DevelopmentFilter: C# lessons

August 10, 2006 10:10 AM

DevelopmentFilter: What's a good (free) site that offers C# programming lessons/courses. There are plenty of sites that offer tutorials, but I want something with structure that will guide me step-by-step from a novice to a skilled C# programmer.

I've had some programming experience in the past with java and c++ but I need to go back over the basics since I havent coded in a while.

posted by deeman to computers & internet (3 comments total)

This site, currently down, had several multi-step tutorials. Since it's down I couldn't check what level it started at but I found it useful.
posted by beowulf573 at 2:09 PM on August 10, 2006

If you have java and c++ experience, I can't imagine that you'll have any trouble with c#. I would suggest that you go straight to MS and download Visual Studio Express, Visual Web Developer Express, and SQL Server Express for free and just jump right in. Think of a website or program that you've always wanted to make, and start coding. That's the only way I've ever been able to learn anything.

Once you start coding, you'll find plenty of good knowledgebase articles as well as several excellent forums. Don't be shy about asking questions, either. People are usually really good about answering them, and once the question and answer are out there, they become learning materials for anybody out there armed with a decent search engine.

As far as books go, I would reccommend any of O'Reilly's books on the subject. However, be sure to buy them from buy.com or some other place, and it will be a lot cheaper.

Oh wait... Tutorials. You asked for tutorials. There are a bunch listed on the wikipedia page for ASP .NET (scroll to bottom), and although I haven't tried any of them, I'm sure at least one of them will be useful.
posted by Afroblanco at 7:08 PM on August 10, 2006

if you want to be any kind of skilled programmer you should learn a couple languages and become familiar with the overarching concepts and fundamentals of computer science. C# is a good one, but realize that you're playing in a microsoft branded sandbox, and it [as a language] has been engineered with certain ideals in mind, that differ from those ideals other languages were developed with. thus giving it different strengths and weaknesses.

and your search for the 21-days to skilled programmer site is looking for the holy grail, it doesn't exist. maybe it's just my style, but i say learn by doing: pick a goal you think you can achieve, heck aim high, pick a goal you might be able to achieve, and code it up! when you get stuck, look up how to accomplish a specific task and you get Experience++, when you get enough points you'll be a skilled programmer.

btw, as long as you're "back" to programming, why not learn some good habits (cult ad:) learn perl, it's got the best documentation most extensive and well organized module library and a very helpful and knowledgeable, global community, teeming with jobs and generally out to do something interesting and fun. All this and it comes with a free Wall named Larry.

did i just answer the wrong question?
posted by qbxk at 8:47 AM on August 11, 2006