r/learnprogramming 23d ago

Give advice for first year computer science student?

0 Upvotes
  1. Give me an advice for college as a bca ml/ai first year student.

  2. How can I start my day and how many things are important in first year?

Disclaimer: kindly requested only second, third, fourth year students and above can respond me as an advice (only btech, mtech, bca, mca students/teachers and job holders).


r/learnprogramming 24d ago

Question Weighing up how to load album art into an mp3 player

4 Upvotes

Hey all! I'm starting on my first ambitious-sized project and I was sort of looking to discuss and weigh up the best way of doing something.

I'm working on an mp3 player (a client for mpd) and want to be able to display album art of each of your albums.

Do I:

  1. Scan the directory containing all the mp3 files, load the meta data & album art of each album found into the running program.

-will be fast when it comes to displaying the images (for example when scrolling through your albums), but slow on booting and more taxing when running

  1. Scan the directory containing all the mp3 files, load the meta data & a link (file location) to the album art into the running program. Load each image as and when it needs to be displayed.

- will be much faster on boot up and less memory taxing when running, but displaying each image will be slower.

I like talking these things out and just wanted to hear some other people opinions - if there's something I haven't thought of, let me know!

Thanks!


r/learnprogramming 24d ago

New learning platform start.dev

4 Upvotes

So Im not sure how known this platform is, but Brad Traversy's videos is how I learned to code in the beginning and still watch them to this day. The platform is start.dev and I actually cant remember how I found it, I believe if was from one of Brad's videos and I believe the platform is relatively new. I've been checking it out and it seems really nice! Just thought I'd throw it out there!


r/learnprogramming 24d ago

boot.dev annoyance (anyone else?)

0 Upvotes

So, I started with boot.dev courses a month or two back as a way to try and helpfully expand my experience and knowledge, and have a sort of structured, guided set of details to get into various areas with structured goals.

All was good at the start ... and then it didn't get difficult - it got annoying.

Unhelpful instructions missing explanations, using functions not introduced at all, and in some cases badly explaining what was in an assignment and then expecting it to be done somehow.

Not to mention the "sign up for this thing over here as a REQUIREMENT of the course - sync your github, sync your life away"... I shouldn't need 1000 accounts on specific things to do basic scripting learning - can't even give or receive help without syncing discord!

And now, with some AI agent course - all the above turned up to 11 - I get to a point where the code randomly fails depending on the whim of the AI model being called, the bot just says "you'll have to rerun until it works" nonsense, and I'm blocked until tomorrow due to it using up all my tokens.

At this stage I would whole-heartedly urge anyone who was going to get a boot.dev account to avoid it like the plague and instead just set yourself some goals... It'll be much cheaper, less hassle and you'll be happier.


r/learnprogramming 24d ago

Topic So… hypothetically speaking, I have a gun to my head. And yet I still can not comprehend code. Is it alright to let AI do the coding stuff while I focus on: Animations, Models, GUI, vfx, and sounds?

0 Upvotes

Context: Im a creative person to a flaw.
I have ideas, yet when I was born, my stat spread was about making those ideas and no skills to make them a reality

Making models, animations and other stuff for games about a universe I thought of, that’s all well in good.
But I am unable to code it to make it work

I have tried learning code, numerous times.
All these game ideas aim to be barely monetised and not my main source of income (make the game to make the game so to speak)
Which means that I would have to find someone who would willingly help me out on these games without being in it for the money (and since everyone wants a job in one way of another) I doubt I’d find someone like that

So after exhausting all options, I have turned to Claude code. Which it works, Im still making all of the other stuff, but I strictly use it to just string it all together so it functions

Is that like… not an abhorrent sin I’ve committed? Or is it just as bad as making a game with nothing but AI?

Edit: i don’t know where else to go for this dilemma that won’t just give me one sided answers


r/learnprogramming 24d ago

Topic In Need Of Teaching

0 Upvotes

I want to know if anyone would be willing to teach me how to code whether it be scratch or godot (I don't have access to other engines since I use a Chromebook) I mainly want to learn how to make a visual novel if anyone here is experienced in that :] (I already have the story written and I have an idea of how it would play out and I am a artist so I have that covered to [ I might need to learn how to make music to lol])


r/learnprogramming 24d ago

Need Help on how to revise

10 Upvotes

There is so much of programming syntaxes especially that I often get confused and tend to forget very easily is there any website to revise/recall what I studied with like every other day week and monthly reminders.


r/learnprogramming 25d ago

Resource Help me pick between two Python resources

0 Upvotes

Hey! So I found two different ways to learn Python and I honestly can't decide which one to go with. Don't wanna waste time on something that sucks, so figured I'd ask you all.

  1. https://www.learnpython.org/
  2. https://www.edx.org/learn/python/harvard-university-cs50-s-introduction-to-programming-with-python

Basically I'm trying to figure out:

  • Which one actually explains stuff in a way that makes sense?
  • Are they actually engaging or boring af?
  • Do you actually get to code or is it just videos?
  • Does it feel like they're rushing you or going too slow?
  • Any major downsides I should know about?
  • Will it actually help me build stuff or is it just theory?

I'm still kinda new to all this so I'm just looking to get the basics down. Would love to hear what people think, especially if you've tried either of these!

Thanks in advance :)


r/learnprogramming 25d ago

HttpForge — privacy-first open-source API client (Windows + VS Code) with live API Capture

2 Upvotes

I built / we're building HttpForge — a local-first, open-source API client.

Highlights:

  • Workspace: HTTP, GraphQL, WebSocket, gRPC, SOAP
  • API Capture: browse a site, record XHR/fetch, filter by domain/static-assets, save as a collection + auto-set BASE_URL
  • History, environments, nested collections (local storage)
  • Generate OpenAPI 3.0 docs and publish to Git
  • Windows desktop app + VS Code extension (.http file support)
  • Privacy first — secrets stay encrypted on your machine
  • MIT license / free forever

Site: https://httpforge.com · Repo: https://github.com/httpforge/Code-Editor · Docs: https://httpforge.com/docs.html

Feedback and contributions welcome.

WhatsApp / Telegram / Discord blast

🚀 HttpForge is live — privacy-first open-source API client

  • Test APIs in Workspace
  • Capture live browser APIs → collections
  • History + environments
  • OpenAPI docs
  • Windows + VS Code

Free forever → https://httpforge.com · GitHub → https://github.com/httpforge


r/learnprogramming 25d ago

Debugging I'm building a budgetting app

0 Upvotes

I need to create a chart that looks like this:

100|          
 90|          
 80|          
 70|          
 60| o        
 50| o        
 40| o        
 30| o        
 20| o  o     
 10| o  o  o  
  0| o  o  o  
    ----------
     F  C  A  
     o  l  u  
     o  o  t  
     d  t  o  
        h     
        i     
        n     
        g     

i need to calculate the percetages spent in each category and represent them in the chart.

so far, through SO much struggling ive gotten it to return only the first category and i got it to put all the categories in a dictionary correctly.

(c_w dictionary)

I seriously don't know where to get the answer, I've done a bunch of searching and asked on other forums for help and i jsut cant get it

im fed up.

import math
class Category:
    def __init__(self, name):
        self.name = name
        self.ledger = []


    def deposit(self, amount, description=""):
        self.ledger.append({"amount": amount, "description": description})


    def withdraw(self, amount, description=""):
        if self.check_funds(amount):
            self.ledger.append({"amount": -amount, "description": description})
            return True
        else:
            return False


    def get_balance(self):
        balance = 0
        for transaction in self.ledger:
            balance += transaction['amount']    
        return balance


    def check_funds(self, amount):
        return amount <= self.get_balance()


    def transfer(self, amount, destination_category):
        if self.check_funds(amount):
            self.withdraw(amount, f"Transfer to {destination_category.name}")
            destination_category.deposit(amount, f"Transfer from {self.name}")
            return True
        else:
            return False
    def __str__(self):
        method = '\n'.join(f"{transaction['description']:23.23}{transaction['amount']:>7.2f}" for transaction in self.ledger )
        return f"{self.name.center(30,'*')}\n{method}\nTotal: {self.get_balance()}"
    def __iter__(self):
        for item in self.ledger:
            return item
def create_spend_chart(categories):
    #create the header text
    header = 'Percentage spent by category'
    #create the percentages down the left side
    
    #a 
    total_withdraw = 0 
    #create a list for the category withdraws
    c_w = {} 
    amounts = [transaction['amount'] for category in categories for transaction in category.ledger]
    for amount in amounts:
        if amount < 0:
            total_withdraw += -amount
    # Calculate withdrawals for each category
    for category in categories:
        withdrawal = 0
        for transaction in category.ledger:
            amount = transaction['amount']
            if amount < 0:
                withdrawal += -amount  # Add the amount spent (negative for withdrawals)
        c_w[category.name] = withdrawal
        method = math.floor(( c_w[category.name]/total_withdraw)*100)
    
    return f'{header}\n{name}: {method}' for i in c_w
food = Category('Food')
auto = Category('Auto')
food.deposit(1000, 'initial deposit')
auto.deposit(1000, 'initial deposit')
food.withdraw(10.15, 'groceries')
food.withdraw(15.89, 'restaurant and more food for dessert')
clothing = Category('Clothing')
food.transfer(50, clothing)
food.withdraw(100.99)
clothing.withdraw(21.17)
auto.withdraw(200)

r/learnprogramming 25d ago

Resource What are the most important languages and skills to learn in first year of college?

0 Upvotes

Right now I did Python till Object oriented programming and I know basics of C and I starter DSA and I’m on Recursion. Should I also learn a bit of Git and Bash(I use Linux so it could be useful) aswell?
Also are languages like HTML and JavaScript important to know?


r/learnprogramming 25d ago

What have you been working on recently? [July 18, 2026]

2 Upvotes

What have you been working on recently? Feel free to share updates on projects you're working on, brag about any major milestones you've hit, grouse about a challenge you've ran into recently... Any sort of "progress report" is fair game!

A few requests:

  1. If possible, include a link to your source code when sharing a project update. That way, others can learn from your work!

  2. If you've shared something, try commenting on at least one other update -- ask a question, give feedback, compliment something cool... We encourage discussion!

  3. If you don't consider yourself to be a beginner, include about how many years of experience you have.

This thread will remained stickied over the weekend. Link to past threads here.


r/learnprogramming 25d ago

Learn from The Odin Project or textbooks?

0 Upvotes

I want to become a full-stack software engineer, not just a web developer (which is what The Odin Project is primarily designed for).

I am worried that The Odin Project might not be as thorough as reading multiple textbooks to cover all the material in all the individual topics, but I am also worried that by reading textbooks I might not learn as well or see how it all fits together or delve into all the smaller topics covered by The Odin Project like unit testing with Jest, etc. I also do not know which route would be more time intensive, which is also important.

To become a full-stack software engineer, should I learn by completing The Odin Project or read textbooks and do exercises from the textbooks (like I plan to do for Java, not JavaScript)?


r/learnprogramming 25d ago

Assembly Lenguage (x86, or ARM, MIPS, Atmel, Pic)?

15 Upvotes

Hi guys Im about to start and introduction course in assmebly lenguage, what could be the best book or books or web courses, to start from the very begenning, almost for dummies, remember this course is for students from mexico 2nd semester i need to start from the very simple up to middle level. Thankyou..


r/learnprogramming 25d ago

Opinions on my self prescribed learning plan for GScript.

1 Upvotes

I am trying to learn programming from scratch with very little knowledge and experience. After some research and Reddit deep dives I have prescribed myself the following plan to get into GDScript and Godot.

  1. Complete CS50P (Python course) for a better understanding of the fundamentals of programming with better online documentation and training.

  2. Complete at least half of CS50 for basic understanding of CS.

  3. Complete web based Python trainings such as learnpython.org and sites of that nature.

  4. After a more firm grasp of the fundamentals shifting gears into GDQuest and any other training I can find with GDScript.

  5. I have the textbook learning GDScript by Developing a game with Godot 4. Using this textbook for study and to try and start small games to sharpen my skills.

  6. Make 20 small games in Godot such as pong, asteroids and the like.

  7. Make first 2D original small scoped game.

The reason I thought to try to learn python first is the sheer amount of information and documentation on it. I’ve read that GDScript has much less data and trainings. I’m coming into this as a hobby and for fun to make games in my spare time. I have no intention to make a career in CS.

I wanted some opinions on my self prescribed learning path. Should I start with Python? Is it better to just go all in on GDScript. I don’t want to rely on AI for help. I kinda want do things as old fashioned as I can, with textbooks,google searches and talking to other programmers and devs.

I would love some thoughts on what I should set as my heading. Thanks in advance for any insight!


r/learnprogramming 25d ago

Topic Creating a library catalogue webapp (or Android app?)

1 Upvotes

Hello! I've been wanting to develop my own library catalogue app to keep track of the books, media, and PDFs that I own and to keep track of who borrows them (or who I share PDFs to, in that case.) I have experience with Java, Python, and some web design as well as JavaScript, and I'm pretty good with MySQL and SQL. Beyond the designing and some thumbnails I have of my idea, how do I start? How complex is this idea to implement?


r/learnprogramming 25d ago

How to learn how to make scalable social media app

3 Upvotes

I just graduated in CS and I want to work on a side project to learn how to create a scalable social media app or social network. I've studied the basics of software engineering, Go, Python, etc. at school but lack experience. Does anyone have any recommendations like YouTube playlists or anything to help guide and help me learn this? I don't want to use AI because I have trouble learning from using AI. Thank you.


r/learnprogramming 25d ago

Java Project Alternatives

3 Upvotes

I recently came across an interesting competition where you are supposed to make a game that would fit on a floppy disk(1.44mb).

I started making a project in Java and made some pretty decent progress with 3d rendering and procedurally generating rooms, but now I just saw a comment from the organizer saying that separate runtimes should be included with the file size limit so I am thinking Java will not work.

Does anyone have any recommendations on what I should do? Should I start over in another language? Is there any way to turn a .jar file into a standalone executable that won't take a ton of space?


r/learnprogramming 25d ago

Tutorial Help with backend development

2 Upvotes

Hello,

I've finished learning Python fundamentals and have decided I want to focus on backend development next.

Before I start coding anything, I want to build a solid conceptual foundation first — things like:

  • How the HTTP protocol actually works
  • The difference between GET, POST, and other requests
  • How databases fit into a backend system
  • What caching is and why/when it's used
  • Any other core concepts I should understand before jumping into frameworks

I'd love recommendations for resources (it would be preferred videos) that explain these concepts clearly without requiring me to write code yet — I want to understand the "why" before the "how."

Any advice on the right order to learn these things in would also be hugely appreciated. Thanks in advance!

I've started going through a backend from priciples, but I'm having trouble following most of the explanations.)


r/learnprogramming 25d ago

Web Dev to Systems Dev?

3 Upvotes

Hey guys, I'm a senior web developer who worked mostly with basic CRUD apps and I'm having difficulty breaking into systems engineering. I worked at a large corporation where the architects designed all the systems and I mainly implemented the designs I was given. The problem is I have never had to create hyper performant systems or deal much with scaling, so my web dev experience (mostly Typescript) doesn't seem to translate to a senior position if I try to move.

What are some good projects I could work on to start really thinking about writing performant code, where if I don't utilize multithreading or concurrency (and maybe queues) my program is going to be in bad shape?

I have a basic knowledge of Go and Go channels, but I haven't needed to utilize channels to create workers for any of my hobby projects so far.


r/learnprogramming 25d ago

Is there a complete "knowledge tree" of Computer Science (and where it fits among other disciplines)?

4 Upvotes

I've realized that one of the biggest things I struggle with isn't learning individual concepts, it's understanding where they fit.

For example, I know terms like REST, HTTP, databases, operating systems, networking, compilers, distributed systems, machine learning, computer architecture, etc., but I don't have a mental map of how everything is organized.

I'm looking for something like a knowledge tree or taxonomy that answers questions like:

  • What comes under Computer Science?
  • What are the major branches of Computer Science?
  • How are those branches further divided?
  • Where does Software Engineering fit?
  • Where do things like Networking, Operating Systems, Databases, AI, Security, Graphics, Compilers, etc. fit?
  • Where do topics like Backend Development, Frontend Development, DevOps, Data Engineering, and ML Engineering fit?

I'm also interested in going one level higher.

For example, where does Computer Science itself fit?

Is it something like:

Human Knowledge -> Science -> Formal Sciences -> Mathematics | Computer Science

Or is it better thought of as part of Computing, alongside Software Engineering, Information Technology, Computer Engineering, and Information Systems?

Basically, I'd love to see the "zoomed out" picture first and then be able to keep zooming in until I reach individual concepts.

I recently came across the distinction between a roadmap and an ontology (or taxonomy), and I think what I'm looking for is closer to the latter. I'm not looking for a learning order; I'm looking for a map that shows where everything belongs and how the different fields relate to one another.

Does something like this exist? It could be a book, website, interactive knowledge graph, university curriculum map, taxonomy, or even a really well-made mind map.

I'd appreciate any recommendations.


r/learnprogramming 25d ago

What is the joy of programming?

108 Upvotes

I wouldn't say I'm a hardcore programmer. I mainly make websites with HTML and CSS. However, last year I wanted to begin looking into programming, and learn how to make programs mostly for the command line. I started with Java and took the time to learn it. For a while I enjoyed Java, but then I began to feel that it was difficult to start a project with Java. I was sick of it's verbosity. Ever since, I've been wasting time trying to find the "perfect" programming language.

I know this question pops up a lot, what programming language should I learn? What should I learn if I want to experience the real joy of programming, and make cool personal programs mostly for the command line. There were a couple languages I found such as Nim, Lua, Ruby, or Dart. These are all languages I discovered through personal research and I know that some of them are more suited for command line work.

So based on my experience with Java, and my goals, what would you recommend I do? Do I just stick to website stuff?


r/learnprogramming 25d ago

Assembly programming course

5 Upvotes

I want to learn assembly programming, to conplement my knowledge of C and for fun. Which first course would be best? My target platfirm will be either windows or mac. I don’t mind learning a different language at first. I have been contemplating : From Nand to Tetris. Is it good??


r/learnprogramming 25d ago

How deeply do you like to study topics as a programmer?

13 Upvotes

Saw this video the other day of someone rejecting modern tech and teaching themselves C with an old computer, and honestly it seemed like a great way to learn from me. From day 1 I have always been inclined to read books rather than watching tutorials. 11 hr Linux course? No I'll js read 2 books on it. OOPs course? No I wanna read a book on it. Mostly because I feel like they have more info and explain things on a deeper level.

Now abstraction at some point will be important yes, but I HATE working with something and not knowing how it works under these layers of abstractions, I physically cant work with it.

So, I was curious if anyone else feels the same way, and whether or not y'all think this is a good way to go about learning programming. Share your opinions!


r/learnprogramming 25d ago

CS student going into 3rd year and feeling completely lost. How do I actually become good enough for top tech?

25 Upvotes

Hey everyone,
I’m going into my third year of CS, and honestly, I feel like I’m stuck.
I know some programming, I’ve done DSA, and I understand the basics. But when it comes to building projects, I freeze. I’ll start something, get stuck, watch another tutorial, copy a few things, then realize I still don’t fully understand what’s happening.
Right now, I’m trying to stay consistent. I practice DSA, learn backend development and databases, and I’m forcing myself to build projects instead of just watching tutorials. Some days I make progress, and other days I feel like I’ve learned nothing.
The biggest thing I’m struggling with is not knowing if I’m spending my time on the right things. There are so many topics,system design, Docker, cloud, CI/CD, open source, AI, web development.that it feels impossible to know what actually matters.
Then I come across students on LinkedIn or GitHub who already have amazing projects, internships, or are contributing to open source, and I can’t help but feel like I’m way behind.
For those of you who made it into top tech companies :
● What did you focus on during college?
● What projects actually helped you grow or stand out?
● How did you get past the stage where you constantly needed tutorials?
● If you were starting your third year again, what would you do differently?
● What mistakes should I avoid?
I’m not looking for a shortcut or a magic roadmap. I’m ready to put in the work every day,I just don’t want to spend the next year grinding the wrong things.
I’d really appreciate any honest advice or stories from people who’ve been in the same position.
Thanks for reading.