Stupid Questions

Well, it all depends on what you'd like to do. Would you like to create web applications or desktop applications or mobile applications? There's a lot to get into. A good developer will get into all of them at some point and should be your future goal. I recommend starting small.

There's a large market right now and for the foreseeable future with web development and open source technologies, so definitely get into PHP+MySQL web development if your goal is to do web development/programming.

I'll use PHP+MySQL as an example for you. If you were to spend 8-12 hours a day learning it with average intelligence it's reasonable to assume it will take you a minimum of a few months to get your bearings going good enough to produce basic scripts. It will take a year or so until you get to the point where you can create large applications efficiently and securely (unless of course you advance quicker because of unforeseen variables). So, you could be making pocket change within a month or so...then you could be making enough to pay rent in a year or so, basically. It all depends on how good you get with it all though. There's a lot of competition out there so be ready for that.

Keep in mind that you should learn the basic programming fundamentals before diving into the languages themselves. There's tons of tutorials on the net, like programmingtutorials.com has a great resource of tutorials and guides.

So I understand that you are a newbie to computers. I suggest learning the fundamentals of the computers like binary calculations, hexadecimal values to begin with. Simple things do really matter when it comes to understanding how to program. These are bare basics but it will definitely help you in long run when all you need is to learn the syntax. Basic understanding of algorithm would certainly prove beneficial. I suggest that go step by step and I can see the dedication that you are ready to give it 8 to 12 hours. That's lot of time to get started with the basics. In the end you will emerge out to be a great programmer who not only has the knowledge of some hardware but also about the deep insights into computers. If you master the algorithms, you can virtually program in any language which you come across. You just need to make sure that you know the basic syntax. This will help you in learning any language. I hope this proves beneficial to you.

I've got a slight variation of the same question in mind. I am in the process of hiring some people to outsource IM tasks to. I'm getting many people applying with resumes saying they are familiar with C++, PHP, etc, and I was wondering if someone could tell me which of those are most common/useful, since I am not a programmer, but it would rock to hire someone that could create or upgrade sites, or design new software apps, or whatever else you can do with those languages.

Even a list of your top 3-5 could be important, especially if several people respond. Thanks, Greg

@greg

To make a Web Application you need programming skills for the Frontend (the output you see in your Browser) and for the Backend (Server).

For the Fronted you need to know

- HTML: this defines the document content (titles, paragraphs, tables, etc.)
- CSS: this is used to style your document's content (fonts, colours, etc...)
- Javascript: this is needed to perform actions in the browser without reloading the page

For the Backend there are many different platforms, but the most popular combination in my experience is:

- PHP: this allows you to handle browser request and do something with them
- MySQL: a popular database -> with php you're going to need to save data -> the best way is to save it into a database

If someone says they're familiar with C++ that's not going to be too much of a help for web development -> C++ is just simply outdated for modern applications. If someone has experience with the new Development Suite from Microsoft called .net (dot net) then they're more up to date - you can make great Web Applications with Microsoft's Tools too.

You're welcome. Unfortunately I don't have much experience in hiring either (yet).

If you have anymore similar tech questions I'll be glad to help.

I have been with Microsoft on this one for a very long time.

I would go for Visual C# 2010. There is a great support for web broser type (Bots) applications. Also there are countless searches for a freelancer on odesk.com and rentacoder.com for C# since it's a new platform.

Also you can get quick cash with C# since there are a bunch of "Quick fix" jobs that are hard for a non-techie but great for a programmer (even beginner).

I also started that way to earn some cash to invest in my online ventures. (back in my roots in IM).

Hi All,

Yes, there are quite a few programming language and all of them do the same thing that is solving problems. Here I will talk about Web Development. From Web Development point of view, You can use either PHP/MySQL or ASP.NET(Not ASP)/SQL Server.

If you are creating web application for personal use or online marketing use then you should learn PHP/MySQL Because
1) It is inexpensive or free.
2) Easy to learn
3) Web hosting is cheap.
[Note: If you are unsuccessfull or fed up of Internet Marketing, then you can use the skill to find a job].

If you are looking for job then go for ASP.NET/SQL Server as the world is full of programming jobs in .NET.
Advantages
1) Easy to learn
2) Free tools are available to use (Non commerical)
3) Great training resources.
Disadvantages
1) Not practical for Internet marketing because of high cost of web hostings or unreliable web hosting.

Hope this information will be usefull to everyone. Let me tell you one thing, In my day job, I am .NET Programmer (C#/VB) but as Internet Marketer I am PHP/MySQL man. You don't need to learn everything to become expert.

By the way, I love both PHP and .NET.

Happy Programming.