Learning to program

webmonkey.com for a good overview of JavaScript, PHP, ASP, and others. a scripting language such as any of the above may give you a good concept of 'programming' at large (particular mindsets, logical constructions, the basic grammar of logic, etc.) and suggest a particular direction you want to continue exploring in more depth.

If you get into this...i would check out Metrowerks Codewarrior. It has support for lots of different languages. Its good if want to explore more object-oriented programming (C++, etc)

I learned C++ & Java with this program. Granted, it won't actually teach you programming, it will help you A LOT with the basics and it makes compiling and linking a lot easier to figure out.

To learn the basics of programming, go to webmonkey.com and read thau!'s Javascript Tutorials.

for learning i would try something like javascript before going into c++ or java, all those object ar very confusing in the beginning.. but you can start where you want ... i dont know if there is BASIC available for Mac ( visual basic is a pain in the A.. we learned those things in school ... under Windos 3.11 ;-)

but i guess there are a lot of tutorials somewhere in the internet

compilers: gcc 3.3 is in macosx as far as i know (don't know for sure)

A few things to toss out ...

CodeWarriorU.com is a self paced online class that can teach you a few things. It is geared toward MetroWerks products. CodeWarrior in particular. You can study various languages (C, C++, Java and a few others).

You might try RealBASIC. I hear it's a good product to start with. I tried it once a few years ago and it seemed simple enough.

You can also try a local community college or similar institution that offers classes in programming. I chose this route because I found learning at home was always full of distractions. I took a course in C++ and may take the follow up class this summer.

If you have OS X install CD's you can install XCode which is Apple's IDE for objective C, C++ and I think Java.

Apple's Developers Connection is also a resource.

Good Luck

i would seriously look at realbasic (www.realsoftware.com). i highly recommend it for someone starting out. some of the languages like basic or javascript are rather isolated in their uses. they can teach you, but so can realbasic, and realbasic allows you to make much more appealing apps due to it's advanced features.

it is an oop (object oriented programming) language, but hides a lot of the intricacies of other languages like c, java, etc. it is a great starter language because it's syntax is a lot like basic, butit adds the oop angle that some of the more "beginner" languages don't offer so you can move on to the more geeky languages mentioned above.

a lot of "serious" programmers kinda balk at realbasic. there are some valid points to that argument, especially the fact that it is not that widespread so it may be hard to find a gig with just realbasic experience (for now--the following is growing...) i think a lot of it is also because a) it has the word "basic" in it, or b) it started on the mac, or c) it's relatively new.

the cool part is that one code set will compile for mac and windows. (the next release (5.5) is supposed to compile for the "major" flavors of linux.) also, it is compiled, so you have more speed than other cross-platform solutions like java.

you can download a free 30-day demo, and i think you can buy a copy for less than $100, which ain't *too* bad.

i'm going to the realword conference in austin, tx (the birthplace of real) in march. should be rather cool....