Where to start coding/programming from 0

[azuli11]

Hey there!

So i've wanted to learn how to code/program for a while now, but I've never really had a purpose for it since i work in a different field and couldn't find a reasonable motivation for it.

Until Bitcoin. I'd really like to get involved and learn how to code to help the protocol in any way i can.

The obvious question I've always asked myself when thinking about learning programming is which language to choose, as i don't want to waste valuable time learning a language that's going to be of no use to me, hence the specific question: which language is the most useful to learn?

I'd love to hear your opinions and hopefully get more insight on this for me and for other ppl out there having the same dilemma.

Cheers

[owlcatz]

Google, man....

https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/how-to-learn-programming/

(There are hundreds of others, if you just google "How to learn programming").

GL!

[jackg]

The best language to learn for bitcoin based applications are c and c++ at the moment. There are implementations of coins like ethereum that are done in go as well and other projects like electrum that use python and bitcoinj which uses java.

I think c and c++ are two of the hardest mainstream languages to learn but are generally the most efficient and most predictable.

I leant a lot from interactive course websites like codecademy (if they're not free anymore, somewhere will be). You can likely get all you need from online courses and YouTube videos too.

[isaac_clarke22]

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Youtube tutorials will help you a lot. I've been watching channels like Bucky and Traversy Media when it comes to any languages/frameworks.

After you get a grasp in your picked language, try to build something out of it so you won't get stuck on the popular term we, as programmers, call it - "tutorial hell".

You can learn the core languages first then jump into frameworks, but when I was still self-studying I usually learn the language as I go with the framework and it works for me. Not sure how fast you learn stuffs, but feel free to learn at your own pacing.

[Upgrade00]

Youtube tutorials will help you a lot. I've been watching channels like Bucky and Traversy Media when it comes to any languages/frameworks.

YouTube tutorials are a great help. I am very new to programing but find that I learn twice or three times as fast on YouTube than I would on some course platform, even on the interactive ones . And it's also more practical as you feel you have a personal tutor (which is the best way to learn imo).
I'll check out the channels you included, thanks for sharing them.

[isaac_clarke22]

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Hey, no problem! Good luck to your learning journey. Those two channels I mentioned always explains what the syntax does and not just "yeah that is the function you need to do this".

Sometimes Traversy Media also plugs other tutorials from other channels which would give you plenty of resources to learn from as well. When I learned Django (Python web dev framework) from his channel, I just found it was a tutorial from another channel (Dennis Ivy).

[sheenshane]

It's a long journey before to take, mastering and learning crypto coding from zero or from scratch to knowledgeable one will take how many sleepless nights.  Just get a grasp on everything as you go and start with research on your own.

First,

• Watch video tutorials from known sources
• Take an online course
• Attend a seminar that might have in your local and learn the basic programming languages required for becoming a blockchain developer.
• Find a community for blockchain programmers

..and you must learn this.

• Python
• C++
• JavaScript

[BitMaxz]

If this is all about bitcoin developing then there is a good source of them to learn.
C++ is I think mostly use but there also other programming languages that you can use developing blockchain.

Anyway, if the above posts is not enough check these links below hope it will help.

- https://github.com/yjjnls/awesome-blockchain

If you are looking for spoonfeed guide or DIY check this one
- https://github.com/openblockchains/awesome-blockchains

[hatshepsut93]

Bitcoin Core is written in C++, and it would take many years between writing your "Hello World" and making your first pull request to Bitcoin Core.  But if you want to get involved with the broader Bitcoin ecosystem, you can learn Javascript and fullstack web development and make some useful sites for Bitcoin users. Maybe a portfolio tracker, or a mempool monitoring, or something LN-based. This is a much lower barrier for entry and it can take you less then a year between starting learning Javascript and making full websites alone.

[noorman0]

Starting at 0?
You need to learn the concept of programming algorithms as a basis for strengthening your logic skills, it is hoped that you can develop coding skills independently regardless of what programming language you are interested in.

-snip-
The obvious question I've always asked myself when thinking about learning programming is which language to choose,

"You must first know the concept of driving a vehicle before asking about a good vehicle brand."

[pooya87]

which language is the most useful to learn?

There is no such thing as "the most useful programming language". All major programming languages including but not limited to C/C++, C#, Python, Rust, Go are good languages that are used for all kinds of applications and purposes. Sometimes it is only a matter of preference to choose a language to focus on. Also you don't have to learn only one language, in fact many major applications use multiple languages or packages from other languages. For example Electrum is written in Python and it uses the cryptography library written in C. Or bitcoin core is written in C++ yet it uses Python for some of its tests.

I personally started with C# because I had a tiny bit of background in Visual Basic and Pascal from years before and I liked the style of it.

[Rruchi man]

Ask yourself sincerely if you can do well be disciplined enough to actually learn online or you do better learning from a tutor.

And it's also more practical as you feel you have a personal tutor (which is the best way to learn imo).

I personally prefer learning from  someone who has vast experience because aside from the general knowledge that he or she passes down to you they also share their personal experience and things they have learnt along the line. You may finally get to learn these things if you learn online but the truth is that it will take you a longer time.

[AakZaki]

If you are a beginner, of course it takes more effort to learn it from scratch. But if you are serious and want to explore programming languages, then my advice is to start with the C++ programming language. The C++ programming language is often called a "low level language" which gives programmers great control in how to run code and manage resources. C++ has advantages in terms of speed, efficiency and safety, so it is widely used in “performance critical” applications such as computer graphics, games, and hardware that has few resources, including if you want to optimize Transaction Per Second (TpS) or blockchain speed. . But giving the programmer great control also means it's not the easiest programming language to master.

and read more references on google about how you can master it correctly and quickly. it takes effort and hard work.

[uchegod-21]

Since you already have a focus to help the bitcoin community in maintaining the bitcoin code, it means you will need to learn C++ which is the language that bitcoin is written with.
You don't have to bother yourself about the type of language you will learn. What you have to do is to know the basics of programming so that you can be able to write codes in any language just by reading documentations and watching few YouTube videos.

[Sarah Azhari]

So i've wanted to learn how to code/program for a while now, but I've never really had a purpose for it since i work in a different field and couldn't find a reasonable motivation for it.

I think the same as you before, but what makes me interested to learn something is fun. Just make it fun you will enjoy and will make you learn more and more. Just play with basic in what do you know like command Proft on windows, I did before like how to auto shutdown the window with a command,

Code:

shutdown -s -t

believe me if success, you will play more code and know what you want.

[Laurendaldin]

Try Coursera, where is a courses from real education institutions and it's free. You even can earn a degree there (but it's payed).