
> Thanks
>>:<
>
> 

> If you need more help, get a book on C++ and learn the basics

I'd suggest a book on D might equally be appropriate, since the first steps to a brand new programmer will involved basic types, and all the compile/link/test challenges

> before attempting D, since there are no books on D written yet.

We're working on that ... ;)

I'm about to suggest something that a lot of people will probably disagree with.

Your first language should be BASIC.  D can be second :)

It is simply a matter of how many concepts need to be mastered before a beginner can obtain some sort of positive feedback from the programming experience.

Consider the classic hello world in BASIC:

print "Hello world"

with the equivalent in Java (I used Java as it forces object orientation and makes for a more dramatic example):

public class Hello {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        System.out.println("Hello world");
    }
}

Because most BASICs only support structured programming, this is the only paradigm/technique that needs to be mastered when learning them.  Having done that, it then becomes more realistic to go on to other languages that support object orientation, functional programming etc.

The additional facilities in languages like Java and D, while valuable for writing serious applications, are a barrier to entry for anyone just starting out.

Tony


">: :" < <_member@pathlink.com> wrote in message news:ctuai4$ufl$1@digitaldaemon.com...
> I am curious if you guys can provide some advice on what tools I should
arm
> myself with as I prepare to learn programming. I should make it abundantly
clear
> that I have no programming experience, just a desire that I would like to fulfill. Don't know why I am choosing D either but I'm sure it'll all be
clear
> after gaining some experience.
>
> Thanks
> >:<
>
>

"TonyW" <talktotony@email.com> wrote in message news:ctuk3e$16v0$1@digitaldaemon.com...
> I'm about to suggest something that a lot of people will probably disagree with.
>
> Your first language should be BASIC.  D can be second :)
>
> It is simply a matter of how many concepts need to be mastered before a beginner can obtain some sort of positive feedback from the programming experience.
>
> Consider the classic hello world in BASIC:
>
> print "Hello world"
>
> with the equivalent in Java (I used Java as it forces object orientation
and
> makes for a more dramatic example):
>
> public class Hello {
>     public static void main(String[] args) {
>         System.out.println("Hello world");
>     }
> }

Here it is in D:

    void main()
    {
        writefln("Hello world");
    }

>
> Because most BASICs only support structured programming, this is the only paradigm/technique that needs to be mastered when learning them.  Having done that, it then becomes more realistic to go on to other languages that support object orientation, functional programming etc.
>
> The additional facilities in languages like Java and D, while valuable for writing serious applications, are a barrier to entry for anyone just starting out.

Probably the main barrier to D as a first language is lack of a good book on D :-(

TonyW wrote:
> I'm about to suggest something that a lot of people will probably disagree
> with.
> 
> Your first language should be BASIC.  D can be second :)

I would suggest Python instead.  It sports some of the same bare, minimal syntax that makes Basic so readable, but is infinitely more scalable.

For example, absolutely everything in Python is an object, but it's structured in such a way that it isn't necessary to know about them. When the time finally comes to learn about objects, they are there waiting to be exploited.

(of course, Python's execution speed isn't all that hot, but that's what languages like D are for)

 -- andy

Walter wrote:
> Probably the main barrier to D as a first language is lack of a good book on
> D :-(

Or lack of a finalized language spec for D 1.0?

   I tried to learn python as a first language, .. and it scared me to death... hehe. Dunno why, I just couldn't understand any of it, or maybe it was the lack of a good book.
   Anyway, I myself had a lot easier time beginning with C, but maybe i am just odd like that.

Andy Friesen wrote:
> I would suggest Python instead.  It sports some of the same bare, minimal syntax that makes Basic so readable, but is infinitely more scalable.
> 
> For example, absolutely everything in Python is an object, but it's structured in such a way that it isn't necessary to know about them. When the time finally comes to learn about objects, they are there waiting to be exploited.
> 
> (of course, Python's execution speed isn't all that hot, but that's what languages like D are for)
> 
>  -- andy

Andy Friesen wrote:
> I would suggest Python instead.  

I would, too.  The best thing is the step-by-step tutorial here:

http://docs.python.org/tut/tut.html

I think D needs a tutorial similar to this.  I'm not slighting Justin's effort on dsource here:

http://www.dsource.org/tutorials/

but rather suggesting that we reformat all of the code examples into DocBook, and adding more prose surrounding them.

BA