Question

Is this a good class to start learning programming if I'm more interested in the graphic/creative side (web pages, mobile apps, java, php)?

Answer 1

oh...and I have no prior experience with programming. I was good at math, but it's been a LONG time, and some of the equations, etc are a little intimidating...wondering if it's worth the time to re-learn a lot of that stuff. thanks!

Answer 2

I'll be interested in seeing other people's responses, but here's mine. I've been programming for a long, long time, but I'm taking this course because all that time I was self-taught, sort of a "just in time" learning method. Now I want to see what I missed by not taking a structured curriculum. I've already learned quite a bit about standard algorithms, how to analyze a program for efficiency, and how to use Python itself. If you've no prior experience, Python (and this course) is a good place to start. Once you get the hang of writing meaningful programs, picking up other languages like Java, PHP, C++ will be a lot easier. There is almost no math in this course. You can do a lot of graphic/web stuff with Python. Android now has a Python interface ( http://google-opensource.blogspot.com/2009/06/introducing-android-scripting.html). And finally, in a famous essay on programming (How to Become a Hacker), Richard Stallman recommended Python as the first programming language to learn, and that was 25 years ago! It's still a good choice.

Answer 3

I'd say it's definitely a good start. Both PHP and Java knowledge will benefit from learning this class's lessons.