Who here knows a programming language?

[Fooz]

im just curious really as im about to start learning XNA as a starting language

so:
1. what language is it?
2. how long did it take for you to become fluent in it?
3. why did you learn it?
4. are you happy that you did?
5. in your own opinion, whats the coolest/best thing you've created?

if you know more than 1 which I know most people will (basic like XNA and a more complex like C++) state them as well

EDIT: whoops didn't know this was in gaming section, although i guess it ties in as all games are made with some sort of coding

 

[DarthFennec]

I'm fluent in C, C++, Python, Java, PHP, and Actionscript. I've been coding for about ten years, but fluency came after the first year. After you're fluent in one language, you only need to use any other new language for a week or so to be fluent in it as well, they're all pretty similar. I learned C first, because I wanted to learn how to make games, but I just love coding I guess. I'm very happy with my decision, though I think it's best to learn something like Python as a first language, instead of C. I've done a few flash games, none of them are very good but anyway, I just do it for fun mostly. I'm doing a game engine in C++ at the moment, and it's turning out beautifully so far.

 

[Fooz]

I'm fluent in C, C++, Python, Java, PHP, and Actionscript. I've been coding for about ten years, but fluency came after the first year. After you're fluent in one language, you only need to use any other new language for a week or so to be fluent in it as well, they're all pretty similar. I learned C first, because I wanted to learn how to make games, but I just love coding I guess. I'm very happy with my decision, though I think it's best to learn something like Python as a first language, instead of C. I've done a few flash games, none of them are very good but anyway, I just do it for fun mostly. I'm doing a game engine in C++ at the moment, and it's turning out beautifully so far.

sounds awesome, i really wanna become fluent in a powerful language such as C++

hope the engine turns out awesome as well

 

[loogie]

1. C# and Actionscript 3, and a good knowledge of most other conventional langs (vb,python,java,c++,php,etc)
2. It's been a few years, actionscript was the first language I really cared to learn, I made a few games in my time, but i was mainly interested in "dynamic" web pages... things that are different with every viewing.. I used to make things like clouds or bubbles float around the screen in a realistic fasion...
3. I find finishing something in programming to be extremely fun. its the rest of the time that you hate it
4. Yes. Got me my job... but I'd have liked to put a bit more in game coding experience, possibly remedying that soon... cept i'm bad at 3d math
5. honestly, nothing visually pleasing, i've created a few websites for work, Google-maps style things with flash... working on one now that's pretty cool..

 

[navyjeff]

C, Python, Matlab, Assembly, C++, RPL.

I started out with GW-Basic a long time ago, but didn't have much use for it. Later, I got an HP48 calculator and had to write a few programs in it to help with my work at the time. Then I went to engineering school, where I needed to learn C++ and Matlab for simulations and running complicated calculations, such as in signal processing. I learned C and assembly when I started working with microcontrollers, which have been endlessly fun for me. Python I learned on the side in the meantime, because I wanted to try a language that was fun and had a lot of support for networking and matrix manipulation (scipy).

The coolest thing I made was actually done in LabView (since I wasn't going to be around to support it much). It was a control and image processing system for a microscope. I had to reverse engineer some old hardware to make a microscope and its stage controller move a sample around automatically while taking pictures, then stitch the pictures into one big image.

The first language is the hardest; after that, each one gets easier and makes you think of your problem approaches in different ways. I'm happy I learned them because they are all mind-expanding in their own way, and they offer me ways to do things much faster than if I had to do it by hand.

 

[Whoracle]

I'm fluent in PHP and Bash atm, since I earn my money with them.
I also know quite a bit python. Learned it purely out of curiosity. Quite nice for rapid, dirty work.
Also, I know the basics of C/C++, LotusScript (and by extension .Net, I've been told), Java, JavaScript, Basic, TIBasic, Pascal and Lisp. Plus I used to know some tidbits of Assembler, but I doubt I could even code a "Hello World!" without looking something up now.

All of these came along because of either a) University (CURSE YOU, JAVA!), or b) interest and too much free time at the time.

The coolest thing I've ever created was a python audio player, and the MMORPG concept I'm dabbling with at the moment.

And apart from Java, I enjoyed all of them at the time.

 

[New Troll]

I use to be fluent in Basic and Turbo Pascal back in high school. Each took maybe a couple months to learn, which was for school, and sure I'm glad I learned them cause it was fun and gave me some extremely easy classes. Especially Pascal which took no time at all to pick up yet I took for three years. We basicly just spent all our time making/ hacking/ playing games. Not sure what I'd consider the kewlest item I programmed. Probably the one I was most proud of at the time was a Conan the Barbarian game I made in Basic. I spent a LOT of time on that game and was especially pleased with the graphics since I'm pretty much artisticly challenged. The program I got the most attention from my peers for was a game I created for the TI-85 graphics calculator. I basicly took a pong game someone else had made for it and completely rewrote it making it a much more competitive (was one or two-player) game. Almost like a BreakOut game, just against another paddle/ person instead of stationary bricks. The program my teachers were most pleased with was a Fractal designer that turned Trig equations into screensavers. Not sure what made it so special though since Fractals were the 'thing' back in my day so stuff like my program were a dime a dozen.

But then I went off to college to become a Programmer and got burnt out on the whole concept. Haven't done squat since.

 

[Bad Jim]

I should mention that the main challenge as far as learning goes is wrapping your head round concepts and using them until you don't have to think hard about them. Once you learn a concept you can do it in any language. My learning was rather spread out, starting at the age of about 8 on Commodore 64 BASIC. I only dabbled in programming until I studied it at college. At college I learned C++ and Visual Basic and learned Java on the side.

Coolest thing I've done? I've just made a working checkers AI which I'm pretty chuffed about. It still needs a few improvements though. And a user interface.

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

we had to learn java as a basic intro course in engineering here, so i can read that just fine (writing programs..not entirely as well. i always forget some damn quotation somewhere.)

but yeah that's about it, and the occasional change to a bot in Diablo 2..

 

[auronvi]

C/C++, C# are what I am best at.

I have been using some form of C for about 7 years. Am I fluent? I can't speak it, no but I can write a program. Do I know everything? No, not yet. I probably will have to learn a newer language. BTW, XNA isn't a computer language. You are you C# programming language with the XNA library.

I learned C because I wanted to make games. My first language was VB6 but making a game with that was pretty hard.

I am happy. I hope I can make money with my skills by either getting a job or making an awesome game to sell.

The coolest thing I have programmed was not in C. I used Java to program my midterm using Unity 3D. Made a sweet platform games and will be continuing to work on it for my final project before graduation. My team and I are hoping to get it finished and polished up to sell in the next few months.

 

[DasDestroyer]

I've done Visual Basic in the past, and I was pretty fluent with it after some month's worth of lessons. Haven't had much practice for over a year now, though. But I've very recently started studying Java.