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Sharing Software Development Knowledge With You

Whether you're completely new to programming, or have been out of the game for so long that you're completely lost, an important first step in becoming a coder is choosing your first language. While it is true that learning the principles behind Computer Science is what is truly important, in practice one needs a way of implementing these important concepts, converting theoretical into reality, and a trusted language is necessary for this. There are thousands of programming languages at the disposal of the modern day programmer, and making a choice of which one to use can be a little daunting. Coupled with this, there is no one language that fits all situations, each language has its own strengths and weaknesses in different areas.

What Platform Will You be Programming For?

The first question to ask is what system are you creating software for? This isn't simply a question of Windows vs OS X vs Linux. You could be programming console systems like your Playstation 3 or Dreamcast. You could be interested in creating applications for your smart phone, such as a Blackberry or Treo. Or perhaps you want to write a small program to run a microcontroller in a robot you've built.

If you are indeed completely new to programming, you may want to start by writing programs for your computer. Programming for unique architectures can often have their own slew of hiccups and peculiarities that will detract from learning core ideas. The goal is to become comfortable with the idea of programming in general, get the general concepts under your belt, then move on to the more advanced stuff as you feel more confident.

Okay, So What Language Do I Choose?

Even after making the decision of starting with your PC as a platform, the choices aren't over yet. Most languages can be used to create programs on your desktop. The ones we tend to hear a lot about are BASIC/Visual Basic, C/C++/C#, and Java. Once you have chosen a language, you need a program called a "compiler" which converts your code into machine code the computer can understand. Below I've posted links to a few popular choices.

BASIC / Visual Basic

BASIC has typically been used as a beginner's language. It's easy to learn and quick to implement. However, the same simplicity that makes it a great language to start with also limits its potential as projects get bigger and more complex. In comes Visual Basic (especially modern day VB.NET). It combines the simplicity of BASIC's syntax with the power of .NET and object oriented programming. While you may not be familiar with these concepts, VB.NET paves the way of making life easy until you're ready to tackle these advanced topics.

For those looking to start with BASIC, especially one geared toward game development, Dark BASIC (http://darkbasic.thegamecreators.com/) is an excellent choice. Though it is not free, there is a trial version, and the full version is only $39.99 (at the time of this article).

If you're looking to go with Visual Basic, which is this author's suggestion, Microsoft currently offers Express editions of all its products, completely for free. The entire product family is incredibly powerful and a very good deal (free!). Check out Visual Basic Express 2008 (http://www.microsoft.com/express/vb).

C / C++ / C#

The C family of languages are definitely less fluffy than Visual Basic. However, this fits their purpose - less of beginner languages, and more powerful as projects get larger and more involved. This is not to say it is impossible or even a bad idea to learn programming using C - there are many concepts central to Computer Science and computer architecture in general that can be demonstrated much more clearly with C than with VB, such as memory management.

C/C++ have been around for a while and are the preferred languages in many different environments - because of which a large number of tools can be found. Again, Microsoft offers Visual Studio Express versions of their C++ compiler. The far most well known compiler, however, is the GNU compiler, which can be found on countless platforms, including UNIX, Linux, OS X, etc. For more information, check it out here (http://gcc.gnu.org/)

C# is a creation of Microsoft and tied much more closely to the .NET framework. While it may be not the perfect choice for a beginner language, it is a great language for both web application work as well as creating applications for Pocket PCs and Windows Mobile powered smart phones. Visual Studio Express also contains a C# module.

Java

Java is another interesting choice - it looks similar to C++ at first glance, but offers something quite different. Java is geared toward true cross platform portability. When you write and compile Java code, it is turned into what's called "Byte Code" which actually runs on a virtual machine on top of your real machine. What's neat is that while the real machine underneath can be different, each machine will run the same virtual machine, so the code you write for one platform will theoretically work for another. Java, for this reason, is an excellent choice for client side web applications and mobile applications on cell phones. When I write applications for my Blackberry, I always use Java. Sun offers its official (and free) Java compiler as a part of the Java SDK (JDK) - you can find it here (http://java.sun.com/javase/downloads/index.jsp).

You're On Your Way

The language you begin with is important - it is your first companion as you explore the sights and wonders that are Computer Science. Don't be too worried about picking the perfect language though - if you're fairly comfortable with your choice you'll be fine, and once you've built up some programming skills, you can easily branch out and try new languages, especially ones that might suit your needs in the particular project you're working on. Good luck!

> Open trapdoor
> Go down
> Turn on lantern

I can't count the number of times I typed the sentences above on my faithful Commodore 64 immediately after getting home from school every weekday afternoon. An explanation to the uninitiated: these simple statements were a way of communicating with a style of game known as "interactive fiction", or "text adventure". The particular one that started it all for me was the classic masterpiece known as Zork, where every day I could explore a mysterious underground empire from my room. While the magic of text adventures is an article in itself, after playing Zork once I was completely hooked. Not only did I seek out more adventures to sink my teeth into, I was also lucky enough that my parents purchased a PC for me soon after. From there I discovered the wonder of graphical adventure games, like the Monkey Island series from Lucas Arts and the Kings Quest series from Sierra. From then, and even to this day, I was a complete adventure game junky. No other genre of game could come close to giving me as much enjoyment.

How are adventure games relevant though?

For those who haven’t played an adventure game before, the premise is generally one of accomplishing goals through a series of small tasks. For example, in the popular classic from Lucas Arts, “The Secret of Monkey Island” (spoilers ahead!), at one point in the game it’s necessary to obtain money to purchase a number of items. There isn’t, of course, a pile of money sitting on the ground - that would be too easy. You need to earn it, in this case, from getting paid to get yourself shot out of a cannon at the circus. However, they won’t stick you in the cannon unless you’re wearing a helmet. Guess what? You need to find a helmet, and there is no helmet in the game. There is, however, a cooking pot in the tavern’s kitchen that would fit perfectly on your head. However, you can’t get into the kitchen because the cook won’t let you in…

As you can see, there is a goal (obtain sum of money), and a number of tasks involved in getting there (get into kitchen, get pot, wear it, fire out of cannon). Before you can accomplish a task, there are a number of prerequisite tasks that must be completed first. Each of those tasks has its own set of tasks to complete first, etc. In Computer Science, we call this step-by-step procedure an algorithm.

Algorithms are the heart of programming

Computers, the powerful machines they are, are at their core relatively dumb. They need to be given a list of instructions to follow. They can perform about 4 billion of them a second, but at the end of the day they still need that list of procedures, outlined step-by-step. This is where you, the programmer comes in. Given a goal you wish to accomplish, you must devise a series of steps to lead to that goal, then translate these steps into a language the computer (ultimately) recognizes, such as Visual Basic, C++, or Java.

The same mentality that guides us to get the helmet, to get the cannon, to get the money, is the same process that guides us to be good programmers: to think in steps. A top down approach of taking an overall goal, breaking it into smaller pieces, further dividing each of those pieces into easy steps, until we’ve turned a very large and complex problem into a series of tiny, easy to handle tasks. And sometimes in programming we need to take alternate avenues – just as there is no helmet in Money Island but a cooking pot which makes an excellent substitute, there will be many times in programming where alternative over conventional thinking is necessary to accomplish a goal.

Why adventure games build these skills effectively

The one issue with programming, especially if you’re new to it as I imagine many people reading this article are, is it is a fairly foreign concept. You’re so busy struggling with the syntax of the new language you’re learning that the overall design of the program itself suffers. While this is a necessary part of learning to program, wouldn’t it be great if there were other exercises you could do in the meantime to strengthen your algorithm building skills?

Enter adventure games. They are a great tool to improve your “algorithmic dexterity” as they are enjoyable and usually take place in recognizable situations that you are accustomed to. We all know what a cooking pot is, and we all know we can put it on our head. We know if we turn a lantern on, it’s going to provide light. These are situations we’re used to seeing. However, these common situations put to the extreme focus of step-by-step procedures are what build our instruction-making skills – and adventure games are the absolute masters of requiring this brand of thinking for hours at a time.

So start playing games!

I don’t want to give the wrong impression – learning to program is a lot of hard (but enjoyable!) work, and there are some dry moments when it takes memorization and reading a book/screen. However, when dealing with the flowcharts academia will make you draw out when learning algorithms (a favorite seems to be “Draw out your morning routine!”), or if you’re learning on your own, try supplementing the boring with a little fun. Fire up an adventure game and train your algorithmic brain! Not only will you build a necessary skill, but you’ll also have fun doing it.