# Another Programming Question

Category: Geeks r Us

## Post 1 by Harmony (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Tuesday, 24-Nov-2009 11:30:52

I'm thinking of trying to learn c++ or python, or something similar, but was wondering is there a programming language that I can learn without having to install a load of stuff? For example, I don't need to do anything to make a html web page, just write it in notepad and save it with the right extension, then open it by pressing enter or going up top open in the menus.

## Post 2 by wildebrew (We promised the world we'd tame it, what were we hoping for?) on Tuesday, 24-Nov-2009 14:27:56

You can download the .net libraries (and you probably already have themin fact) and there is a c# and c++, and if you ahve Java runtime you can compile Java files, all on the command line.
You can write the code in a text file and then compile it on the command line.
This is fine for very small programs but you don't have any of the convenience a complete editor gives you, automatic correction, autocomplete, quick and easy compile warnings so you can jump diectly to the offending line and then back to where you were with one keystroke.
Basically if you download and install an editor programming will be easier, if you go the old fashioned way you may not have to spend the 10 minutes to install a programming environment but you'll spend hours longer trying to figure out what methods a given class has and why your code doesn't compile.Eclipse is brilliant for Java and it has a Python plug in, though I haven't tested it, and Visual Studio 2008 is good and there is a free student edition, c#, c++, vb and a few other .net supported languages.
I'd go with c# or Java and vs.net or Eclipse.

## Post 3 by The Lil Dark Piggy (This site is so "educational") on Tuesday, 24-Nov-2009 15:28:31

Yeah, the only thing about Python is that for managing code, nothing is accessible, well the IDE I have seen isn't accessible. My question for VSStudio2008 student addition: 1. where can you get it from? 2. Are they're any limitations? and 3: How accessible is it.

## Post 4 by LeoGuardian (You mean there is something outside of this room with my computer in it?) on Tuesday, 24-Nov-2009 16:17:12

As to your html; learn Javascript for a couple really good reasons. First, if you really understand HTML then you understand DOM structure / collections / nodes even if you don't know the words yet. Second, JavaScript uses your client (your browser) to run in, and uses all the basic structural, data and resource types of most modern languages. Though I do agree with Wildebrew on getting a modern IDE. But learning the Try/Catch/Throw in Javascript I think will help you learn some fundamentals that will hehlp you in predicting problems in your code. Also you're directly exposed to events, and while you're getting the C# and other environments set up you can do Javascript with your current code editor. Plus you can add said script into various programs if they're dealing with html or xml documents / nodes / fragments / blobs.
Good luck