Starry321:

I'm new to programming. I have been trying to learn python because I'm interested in data science. But sometimes I see myself moving in circles. I can't focus on a particular learning material. From YouTube videos to online tutorials and back to books. It's been a rollercoaster. I don't want to get frustrated or lose interest. This is one shot I have to make meaning out of life. I need help bro. I really do. I would really love to be a part of your tutorials.

Contact me on WhatsApp: 08135683431

pcguru1:


I don't believe in mentorship they will show you the way, but you will still have to read the book. Join reddit and follow algorithm threads, but try cracking the interview and also read multiple books to understand each algorithms and data structure, we still dey read am daily.

Many companies are riddled with self-taught amateurs who despite programming on salary for years they still lack fundamental knowledge of programming itself.
There are of course many self-taught programmers who made it well to the industry, and many are also working in big companies like Google, Microsoft etc. Actually following a tutor will only shorten your learning curve... some self-taught amateurs may likely spend 5 years on programming and still do not grasp the basic principles of programming, and they may not even know whether they are going forward or backward, in the end they may give up.
Of course having a mentor doesn't mean you will not read books because no one tutor can make you a professional programmer, you will need their guidance because whatever you will experience in your learning period they might have experienced it before you, also they have made some mistakes which you are likely to make in future, so you are still at an advantage over them.
In addition no man can learn in isolation.
I once created a WhatsApp group called Coding Ask and Answer CAA, many who joined the group admitted they never really knew what programming is about until they joined the group. They taught programming is all about building web applications... The group really changed people's view on programming. This is exactly what a mentor does, to guide newbies in the right direction.
In conclusion, you must read books and practice writing codes to become a programmer but if you have a mentor don't proudly reject his assistance.

Grandlord:
Bro do you know any good book on algorithm and data structures you can recommend for me?

I've seen a lot of them on google but I need something straightforward and comprehensive. Something that would help me take a normal, ambiguous story and break it down into systematic, clearer steps to code into the machine.

I feel like that would enhance my problem-solving skills and help me 'think like a programmer'? Thanks.

I discovered that the reason many people don't know algorithm and data structures is because they usually base their studies on YouTube videos and online coding courses. You can't learn programming principles with YouTube videos, it is never possible, I have not heard of any professional programmers who learnt all from YouTube videos or online courses. YouTube courses and online courses will give a quick grasp of the concepts but not a solid grasp. This is because no YouTube videos can provide you with adequate exercises and examples.
What I mean is to learn algorithm and data structures you need a textbook... printed or soft copy. I repeat you can't be proficient in handling algorithmic tasks without reading books from professional programmers and following their examples and solving their exercises... YouTube videos and online courses many give you a false hope of understanding programming principles when you do just few things the person who uploaded it did in 5hrs videos not knowing you are thousands of miles behind the full stuff.
To learn algorithm and data structures you inevitably need to read books and practice coding programming problems.
I recommend "The Art of Computer Programming" by Donald E Knuth[
He spent more than 2500 pages explaining algorithms and data structures and their importance to software engineering.
But don't rush to the book yet, start by downloading books on your favourite programming language. Try to solve all exercises.
Learn from me ---there is no book I have ever read without doing all the exercises, some take me few seconds, some minutes, some hours... some days, some even take longer time!
I repeat there is no other way to learn programming principles and algorithm and data structures apart from practising, reading alone is never enough. You need to practice, practice and practice no other way. You need time and patience, you will make mistakes, you will see many runtime errors, many compilation errors. You will fail, and fail and fail. At a point a point you will start experiencing the moment when things start becoming clearer and clearer and some problems that have given headaches previously will become a child's play. I'm speaking from experience.
If you are new to programming, you may consider joining my tutorial group. I give exercises that will you a sound understanding of algorithm and data structures. I also solve many problems live via Zoom app to teach participants how to tackle problems.

LoyalRccgMember:
Hey guys, I'm 20 turning 21 next year. So, I'm interested in programming. Game and android programming specifically. For game programming, I know there's C++ (Unreal engine) and C# (unity engine) involved. As for android, I think it's java right? My question is, which language can I start with? I have a core I5 HP laptop which I just use to play games and watch movies lol. Though I've been learning graphics design lately (Corel draw and Photoshop). Please if it's possible for me to learn programming, I'll be grateful if someone could help me with the names of the softwares I might need in running the codes also, online sites to learn programming will be very helpful. Thank you all in advance

Are you asking if you can learn programming at the age of 21? This is funny... actually if you commit yourself to learning algorithms and data structures as well as building projects in 5 yrs you will certainly become a professional programmer.
This is my advice: Sacrifice one year in learning programming itself focus on algorithms, data structures and writing high quality codes. The remaining 4 years focus it on building projects, when you start building projects you will the see the positive results of the algorithms, data structures and high quality codes you have learnt previously.
Actually software companies always developers who have years of experience in programming around 5-10 years or more.
Download free ebooks and start reading and practising the exercises.
You may follow online tutorial and YouTube videos(though I don't like them, I only use them when I want [b]quick[b/]grasp not [b]solid[b/] grasp of any new technologies, in my learning curves I used mostly PDF books).
More importantly you need a tutor and to associate yourself with fellow programmers.
You may join my new CAA group or my tutorial group which is done via the Zoom app, the Zoom app allows computer screen sharing. The tutorial is available in Python, Java and C#. I still recommend Java or C# for beginners. But whatever be the case go for your choice.

OutOfTheAshes:


You are good. But I want you to explain why you used sqrt(n). I need to understand every line of this code..

Okay...suppose we have a number n, and we wish to find out if it is prime or not.
if the number is not prime, then we can find two factors x and y such that x*y = n, where x <= y in a special case where
x == y we have a the square root of the sqrt(n) == x == y. Take for instance 100... 10 * 10 == 100, but apart from 10 there are
of course other two factors that can multiply to get 100, e.g 5 * 20, 2 * 50, 4 * 25...so as you can see if one of either x or y
is less the square of the number the other number must be greater than the square root.
Mathematically:
n = x*y, if the number is not prime(apart from 1 and the number itself i.e 1 * n)
x <= y
if we multiply both sides by x and y
we have
x^2 <= xy
xy <= y^2
since n = x*y
x^2 <= n <= y^2
finding the square root of both sides we have:
x <= sqrt(n) <= y
Therefore if the number n is not prime and is greater 1, we can test only up to the square root of n to be able to find a factor
of the number. That is to say if a number is not prime by the time we test up to the square root of the number we must
find a factor that can evenly divide the number without a remainder because if one of the two factors is less than the
square root of the number the other factor must be greater than the square as we see with 100.
You can test others as well:
E.g 16 = 4 * 4, or 2 * 8
25 = 5 * 5 or 1 * 25
sqrt(50) = 7.071...
so for 50:
50 = 7.071...*7.071.. or 10 * 5 or 2 * 25, both 2 and 5 are less than 7.071... and so 10 and 25 are correspondingly greater than 7.071..
etc...

Those who are interested in the Coding Ask and Answer should drop their numbers or contact me on WhatsApp via 08135683431, the journey to being a professional programmer has just started!

eddy1759:
I'm interested
08124995592

Okay...I have recorded your number

OutOfTheAshes:


Bros abeg help me out, na school assignment.

Write a program that checks if a number is prime.

Thank you sir.

I believe you can do this yourself if you try a bit. A prime number is a number that only 1 and itself can divide without a remainder. example 11, but 12 is not a prime number because apart from 1 and 12, the other numbers that can divide 12 includes 2, 3, 4 and 6. So to find out if a number is prime all we need is just test all the numbers from 2 to the number - 1. But with a bit maths, we can see that we can only test from 2 to the square root of the number. If there is any number between 2 and the square root of the number that divide the number without remainder, we report that the number is not prime otherwise it is prime. If you can't do it, I have attached a screenshot of my solution to the problem: The solution is in Python, if you need it in Java, C# or JavaScript let me know...or you can follow the algorithm and write it yourself.

Coding Ask and Answer is back and truly redefined.
The new CAA has stricter rules and will also be backed up with live sessions via the Zoom app. Participants can join the admin live using the Zoom app once in a while as he explains some programming principles using C#, Java, Python or JavaScript.
The present CAA is the same with former except that once in while the admin and those who feel like teaching can create a live meeting via the Zoom to solve some programming tasks and explain some techniques to the newbies.
The new CAA has some drawbacks, one is that each participant must pay a one-time fee of N1,000 only. This will reduce the tendency of insolence and insubordination as some exhibited previously. It will also enable participants to abide by the rules of the group.
Here are the rules:

1. You must not insult the admin directly or indirectly.
2. You must not promote tribalism and hate speech.
3. You must not insult any other member in the group.
4. You must not share referral links, ads or your personal website and group so as to grow traffic.
But you can share websites that can help build programmers, for instance a link to download tutorials, pdf books or anything that be helpful to the programmers like software developers recruitment.
5. Ads is only available to the admins, as such anyone who wishes to advertise anything must first reach an agreement with the admin.
6. You must not make the group dull, by being onlookers only, you must fully participate either by asking questions or answering questions or by encouraging those who do so.
7. Anyone who thinks he codes better than others should answer more questions than displaying arrogance and pride, this will make those who are far behind to learn from the ogas at the top.
8. You must not post obscene comments in the group.

Having observed the above rules, those who are interested should now indicate by dropping their numbers here. Note if you disobey the rules you will be removed from the group without prior notice. If you are removed don't sneak into the group with a different number, if you do, make sure you repent and abide by the rules, otherwise you you will be removed once more so that you will continue to throw away N1,000.

DextrousDavid:

A link to your post

Check my nairaland profile or chat me on WhatsApp

DextrousDavid:


Pls add me up 08166554021

You may benefit from my tutorial group or the new CAA. Check my posts

CAA is back and better, check my post on new CAA or contact me: 08135683431

mikezuruki:


whatsapp me Ndubuisi

Contact me on WhatsApp: 08135683431

Let's begin with these problem:

There is a provably unbreakable cipher called a one-time pad. The way it works is you shift
each character of the message by a random amount between 1 and 26 characters, wrapping
around the alphabet if necessary. For instance, if the current character is y and the shift is 5,
then the new character is d. Each character gets its own shift, so there needs to be as many
random shifts as there are characters in the message. As an example, suppose the user enters
"secret". The program should generate a random shift between 1 and 26 for each character.
Suppose the randomly generated shifts are 1, 3, 2, 10, 8, and 2. The encrypted message would
be thebmv.
(a) Write a program that asks the user for a message and encrypts the message using the
one-time pad. First convert the string to lowercase. Any spaces and punctuation in the
string should be left unchanged. For example, Secret!!! becomes thebmv!!! using
the shifts above.
(b) Write a program to decrypt a string encrypted as above.

The reason it is called a one-time-pad is that the list of random shifts should only be used once.
It becomes easily breakable if the same random shifts are used for more than one message.

Coding Ask and Answer is back and truly redefined.
The new CAA has stricter rules and will also be backed up with live sessions via the Zoom app. Participants can join the admin live using the Zoom app once in a while as he explains some programming principles using C#, Java, Python or JavaScript.
The present CAA is the same with former except that once in while the admin and those who feel like teaching can create a live meeting via the Zoom to solve some programming tasks and explain some techniques to the newbies.

Here are the rules:

1. You must not insult the admin directly or indirectly.
2. You must not promote tribalism and hate speech.
3. You must not insult any other member in the group.
4. You must not share referral links, ads or your personal website and group so as to grow traffic.
But you can share websites that can help build programmers, for instance a link to download tutorials, pdf books or anything that be helpful to the programmers like software developers recruitment.
5. Ads is only available to the admins, as such anyone who wishes to advertise anything must first reach an agreement with the admin.
6. You must not make the group dull, by being onlookers only, you must fully participate either by asking questions or answering questions or by encouraging those who do so.
7. Anyone who thinks he codes better than others should answer more questions than displaying arrogance and pride, this will make those who are far behind to learn from the ogas at the top.
8. You must not post obscene comments in the group.

Having observed the above rules, those who are interested should now indicate by dropping their numbers here. Note if you disobey the rules you will be removed from the group without prior notice. If you are removed don't sneak into the group with a different number, if you do, make sure you repent and abide by the rules.

donjo2:
Hi programmers,

I have heard so much about the importance of implementing OOP in projects across the various PLs.

Equally, I've tried wrapping my head around this concept. Somehow, I feel I'm missing something.

So, I have decided to speak out.


What are the building blocks or basics of OOP? What do I need to know first?

Don't start learning OOP with Python or JavaScript, if you do your brain will crash.
I will encourage you to First learn OOP with Java or C# and then switch to Python or JavaScript, everything will become clear. This is not a rule, but it is my own advice.
You can't learn programming in isolation why not join my tutorial group on Java which is done via the Zoom app which allows sharing of computer screens? Check out my posts.

To give you preview of what an object is.
The term object is an encapsulation of methods and data
And I believe you used many of them before.

private String name;
private int age;
private String country;
Things like string name, int age etc are called data. We could also have an object as data like
private Department department;
public class BioData
{
public BioData ()
{
this.name = "John Doe";
this.age = 45;
this.country = "USA";
}
public BioData(name, age, country,...)
{
this.name = name;
this.age = age
this.country = country;
...
}
public String getName()
{
return name;
}
public int getAge()
{
return age;
}
public String getCountry()
{
return country;
}
public String displayPersonalInfo ()
{
return String.format("Name: %s Age: %d Country: %s", this.name, this.age, this.country);
}
Things like getName(), getAge() etc are called methods in Java, C# has properties that define the above methods in a special way using get and set keywords.
Here is a method that truly defines an action:
public boolean validateAge()
{
boolean isValidAge ;
if(age < 0 || age > 150)
{

isValidAge = false;
}else
{
isValidAge = true;
}
return isValidAge;
}
Assuming all the code resides inside a class called BioData.
We could do something like this
BioData newstudent = new BioData(name, age, country...)
newstudent.getName();
newStudent.validateAge();
newstudent.displayPersonalInfo();
Something like newStudent is called an object that is the materialized version of the class. A class is a prototype that defines the general attributes of an object. Just like bakeries use mould to produce bread, the mould where the mixed flour is poured and heated to produce bread is a class but the bread thus produce is an object.
I have many things to say but no facility to explain it here.
In conclusion an object in its essence is simply a combination of methods and data.
Data defines the characteristics like if you have a class called Dog. You may have a data called colour that defines the appearance of a dog object. On the other hand Methods define object behaviour e.g dogs objects can "bark".
Why not join my Java tutorial?

Kubernetes:
For me,i stayed off this section because

1..Most people here like to show off and yet when you start engaging then on core programming skills,they chicken away by telling you google is your friend
2.Most times your question is being neglected.You ask question and you don't get any response for over 5 days
3.Most people here demand payment before assisting.No passion or zeal to help.
4.Youth this days prefer to talk and waste their energy on celebreties, gossips etc
5.NL mods do not help by pushing programming topics to the front page.When mods push at least two programming topics daily to the fp,it will attract the lazy youths.

As such, serious programmers or beginners are leaving for better forums around the world.Fact is if you ask a simple or a hard Java question in a Facebook Java group,you get a minimum of 30 responses who are willing to assist you.Also a serious person will rather go to YouTube to get content rather than coming here

You are right. I think the owner of Nairaland is more of a great entrepreneur than a great programmer.
Only very few percentage of the Nigerian populace is interested in programming(he understands this) hence moderators do not like pushing programming posts to the homepage.
Another reason is Nairaland was structured from the beginning to meet the needs of specific set of people --the youths!
Just look at the ads on NL you will see many ads on selling data...because most youths use data. So even the ads target youths!
NL absolutely lacks elements of professionalism especially in Programming section.
The truth is that if you become a professional programmer and a working class you will definitely have no reason to visit Nairaland programming section any more that is why you can hardly find any programming help from here.

Though I'm relatively new to Nairaland, I don't know much about Seun the owner of Nairaland. I think he is a great businessman but I'm not sure if he is a programmer. Each time I open Nairaland I see news appearing on the homepage...things like "Plus-sized woman twerking", so so actress goes brasless, so so of BBNaija wow in this outfit and things like that.
I believe things like these attract the attention of readers but Seun should also help African entrepreneurs grow. By all fairness this post should be post to the homepage.
If Seun or the moderators are reading this, let them leave jealousy and sentiments and push this post to the homepage as soon as possible.

OP kudos to your work.

emilfischer:
OP add me with this number 08154277705

Please only the tutorial group is available now. Coding group was hijacked by amateur web programmers I shut it down. I'm planning to create a new coding ask and answer group with strict rules. If you are new to programming you may have to join my tutorial group instead.

DrBrainstorm:


Thank you very much bro.

Am gonna get in touch whenever I need ur help.
Thanks once again.

Okay

famuad:
Apply For Facebook Accelerator London Program 2019 for young African Entrepreneurs

It will close on October 18th, 2019

http://allyourfocus.com/facebook-accelerator-london-program-2019-for-african-entrepreneurs/

Ok

udoekere:
how do i learn programming on ma own?

The best way of learning coding by yourself is to read books by authorities in the language. Search the web for pdf books and read. Don't focus on Youtube videos, use pdf books and supplement your studies occasionally with video tutorials. There is one good thing about pdf books, you will see lots of examples provided by authors and numerous exercises to practise. I still think it is the most effective way of learning coding yourself.

If you need a tutor, you may subscribe to my tutorial which done via the Zoom app which allows computer to computer screen starting. For more information contact me on WhatSApp 08135683431

netsage205:
Good points @progeek37, but it actually depend on which area they want to face, I don't really advise writing a website in either c# or java, the languages should be used where they are best suited, Python is actually very good for data science, for a data scientists, Python takes a cut above java and c# , for android apps, Java is more suited. So I believe it is just depends on where the beginners want to actually work on. They should learn the one more effective for the area they want to specialize .

Yes...that's true.
But I always advise beginners not to be pre-occupied with writing of websites or building of mobile or desktop apps but rather to focus on learning fundamentals of programming itself. Once you acquire this skill you can switch to any other programming language that is best suited for the project you have on mind.
So all the advice I provided here is based on understanding the basic concepts of programming itself and not necessarily on building a particular project. I hope you understand my point.

DrBrainstorm:


I was thinking of learning C++ when I go into programming but from these few points of yours, I think I have been convinced.
But C# was created with the major Intention to rival java, would you recommend to start with C# or Java?



Also, Kotlin is another language that may displace java in the coming years, would you still recommend java?

Thank you

Java or C#... I can give both equal priority.

Kotlin runs on JVM(Java Virtual Machine). Its power relies on Java libraries and frameworks so it cannot stand alone and be successful without Java. The equation is:
Kotlin = Java + extra
If you learn Java learning Kotlin will be a bonus but the reverse may not be the case.

udoekere:
Is there any"ALGORITHM AND
DATA STRUCTURE in javascript?

Algorithms and data structures are not language features but programming principles. You can apply algorithms and use data structures in any programming languages.
Search Wikipedia to learn the meaning of algorithms and data structure

ibkayee:
Really good points progeek37, I usually recommend python to people who are beginners but your point about general syntax rules and language commonalities is apt, but like you said, that’s not necessarily to say it’s bad!

Yes. That does not mean it is bad anyway.
I have coded in Python, C#, JavaScript and Java, I can tell you that Java or C# is good to start with. Java or C# will give you a sound understanding of programming principles.

DrBrainstorm:

Nice.
But what do you say about C++?

C++ will be a nice choice when you have to program applications that requires very close work with hardware or perhaps that have special performance requirements like 3D games. For all other purposes(like web applications development or business software) it is inadequate. I will not advise you to pursue it if you are starting programming now unless you have something to build that requires it. Someone said C++ lost it popularity mainly because of inability to write quality software with it.
In order to write high-quality software in C++, you have to be incredibly smart and experienced programmer, whereas the same is not strictly required in Java or C#. Learning C++ takes much more time and very few programmers know it really well. Also the productivity of C++ programmers is many times lower than Java and C#.
In conclusion go for C++, when you have to use but if you are beginner, I will advise you not to start with it.

DrBrainstorm:
Why did you advise not to start with C or C++, especially C? I thought C apart from Assembly is the mother of most programming languages.

Yes it is no doubt that C is still used today simply because there is no alternative to it. C is debatably complex for beginners to start with and requires deep understanding of hardware. It is suitable for low-level programming. You can write in pure C, for instance if you want to write an operating system or device drivers or to program an embedded device, not because it is better but because there is still no alternative and the need to control the hardware very carefully. No doubt knowledge of C may enable you to understand the underlying hardware structure and internal implementation and working of computer programs but all these are not necessary to beginners.
In conclusion, programmers don't feel nice using C they use it when there is need for it because as I said before there is no alternative to C now.

With all these questions...which programming language should a beginner start with. Many people people have given wonderful advise. I would like to add my view as well. What I will say here may be debatable but I will advise you to consider giving my thought a little chance. I will start by saying that no programming language is actually bad to start with if you are determined to face the challenges that your chosen language may pose.
However don't start with C or C++. You will learn them later.

I would strongly advise beginners to start programming with Java or C#. Python would be another option, but its off-rule syntax can be troublesome...the use of indentation to define scope and block instead of usual curly brace. Also its object oriented programming has some flaws(not technically but syntatically)...especially the encapsulation of data with underscores. Python may be highly human readable and easy to write as well...you may write codes faster in Python than in Java or C# but in large scales applications such fastness is not actually needed because software developers usually are willing to sacrifice immense time working and collaborating with teams to build projects...I mean they are willing to sacrifice any amount of time to build the projects.
Also Python is not strongly typed as Java and C# because of its dynamically typed unlike Java's statically typed, this can lead to problems in code maintenance by other developers. Consider these lines of code in Python:

Assuming there is an array(list) already defined as book_list(for Python) or bookList (for Java)

def exist(book, index):
if index < 0 or index >= len(book_list):
#report an error
else:
if book_list[index] == book:
return True
return False

The code snippet is actually good, I tried to use variables that correctly portrait their functions in the program to maintain a self-documenting code. But there lies some problems in the code. First when other developers are working on such code, the questions that may arise are:

1 What does this function return?(we actually need to work through the function to understand) but what if we actually want to reference the function? Therefore we will be forced to study the whole function to understand it.

2 What does the type "book" belong to? Is it an integer, a string or programmers defined type(object).

Let me rewrite the function(method) code in Java:

public boolean exist(Book book, int index)
{
if(index < 0 || index >= bookList.length)
{
//report an error;
}else
{
if(bookList[index].equals(book)
{
return true;
}

}
return false;
}

Obviously Java is better! So is C#!

Here in Java snippet, from the very beginning of the method declaration we understand that the method is available to be used in other classes because it was declared with the keyword "public", also we learn that it will return a "boolean" type and that it accepts a user defined "book object" and an "integer index".

So despite all the noise from Python communities, Java is undoubtedly better. Python is a great language but I would not encourage beginners to start with it as against Java or C#, because Python does not follow the usual sytnax rule which almost all programming languages adopt. That does not mean it is bad anyway. But as a beginner you need to understand what majority of languages have in common because you will be working with many other languages not just few like Python later in your career.

There are many more things to talk about. Think about OOP in Java or C# or the likes, if we want to encapsulate data so that other classes may not modify it. You simply encapsulate it with the keyword "private" you only have to provide a public method or property to allow other classes to access the data the way you want it to be accessed. In Python you use underscores instead something that can be mistakenly ignored. Also internally Python changes the name of a class member with a name that begins with double underscores by prefixing it with a single underscore followed by the class name. Hence Python does not provide a way to truly protect members from the outside world.

Another language is JavaScript, it is an absolutely bad language to start with. It gives beginners bad programming habit. It is not well structured and its oop is not natural. Many of its features were provided as add-ons , as much as possible avoid starting programming with JavaScript. Many people who started with JavaScript are apt to focus their entire life on front-end development. Many of them (I'm talking from my own experience with them in Nigeria) have vague understanding of Object Oriented principles. I have not met a JavaScript programmer who has accurate understanding of objects.

So in my view, I prioritise the following in that order:

1 Java
2 C#
3 Python


Leave your suggestions and views; I will try to reply as much as I can.

DextrousDavid:


Pls add me up 08166554021

Please note it is not free

Tutorial is available via Zoom app

Contact me on WhatsApp if you are interested.