After a few years I decided to update this post and make it shorter to cut all the introduction and only leave the core, I believe, helpful information. This post is targeted for developers, especially those who are thinking about their ways to enter programming.
Decision
Everything starts with a decision. That is indeed the hardest part. Two groups exist.
- a) I really decided that programming, software engineering is something I should pursue in my life as my primary skill.
- b) This programming thing looks cool and I watched some videos and stuff and I kinda want to try it to see if I might be good at it.
Group A
Unfortunately, I will not make a list for the b) group as it can be difficult not knowing the paths you could take, but for a) group here is short doable ordered pair. Be patient, respect your discipline and invest time in your craftmanship.
- Linux. Learn to use Linux, or some unixoid
- C. Buy ‘C Programming Book’ by Brian W. Kernighan and Dennis M. Ritchie, and learn C
I am not saying it is wrong to start with other languages, but those who will do programming for a rest of their life, will be pleased to feast the fruits of learning C ins and outs. Concepts on which other languaged advanced are continuation of a story. When you do structs in C along with the functions, concept of object-oriented programming will naturally be unveiled. You could be up there with newer thought, but Greek school is cornerstone of undeniable influence for every philosophy student. Story does not end, it continues.
You will (probably) not write commercial C program in your lifetime. Nevertheless, fundamentals you will gain are concrete. Build your house on a strong foundation. Matter of choosing a first language for a beginner could be debated, but C influence is undeniable. So if you are determined to pursue programming as a lifelong craft, do yourself good. Build patience, respect your craft and invest at least first 6 months to a year into learning C. It will pay you dividends.