If you had to relearn programming from scratch, what would you perfect plan be?
Basically, what would:
- Get you programming fastest
- Increase your knowledge base most profoundly
- Least complex installation/setup
Or, if you felt like you learned it the best way possible for you, feel free to share!
Personally, I first learned ActionScript 2.0 (used in Adobe Flash CS4), and got fed random bits of information from various YouTube videos of college students sharing what they were learning in class, etc. YouTube was a different place back then... A simpler, less organized place.
I feel like ActionScript 2.0 is perfect for newbies to jump into programming because you can start a new project, then draw a shape, convert it into an object, and name the object, all with Flash CS4's GUI. Then you can click on the frame and add a script to it, referencing the object with the name you gave it. Bam! In 30 seconds, you got:
trace("Hello, World!"); // log to console
noob._x = 100; // set x coord of object named 'noob'
ActionScript 2.0 is so close to a clone of JavaScript. And unlike ActionScript 3.0, which is more OOP-based and more stringent on syntax, ActionScript 2.0 has pretty easy syntax and is sooo lax with typing (like JavaScript).
However, if you would like to practice more strong typing, it's also possible to type out scripts with more explicit typing in ActionScript 2.0, example:
var noobName:String = "";
function nGetAge(strName:String):Number{
return 0;
}
Good luck pretending to strongly declare types in JavaScript.
ActionScript 2.0 is also a rare language that supports explicit script inclusion (#include "moreTools.as"), reminicent of C++. For organization, this is something I really miss in Java/Python.
As for suite tools, Flash CS4 had a script syntax checker (CTRL+T) that would check the syntax of the script you're currently typing. SUPER useful as a beginner. No need to build the whole thing. CS4 also had debugging tools, publishing tools (.html,.swf,.exe,.app), editable shortcuts and interface, and various tools to help with drawing/managing the resource library. It's like Unity before Unity blew up, right?
Not to mention this method's secret weapon: anybody's code on the internet! While beginner-friendly ActionScript 2.0 courses were kind of rare online, there were decompilers such as Sothink SWF Decompiler that would turn an .swf file into an .fla (Flash CS4 project file) that could be opened and edited as if it were one of your projects. Combine that possibility with the then-limitless amount of online Flash games that peppered the internet at that time, and you have all the real, working, code examples you could want, from real, published games! IMO crazy convenient as a learning tool. More so than having to plug in a half-explained StackOverflow code snipped for a new concept as a beginner. Not to mention cool and fun seeing how other people put together their games / animations.
Sadly, it seems ActionScript 2.0 was only supported up to Flash CS6, which is ancient and no longer available for purchase from Adobe. A newbie would have to find a friend with it or download online somewhere... But despite this total void in availability, I stick by my opinion that it was a golden age's fruit for learning programming.
Just for fun, my personal opinion on other possible avenues, compared to ActionScript 2.0:
JavaScript: Easy language, crazy accessible (any non-mobile browser), console is super easy to interact with, but doesn't have the benefit of drawing/pasting a picture and naming it (would require HTML and/or DOM API to feel like you're interacting with something tangible).
Python: Bit more involved to setup (in case the Environment variable isn't modified during setup). Easy language, but the syntax varies significantly from other common languages, meaning you'll have more to get used to when you try another language.
C++/C: Too strict in its syntax and typing, not accessible (just setting up a project without clicking Empty Project can result in it not building for inobvious reasons). Easy console applications. Notably, with the free IDE Visual Studio, a near-beginner could easily make a GUI application: something that feels like a 'real' program! It's got a window and buttons and everything! (was I the only one that was that impressed by it?)
C#: In some ways better than C++ for learning. Same IDE (Visual Studio) as C++ (convenient to try both langs), and makes certain tasks easier than in C++ (accessing MSSQL DBs and built-in type conversion functions come to mind). However, it is completely OOP like Java: just to get a basic Hello World project to build involves extra text and hierarchy concepts...
# python
print('Hello, World!')
/* c++ */
#include <iostream>
int main(){
std::cout << "How's it hanging, World?" << std::endl;
return 0;
}
/* c# */
namespace x{ // Newbie: What's this?
class Program{ // Newbie: and that?
static void Main(string[] args){
Console.WriteLine("Finally... Hey, world.");
}
}
}
I guess Hello World is always copying and pasting something. Afterward comes modifying, experimenting, and exploring. I like to type out my Hello Worlds, so I personally found it daunting that there was so much extra that I didn't understand.
Java: IMO, same cons as C#. Hello World in Java has the same 'technical bloat' from hierarchy as C#. I like Java, but it's not as get-it-and-go as JavaScript/Python.
Anyway, whichever language/route one would take to learning, it's passion that gets a person the most mileage. ActionScript 2.0 was accessible to me and my attention span since I wanted to make games. In high school class Principles of Engineering, they taught us ROBOTC or something... It was ALL text. It didn't even build into an interactive console like my C++ at home, it was uploaded to a microprocessor connected to a few electronic pieces to move a tiny motor a bit. I honestly don't know if I would have had ANY interest in programming if I had to learn it through all text as a 15 year old with ADHD and Guitar Hero. But that's just me.
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