[Tutor] Alright... I'm new...

[Alan Gauld]

"Jeff Molinari" <llenard_twem at yahoo.com> wrote

> when I think programs or software I think interactivity. 
> I'm just not sure where this is leading me.
>   
>  I want to creat a fully functional program that actually 
> does something USEFUL. It doesn't have to be big. 
> But it has to actually do something other than add 
> and subtract and display a simple string. 

You have to start with small steps before you can run.
Excel is considered by many to be a useful program 
but is at heart a program which reads strings and 
does simple math. It just does that a lot of times 
- once per cell.

A Word Processor is essentially a program to read 
in strings and reformat them by inserting extra characters.

A database stores data in files and searches for it 
again later.

And most user programs (as opposed to servers) are 
essentially variations on those three themes.

If we add manipulation of images and sound (which admittedly 
are more complex) and some basic networking(email/browsers)
then you pretty much have the average PC users ambitions covered.

But you have to understand the basics before you can put 
them together. Its likelearning the chords on a guitar before 
being able to accompany yourself, or composer a new tune.
The better you grasp the basics the easier the more advanced 
stuff will be later.

>  Well I suppose I'm asking more for opinions and suggestions 
> on how to go about learning. 

Stick with a tutor and adapt the examples as you go. Be sure 
you understand what your changes did diffeently and why. As 
you keep going the examples will get bigger and more "real world"

-- 
Alan Gauld
Author of the Learn to Program web site
http://www.freenetpages.co.uk/hp/alan.gauld