Question

I am new to computer science, absolutely no programming background. I need help with c and Java. I am most interested in database systems, question is how much of c and java to i need to master to be able to work with database systems?
Thanks

Answer 1

check out http://www.db-class.org/

Answer 2

but since you're completely new to computer science.... check out http://cs50.tv or http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/electrical-engineering-and-computer-science/6-00-introduction-to-computer-science-and-programming-fall-2008/

Answer 3

It's a shame that the database class is over (it doesn't assume that you are a newcomer to CS; that class is normally taken by advanced sophomore/ early junior CS students at Stanford).

Answer 4

Still, I'm sure the materials there are very useful... especially the videos.

Answer 5

Especially the rapid-feedback assignments and programming exercises.

Answer 6

I only got a 92% on the class :( should have paid attention some more

Answer 7

the db-class did it a little earlier than the other classes. the ai-class has the final on 16th, and I have no idea about the machine learning class (I think there is 1 more lesson and they won't make us do finals... in that case I will get a 100% in the class :-D )

Answer 8

Thanks for the information, i guess i have t sign up for the next session. I have take Into to C and i am on course to taking advanced C and intro to Java. I will be taking database classes in the third year, I just want to know if Databases has a lot of programming

Answer 9

It sure will.

Answer 10

So you advice me to learn how to code as much as possible?

Answer 11

I got an A- in my intro class but the coding requires alot of patience, i spent almost 8 hrs a day coding in the lab just to master the basics of c language

Answer 12

Learn not just coding, but the basic principles of computer science: C will give you a primer on systems programming (compiler basics, linking, programming stack, main memory, addresses, pointers especially) and data structures (Arrays and Linked Lists especially, but hopefully you also learn their performance differences and tradeoffs; see if you learn even more advanced data structures and how they are implemented like hashes binary trees etc.).

You should definitely learn about different algorithms (basic sorting, searching, greedy, divide and conquer, and dynamic programming), how they differ, and how they perform.

Answer 13

With experience, you learn how to analyze problems, and figure out which algorithms are best fit to tackle them (identify certain NP problems like traveling salesman etc.)

If you work hard enough, you will have a good grasp in all of these things after maybe your first year.

Answer 14

Thanks, Your help is very much appreciated

Answer 15

the MIT course covers all of these, except the systems programming part; you might bump into the concepts occasionally in Python, but it's nowhere as explicit as when working in C as in the cs50 course.

Answer 16

also, you might want to stick around for http://www.cs101-class.org/# ,which begins in february next year

Answer 17

Pato,
Databases can be split two ways. If you're wanting to learn how to program them, then you'll need some knowledge in C or maybe C++. The open source relational database MySQL is written in both (As well as lexical and semantic analysis in yacc etc). If you're wanting to learn how to manipulate data within them you'll want to look into SQL, or other query languages.

SQL is a very high level language compared to C and even Java, so knowing the two and having rudimentary knowledge of them will help significantly.