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Fortran > Lisp > Forth > Pascal > ?

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  • 17-07-2009 6:32pm
    #1
    mcyclist
    Closed Accounts Posts: 80 ✭✭


    Looking for upskilling advice. I am NOT a professional programmer.

    My Background is scientific and would have done a little programing stretching back 30yrs. Most recently have used Delphi(Pascal). I have some understanding of object orientated programming ( from Delphi).

    I have become interested, in an amateur/hobby sort of way, in the mobile area and would like to learn about programming mobile devices.

    From what little I read I will need something like Java or C# (or perhaps both) and maybe Javascript, Actionscript etc.

    Can any of you sugest a training path. I am finding Java syntax hard to get used to. Should I try C and C++ first? Do I need general Java skills or should I go directly to Java ME?
    I intend using Netbeans, which i have downloaded. Is this a good starting point? ( I also have delphi and C++) .
    Any adiice much appreciated before the brain gets too old!


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    #2
    Civilian_Target
    Registered Users Posts: 5,618 ✭✭✭Civilian_Target


    What are you aiming to do?


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    #3
    mcyclist
    Closed Accounts Posts: 80 ✭✭mcyclist


    Civilian_Target wrote: »
    What are you aiming to do?

    Thanks for replying. To be honest, I have just realised the capabilities of the average mobile phone. I am not sure exacltly what application but probably nothing too complex. Maybe simple games ( noughts and crosses, sudako , etc).
    I have to emphasise that my experience is totally on what would now be called desktop applications. And that was a while ago. Then you used either Fortran or COBOL. I don't know the difference between C , C++, c# or Java and JavaScript. (I have read an introduction to Java). PHP Ruby etc are no more than fancy names i'm afraid.
    In my time I have wasted my time learning languages like Forth ( does anyone use it anymore ?) so i don't really want a 4 year training program. i'm never going to work in the area so if I can skip to the things I really need to learn then I am happy to amuse myself doing that.
    Having been away from programming for so long I find I have an enormous knowledge gap and really don't know where to start.


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    #4
    ronkmonster
    Registered Users Posts: 1,181 ✭✭✭ronkmonster


    For mobile phones, you are probably looking for java only. and you would need to know java before learning java me

    Java ME is just phone specific framework for making java programs/games

    Depends on what phone you have though. some phones support different versions of java. Not sure what language the iphone uses

    i learned java (not ME though) in college and moved to c# myself for writing desktop applications, so that's a possible route you can move to after java without too much relearning


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    #5
    Sparks
    Registered Users Posts: 40,038 ✭✭✭✭Sparks


    Depends on the mobile phone ronk. For S60 apps, it's C++ (well, actually nokia's take on that) and a pain to work with. J2ME works on S60 and a few others besides. For the iPhone, it's Objective-C. For the Palm Pre, it's HTML/CSS/Javascript. For others, well, you get the idea.


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    #6
    ronkmonster
    Registered Users Posts: 1,181 ✭✭✭ronkmonster


    yeah java is the common platform on a lot of phones. but not native code as you've shown


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    #7
    Anima
    Registered Users Posts: 3,945 ✭✭✭Anima


    If you know Java, you won't have a problem with Java ME. Netbeans is good for Java and JavaME development so I'd learn that.

    Making games is practically the same as with normal Java. You have to be a little more aware of the memory and cpu limitations though.


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    #8
    mcyclist
    Closed Accounts Posts: 80 ✭✭mcyclist


    I have ordered a book on Java. I have also begun playing around with ActionScript although as far as I can see only Actionscript 2.0 is supported on phone? Finding it dificult to find book an AS2 at moment - will try internet.

    I was also thinking of C++, mainly because a book I noticed in Easons says than C++ is similar to both C# and Java and will help both. But not sure of this would be just as diversion and time would be better spent going straight to Java.

    Thanks again


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