Coding

[Abaddon_ire]

I have a few vague questions about coding, I'm not asking for an in depth lesson just some opinions.

OK, I will not get "techie". Just very general ideas.

I have so much spare time in work and wanted to dedicate it to learning something. Computers seem like a good thing to learn about because they're more relevant now than ever, I have children and I'd like to teach them something myself, I work on a very basic level with computers.

Asuming that you are computer literate, then you can transfer that knowledge to your children, but carefully. Myself, I coded a calculator with my children. Pointless, because every device has one already. Meaningful, because they learned the underlying reality. They learned the concepts and continue to learn.

I'm only just starting to learn about this topic but anyway to cut a short story even shorter the questions are....

We all start from zero knowledge. All of us without exception. The important step is to start.

1) Is coding, generally, something I can get into without it distracting me from things like strict fitness goals? 

Yup, but like anything else, it requires that you reserve time for it. One cannot simply place a programming book under ones pillow and hope to absorb it overnight. Not saying that you are proposing any such thing, just making a general point.

The other day I sat down to download java and the stress of solving the issues with doing that caused me to stuff my face with chocolate already, and I even even began to learn anything, I'm only just downloading things to begin to help me to learn, which is pretty pathetic.  The problem was solved by turning the computer off and on again.

Well, that is conflating two different issues. Downloading java will never stop being irritating because it is irritating by nature. In the programming environment, the words "fucking java update" are ubiquitous.

But that is not why you eat chocolate.

2) If I do carry on learning about this what kind of information would anyone recommend I start to look at? 

Depends what your objectives are. In the above calculator example, I used VB because I find kids grok that more quickly. It is closer to natural language (or as close as one is likely to get for kids).

So far, because I have a goal of making a very simple android app I've been looking at step by step guides on how to clone things like snapchat.  I know that's probably too advanced for me but like I say they are step by step guides and so I just plan to follow whatever the guy says.  From what I understand it really requires a lot of downloading other programs to help, like android studio and so on.

I don't write for android, but I think the current MS range supports android. I could be wrong. In any event, if your objective is to educate your kids go VB. If your goal is to write android apps go some other way. not my bailiwick. Most of what I write these days is either mundane order processing or encryption.

I must stress though I have a lot of spare time in work, I'd love to have something to learn, to focus on when I have nothing but time. 

The only advice I can throw is that you should never proceed to the next lesson until you fully understand the lesson you are currently on.

3) The last question and what might require too much of an in depth answer is just that I don't understand how the beginner tutorials of coding even slightly relate to the intermediate tutorials. [/quote]Common problem. Oftentimes, it seems to go from point A, skip through B through Y and end up at Z with no explanation. This is because such books are generally written by nerds who simply assume that it is "obvious". It isn't. Anyone who tells you that is obvious is not a good teacher.

The beginner lessons are about getting the computer to say "Hello" on a plain screen.  It goes from that to designing apps and games.  I don't see how to get to one from the other?  Maybe it's like Mr Miagi teaching Daniel to paint fences and wash cars in order to be good at karate but I just don't get what I'm doing that's impressive by getting text to appear on a screen that says "Hello world"

That is exactly the problem to which I refer.

That is about as general as I can possibly be.

And I glossed a lot. Sure you could be a programmer. No it does not have to interrupt (in joke) your normal healthy activity. I have been doing it for 35 years and I am a skinny bastage. That issue is not related.