Learning a programming / scripting language for fun - resources? Suggestions?

[matteekay]

Very cool. Glad to hear they are into the coding thing. The cool thing about today is there are so many free tools and places to learn. Whether its Python, Javascript, C++, whatever. There is something for everyone and every application.

Part of the problem is I need to keep up with my 9 year old, who's learning Python and Javascript through a program called Tynker.

Appreciate all the advice, e'rrybody. I'm checking out a few options.

[Grendel]

For immediate usefulness and leveragability I would go with SQL and/or Python but learning any language is useful because it teaches you the correct mindset for scripting, you can adapt to pretty much any language with a lookup for proper syntax. I am currently working with Snowflake ecosystem which uses its own twist on SQL, you can pretty much write scripts/queries in SQL and then just fix any of the syntax errors with some easy lookups (in general).

Hell if you or your wife are Excel users learning DAX is a fairly straight forward progression and DAX is uses in Power BI visualizations that is one of the most prevalent visualization tools out there right now.

It all really depends on what you want to do with these new skills. Do you want a carrier change/progression or do you want to do your own programing for personal use. Me I'm a data nerd so I have moved away from Firmware programming to data analytics which tend to use different tools so that is why I have been teaching myself Cloudera, SQL, R and other languages over progressing through the various levels of C. It really does not matter though what you learn the base concepts are the same just the syntax varies and along with variations in methodology.

[ChoSanJuan]

While not incredibly useful as a modern day programming language, you get to learn Lua if you pick up Pico8. It's labeled as a "Fantasy Console" is pretty cool to use. Your "game carts" are gifs but it contains the whole game code in it. It is incredibly retro but the whole toolset includes the programming interpreter/compiler, 4 channel music sequencer/sound editor, sprite generator, and map editor.

https://youtu.be/K5RXMuH54iw

[matteekay]

I might check that out. I worked for years as a UI designer on a MMO that had its UI entirely written in Lua so I'm familiar with its... quirks.

[kevdupuis]

Nice. You can definetly do some damage! There is a very friendly supportive community for Raspberry Pi. Tons of YouTube videos. And your Pi400 starter kit will come with a book to get you started in some basic stuff.

Just a heads up to anyone who does get a Raspberry Pi400 - it does not come with components for your breadboard. You will need to get a resistor, LED, switch/button and a buzzer to complete the projects. I mentioned previously about getting a TCobbler Plus and forgot that is already included in the Pi400 kit.

I ordered extra accessories, gpio breakout board bundle from canakit plus other stuff when I purchased the kit, the only thing I didn't order was a usb to vga adapter for an old lcd monitor I was planning on using with it. Oh well my current LG monitor has an open hdmi port I can use.

[flyweightnate]

I've been impressed with the quality of courses on EDX. Audits are often free, but they're designed for certificates, so it's a real class.

[ghilliesuit]

I ordered extra accessories, gpio breakout board bundle from canakit plus other stuff when I purchased the kit, the only thing I didn't order was a usb to vga adapter for an old lcd monitor I was planning on using with it. Oh well my current LG monitor has an open hdmi port I can use.

Awesome. Well I'm not sure what your intended use for it is, but I strongly recommend learning how to run it headless. That way you can code on something else, transfer the file to your Pi, and run it remotely. Of course, the Pi400 will work great as a portable desktop computer as well with whatever display you can get going (and can be used both ways as needed).

Another option,.or thing to learn is using VNC viewer to connect remotely and have access to the GUI of your PI from another device. I also use this quite frequently. .

Starting early with a "remote access" approach is a good thing. Turning the LED on feels good. Doing it from across.the room from your laptop over you home network is even better.

Hope you enjoy it man!

[ChoSanJuan]

Oh yeah, forgot this one...
If you want to get into Ruby, try out SonicPi. All the coding is your music. Great way to get into the language.