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Newcomers DBPro Corner / How did you learn to program?

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SuperCort2003
21
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Joined: 7th Jul 2003
Location: Metropolis
Posted: 8th Jul 2003 21:17
[b]Hey everyone! Just got a quick question for everyone. How did you learn to program? I got DarkBasic a week ago and I'm having lots of trouble understanding what to type in for what I want. I mean how do you just know what to type in for what you want. If anyone can help me or give me tips on how you learned to program could you please reply.

Thanks
SuperCort2003@aol.com
MikeS
Retired Moderator
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Location: United States
Posted: 8th Jul 2003 21:18
Just follow the first person tutorial, and that will give you a pretty good idea of what to do.

post again if ya need more help.


2D Fighting game in Progress
ReD_eYe
21
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Joined: 9th Mar 2003
Location: United Kingdom
Posted: 8th Jul 2003 21:26
follow all the tutorials included with db, then try and make something youself(very simple) then when you come up against a problem look through the helpfiles and try and find what you need, dark basic is good because the command and function names are pretty much self explanatory. also revisit the tutorials, especially the ones you didn't understand. If you get very stuck and can't find any info in the help files ask here

hi guys
Carlitos
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Location: United States
Posted: 9th Jul 2003 00:12
try out the tutorials. try and see if you can modify them. Example, try and make move faster, change the size of objects or even reposition them.Make sure that when you program you leave comments, that helps alot.
post if you need more
MikeS
Retired Moderator
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Location: United States
Posted: 9th Jul 2003 03:08
Give some time and effort, and you will be coding in no time.



Yellow:Wanna publish my game microsoft, cuz i no u rich so...Can I have my bag of money now?
Microsoft: *snicker* Tip of the month-Microsoft will never(probebly) publish your game.
IceBird
21
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Joined: 11th Jan 2003
Location: Sweden
Posted: 9th Jul 2003 03:29
YOu learn by time.. you get better and better and better.. and of cource it helps alot if you have done som programming before and knows the basic of programming..

------------------------------------------------
Someone is watching you...... And it isn't ME!
------------------------------------------------
Megaman Zero
21
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Location: United States
Posted: 9th Jul 2003 04:11
I suppose, if you cant figure out the programming structure or some of the most basic codes, you could go pick up the book A Begginners Guide to Dark Basic Game Programming. I recently got done reading this book, & I found I can do most coding with ease, its just some things I dont quite understand, which is where the forums come in.

Just dont be asking people to write complexe codes for no money, just to give you, when I did this on the A5 board, no one even bothered to read my posts.

I at least try to get the knowledge of most of the code, before I ask for the whole thing, & if I dont understand, I am being very truthfull when I ask for them to explain.

Jeffro
21
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Location: London, mostly....
Posted: 9th Jul 2003 14:46
I am learning by using the book mentioned above, and am finding it very useful. Just trying things out can be educational as well, but personally I like to follow a book or tutorials of some sort.

It's never as easy as it looks!
Philip
21
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Location: United Kingdom
Posted: 9th Jul 2003 19:33
I'm a dabbler. I like to set myself little bite sized challenges. Once I complete each one. I set myself another one.

Phil

What do you mean, bears aren't supposed to wear hats and a tie?
ChrisS
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Posted: 9th Jul 2003 20:50
How did I learn to program? Typing in those great old program listings in mags on my specy and commodore 64 and just changing things in them to see what happened. Or more often that not debugging them because they often wouldnt work.

But of course with the demise of the "home" computer we dont get them anymore.

In fact DB is the nearest thing you can get to turning your PC into a friendly Home computer these days as far as programming goes.

Angel
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Location: United States
Posted: 22nd Jul 2003 17:40
How did I learn to program?? I started out on microsoft QuickBasic when I was 9 yrs old,I moved to assembly at 10,Im now 15,and the languages I know are:
Assembly
Pascal
Basic
C/C++
Advanced for a teen,huh?

Wanna Go On A Data???
SuperCort2003
21
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Joined: 7th Jul 2003
Location: Metropolis
Posted: 22nd Jul 2003 17:47
Yeah way advanced. You started with QuickBasic when you were 9!!!! Man I'm in shock! And it just came to you huh? Man!!! Thanks for the reply.

The Kid knows that happier times -- as well as a good fight -- lie just around the corner.
Preston C
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Location: Penn State University Park
Posted: 22nd Jul 2003 18:04
I learned how by reading the tutorials that came with Dark Basic Lite, and being discusted by them, I looked at some of the example programs that came with it, then being confused by those, I just went to the code bank, and learned from there. It also helps to look through the forums for usefull code snippets.

At first glance, I'm a mediocre mech pilot. Look again and you will see my battlemech's computer code rushing through my eyes. My Mech And I Are One!
Angel
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Location: United States
Posted: 22nd Jul 2003 18:15
To: Supercort2003
If your interested in programing in several languages,
I can email you a list of about 1000 web sites.
also are you interested in joining my projects

Wanna Go On A Data???
Angel
21
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Location: United States
Posted: 22nd Jul 2003 18:16
Here is a place to get lots of free textures for your games!!!
http://web2.hamburg041.server4free.de/coppermine/

Wanna Go On A Data???
Harry
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Posted: 22nd Jul 2003 19:20
Supercort2003 try a simple question program e.g.

I must go through the holy war.
Troan
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Location: Inner thought about nothing
Posted: 22nd Jul 2003 22:25
i started on C++ and C when i was 10 ...but i never got finish em to hard so i started on dark basic when i was 12 and im still reading the begiiners book and it helps alot after i read the book some and figureing out comands i figure out how to make a pong game(yep ping-pong ) also im still 12 =)

-Troan-


"For Love and Peace"-Vash the Stampede
Kanzure
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Posted: 22nd Jul 2003 23:44 Edited at: 22nd Jul 2003 23:45
I learned by copying code examples and tweaking them, and slowly building up until languages come natural. Right now the only languages that come natural to me are english, html, and php I wish C/C++ was fluent for me..do'h!

(FYI: I started programming when I was 11, and I'm 13 now..hehe..nerds rule all!)

~Morph/Kanzure
CodeNation
Troan
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Location: Inner thought about nothing
Posted: 23rd Jul 2003 02:57
I am not a nerd im a ummm (looks in dugeon and dragons book) im a half-ling i mean half-nerd or half geek

-Troan-


"Love and Peace"-Vash the Stampede
Angel
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Joined: 27th Jun 2003
Location: United States
Posted: 24th Jul 2003 17:35
I think nerd is a little strong a word......
see its "nerds" And "geeks" who make all these cool games
for the "cool" people to play.
the constitution of the usa clearly states "All Men Are Equal"
-- Shadow Warrior - Lord Of Darkness -

Wanna Go On A Data???
Preston C
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Location: Penn State University Park
Posted: 24th Jul 2003 20:30
Too bad that "All Men Are Equal" doesnt apply at my school.

At first glance, I'm a mediocre mech pilot. Look again and you will see my battlemech's computer code rushing through my eyes. My Mech And I Are One!
MikeS
Retired Moderator
21
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Joined: 2nd Dec 2002
Location: United States
Posted: 25th Jul 2003 03:43
I'm a genious.
(did I spell that right?)
lol



Yellow:Wanna publish my game microsoft, cuz i no u rich so...Can I have my bag of money now?
Microsoft: *snicker* Tip of the month-Microsoft will never(probebly) publish your game.
Troan
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Location: Inner thought about nothing
Posted: 25th Jul 2003 08:20
i dont think "All Men Are Equal" counts for boys

---Troan---

Im useless, but not for long. The future is coming on.
HZence
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Posted: 25th Jul 2003 09:21
Put in AT LEAST an hour a day with nothing but experiment. also, find code for games already written and literally tear it apart, figure out what each line does and why they had it do that.

in learning to program, the index in help is your best friend

SW Games - www.freewebs.com/swgames

Yeah, I know, I only have one game. Yeah, I know it sucks. But I made it! Me!
spidermann
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Joined: 12th Jul 2003
Location: United States
Posted: 25th Jul 2003 11:21 Edited at: 27th Jul 2003 14:26
One thing I have to say is: documentation and help-files of db and dbpro are lousy and prevent a lot of programming energy.
Okay, first of all you have to learn how to program at all, but even when you are programmer - this is a special language with a lot of special commands and functions - and when you look at the official help-file (docu is missing complete) there are thriftily words in doling sentences. Even the attribute of 'default' is missing complete - you have to do little programs and figure it out by yourself - this works for a lot of functions and switches but, hey, this costs an awful amount of time and afford...

After all I decided to leave this approach of 3D-programming and come back when there is a rugged docu and a neat help file. I am tired of all this programming 'how-will-this-function-work' and searching around in dozens of internet-documents just to find three opposite opinions how to do..
Maybe someone of the responsibles of DB-company will read this abandonment and will react in right manner.
Bye folks...

Added on July 27: BTW, have a look at www.clickteam.com and see a meaningful help/docu with jamagic. That's the way things can be done in rational times.

apophis
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Posted: 25th Jul 2003 20:43
All men are equal counts for me. I'm 14! I'm not a boy anymore! "Hey mom when's breakfast? I'm hungry!"
lol

Damokles
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Location: Belgium
Posted: 25th Jul 2003 20:50
I was 8 when I started ... on a C64, almost only copying from books or doing some IF ... THEN Text games.
Later I got a monochrome PC, so I did BASIC and GWBASIC. The next, was QBASIC AND QuickBASIC. (I only learned into reading the help-files, and testing many things)
At university, they tought us Pascal and Assembly (Arg, I hate it), now I'm at HTML, but It's not really programming in my mind (even if I use the editor)

If you really wanna learn fast : ASK TEH CODEZ

"Begin at the beginning, and go on till you come to the end: then stop." - Lewis Carroll
Newbie Brogo
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Location: In a Pool of Cats
Posted: 25th Jul 2003 20:51 Edited at: 25th Jul 2003 20:53
i learned to program from an uncle... i was bout 10 goin on ta 11, my uncle gets me all my computer needs, my uncle convienced my dad to getta cable modem, he got us a firewall, and set it up to work, unlike the instructions say.
He bought me a book "Beggining Programming for Dummies" its fun, i learned libertybasic a little extra stuff on html, all that small stuff, then i learned a little or C++, i dun like C, but i know a little
As for the nerd topic, where would we be without nerds??? Our military systems, health systems, hospital, fire/police departments, city jails, banks, every buisness in the world, most people in the world, ALL live off the computer, and who made the computer and it's software??? NERDS!!!! LETS GO NERDS!

Halozane Future Owner.
MikeS
Retired Moderator
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Location: United States
Posted: 25th Jul 2003 21:34
@spidermann

If you give up now, you'll never learn to program.There's tons of tutorials on the web, so blaming the help documents isn't going to help you at all. Instead contact people on the forums for your help, heck have someone e-mail you the help files. With your attitude now, I know you will fail, but there's always a chance to turn things around.



Yellow:Wanna publish my game microsoft, cuz i no u rich so...Can I have my bag of money now?
Microsoft: *snicker* Tip of the month-Microsoft will never(probebly) publish your game.
Troan
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Location: Inner thought about nothing
Posted: 26th Jul 2003 01:13
if thier was a world without sports............. hmmm nothing important but they wont be any Cheer leaders!!!!!!!!

---Troan---

"Love and Peace"-Vash the Stampede
Skybax
21
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Joined: 20th May 2003
Location: United States
Posted: 27th Jul 2003 07:10
Don't worry...it took me a while to make my first matrix (basically the 'floor' of your game)complete with fogging effects and music and you'll get LOTS of help here! I will try to help you out as best as I can. The best advice is to start small; I know it sounds silly but that's how you learn. Just today I made my first website after trying for a week!

There is no king who has not had a slave among his ancestors, and no slave who has not had a king among his
Dark Editor
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Posted: 27th Jul 2003 16:02
A really good way is to take the tutorials (i think thats been said a few times) and then go to the commands menu and experiment with the codes. Also mess around with the example tutorials. And finally, take a look at a variable tutorial at my site. Its really in depth but there is only the variable tutorial so far... lol. enjoy
mason

www.geocities.com/teammiy

When you get stuck with dark basic, look at the poster of Brittany Spears on your wall, it helps, trust me...
spidermann
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Location: United States
Posted: 27th Jul 2003 21:27
@yellow

Maybe I am misunderstood, but what I am complaining about has nothing to do with programming experience or missing patience. I am programming quite a long time and I know a lot of progr.languages, but this manner of of no-docu and poor, uncomplete help-file shows me: there are unprofessional people at work.
Programming with DBP is not going to be a secret science, but when you have to fetch all the primary know-how from spreaded sources with partly conflictive statements - okay, this is a hard way but makes you after all to an expert on this manner. But when is comes to teach anybody else in your little company this know-how, what will you do then? Waiting and paying his salary until his up to you? Or give him that quite large Docu of DBP which I am missing up to now.
We all payed for DBP and what we can expect is a neatly written docu -otherwise Gates would'nt have come to far with VB.
Anyway, have a look at www.clickteam.com and the language 'jamagic'. This is an example of nice docu/help....

spidermann

Arkheii
21
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Location: QC, Philippines
Posted: 29th Jul 2003 16:15
Qbasic is the big momma of all basic based programming languages. Should teach you a lot of good bits, and it's a free (but hard to find) download because m$ doesn't care about it anymore.

ShadowWarrior: OMG you learned all that already!?! I'm 16, and I can't get through C. I have the _old_ dummies' C book, but most stuff don't work with MSVC++ 6. Know some good n00bs C/C++ resources?

Eddie Gordo
21
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Location: Ohio - USA
Posted: 29th Jul 2003 16:38
i bet theyre are 10 nerds to every 1 cool person...its not our fault we hide(coughlivecough) in our parents basement...revolution...lol

In our hearts and minds we keep the powers of love, hope and the hidden powers of evil in which we can mold a hero or daemon of ourselves-Book of Enoch Chapter III
Angel
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Location: United States
Posted: 29th Jul 2003 22:18
i know this has nothing to do with the subject,but r_Kabouter
would u be interested in working with me on a 3D RPG called
shadow of terror? ive got the basic engine done,but i
need some help.If youve ever played the way of the samuria(PS2)
then u know what um looking for,im trying to make something
like that with a Zelda 64 Style world & Story.
if you interested contact me at:
shadowWarrior31337@Hotmail.com

Wanna Go On A Data???
Angel
21
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Joined: 27th Jun 2003
Location: United States
Posted: 29th Jul 2003 22:34
You Can Get Some C/C++ Compilers For Free.
If your serious about C++ Get borland Turbo C 3.0
it would be compatible with your books code.
as for books i recomend the sams teach yourself C++.
as for sites:
[href]www.QB45.com <- there are Delphi,C++,QB,VB Sections[href]
[href]www.Qbasic.com/ <- No C++,but this is a good Qbasic site[/href]

i really dont know the sites off my head,but here is the best sites
http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Park/9784/tut.html
that link is got thousands of tutorials On all sorts of stuff.
also if you need a C++ Compiler,there is another one called
DJGPP,I dont like it but,you might.(Go Borland!!)
as an experience programer,i would suggest you start out on C/C++
for dos,as it will build experience,as well as knowledge.
dont confuse stupidity with Inexperience,as u will become
experienced.Im writing a language called darkness,which is a cross
platform,ASM optimized Compiler.its a mixture of basic,c,and pascal
..... hope what ive saide helps.
-= shadow warrior - Lord of darkness -

Wanna Go On A Data???
Magpie
21
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Joined: 16th Jul 2003
Location: Otherland! Cos it rocks!
Posted: 29th Jul 2003 22:51
Quote: How did I learn to program?? I started out on microsoft QuickBasic when I was 9 yrs old,I moved to assembly at 10,Im now 15,and the languages I know are: Assembly Pascal Basic C/C++ Advanced for a teen,huh?

I was programming on QBasic before I was eight, but I don't know as many languages as you do. I'm more of a designer, but I pack a mean punch in the coding department.

Skybax
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Location: United States
Posted: 30th Jul 2003 01:28


There is no king who has not had a slave among his ancestors, and no slave who has not had a king among his
Arkheii
21
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Joined: 15th Jun 2003
Location: QC, Philippines
Posted: 2nd Aug 2003 02:19
ShadowWarrior: Sorry, I'm n00bier than you think. My problem is that I try to learn lots of things all at the same time, so I make slow progress. Oh, and you wouldn't believe how many C++ eBooks I found in Kazaa.

Angel
21
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Joined: 27th Jun 2003
Location: United States
Posted: 2nd Aug 2003 20:42 Edited at: 2nd Aug 2003 20:48
lol,Ive got a site coming soon for several programing languages.
its [href]www.DarkShadow.Fcpages.com[/href]
This is my official homepage,its going to have 100 MB Tuts
As for you being a N00be,Im A very advanced n00be....
Some of the ppl who developed on linux are Still Noobes....
everyone has their qaulities and the downsides.
For Example I still have problems with file access in Pascal
But not in assembly,ect
And I still want ur help,Because what better way to learn than on the job??
Also you ppl can reach me on MSN At ShadowWarrior31337@Hotmail.com
I go by DarkShadow31337.

Wanna Go On A Data???
UnderLord
21
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Joined: 2nd Aug 2003
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Posted: 3rd Aug 2003 10:13
I learn to program by looking at others codes copying and pasteing it into the editor then just messing around with it to see what i can do it may not be the best way but i gain a understanding of what to edit and where...

http://ww.freewebs.com/independant
Dreamora
22
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Joined: 20th Sep 2002
Location: Switzerland
Posted: 3rd Aug 2003 10:45
hmm you're learning by doing style is good to learn a language but very very bad if you want to learn programming ... hope you will be able to learn the real part of programming later (ADT, algorithms & datastructs, efficiency ...)

UnderLord
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Posted: 3rd Aug 2003 20:28
Yeah me too =) those things you listed ishould learn i sort of know what they are and how to use them but not how to use them in any expert ways heh

http://ww.freewebs.com/independant
Angel
21
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Location: United States
Posted: 4th Aug 2003 22:25
http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~horie/project2.html
Here is a site for quick Basic and C++ Noobes
Im good!!

Very Advanced N00BE,thats me
DB03
21
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Posted: 6th Aug 2003 00:59
I didn't take the time to read all the posts but if it wasn't already mentioned, the new tutorials on the create page are great.
Starsu
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Posted: 6th Aug 2003 02:31
I started in the original Basic when I was 8 or 9 (yes, the original Basic. Im 21 now, so when I was 8, that's all there really was. Or, at least, that's all I'd ever seen. I dont actually know when Qbasic first showed...). I still remember, many games back then were made with just ASCII "graphics" (as were mine). You know, little smiley face dude running through mazes and all. Lol I still remember games like Kroz and such... Heck, my computer didnt even have a hard drive, come to think of it. ah, memories Anyway, I eventually learned the other versions of BASIC (Qbasic, Visual Basic) and some C++, and have gotten an Associates degree in Computer Science (programming, basically, dont know why they call it that, guess it just sounds neat :p). At the moment, Im still learning DB (but progressing fast) and wishing I had a decent world editor. Unfortunately, all I have to go with is DB itself, not any of the other stuff like DarkMatter or those... sigh... oh well. Things have sure come a long way since I first started...

UnderLord
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Posted: 7th Aug 2003 05:27
man everyone i know that started to learn programming at like 8 is going places me i just got inttrested in programming when i was 12 when i was 8 i was still running around waiting for the ice cream man and playing i never even knew my dad had a computer when i was 8 hahaha makes me wish i would have learned earlyer

http://www.freewebs.com/independant
MikeS
Retired Moderator
21
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Posted: 7th Aug 2003 08:44
Wanna learn some C++?
http://www.codewarrioru.com/

Anyway, right now I know Dark Basic Pro, Visual Basics(not enough to make a full 3D game though.), html,asp(those are the weblanguages), and finally liberty basic. Well, liberty basic is pretty much just text, but it's a good way to learn how to program. I recommended this book to anyone who wants to learn how to program.(I'm still reading it myself.)

Sams Beginning Programming in 24hours.

You get tons of free applications on the cd. (Including liberty basic )






Website 50% done (May be out by mid-end August)
badprogrammer
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Posted: 8th Aug 2003 14:21
I skipped the tutorials and just tried to make stuff and looked on the help files or on this site when I came up against problems.

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