How can I practice computer programming?

I took my first computer programming class just this semester, algorith design and problem solving. The teacher was obviousl talking about how to create codes, but I still dont' know HOW you do it. Do you go in notepad and write some code? How do i get access to something I can program? Pretty much, what and how can I go into the hardware and program something. Its killing me!

How can I practice computer programming?
You simply need two pieces of software:


1) A plain text editor (for example, Notepad. Microsoft Word is not a plain text editor, as it outputs formatted elements.)


2) A compiler. If you want to practice using C++, you need a C++ compiler. The compiler takes a text file and translates it into binary code that a computer can execute as a program.





Now, many programmers find it a lot easier to use an IDE (integrated design environment), which combines the two programs above into one environment, where you can do nice things like preview how your program will execute before you're done writing it, see errors before compiling, and have pop-up syntax help instead of memorizing zillions of manuals. A free IDE for C# (the newest object-oriented language) that includes libraries for Windows elements is available at http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/express... .


There are tutorials there as well. Have fun!
Reply:If you really want to write code, you don't really have to get really fancy, just start writing code on your address bar.





Here are some examples of codes that you paste directly into your address bar:
Reply:Yes, you use your favorite text editor and write code, save the file, and then run the file in a special way that causes the code to execute. If you want to learn programming and have no previous experience, I highly recommend "Learn to Program" by Chris Pine:


http://www.amazon.com/Learn-Program-Prag...