From: "Steven R." <steverummel@...>
Date: 2006-08-09T10:10:09+09:00
Subject: Re: Newbie questions

manowarrior wrote:
> Hello,
> I'm new to programming at all... and I suck at maths. Plus, I'm 16
> years old.
> My questions are:
> 1) Is Ruby a good language to start with?
> 2) Do I need lots of math to become a good programmer?
> 3) What tutorial or a book will you suggest me, if you think that I can
> start learning?
> 
> Thank you.
> I hope this message is not spam for your newsgroup.
> 

I am also a newbie, though I took some C at University, I code for 
myself only - not for a living, and just started on Ruby about 6 months 
ago, so take this with a grain of salt...

1. Yes - it is excellent in my opinion because it is very accessible in 
syntax (read the code, it almost makes as much sense as English) and is 
'purely' object oriented, which is the model on which much code is based 
these days, and a handy mental model to boot.

2. Not at first. You will, eventually, if you want to be truly great, 
but the best part of learning to code is, as you write code (which is 
the only way to get good at it) you will start to see problems in the 
algorithms you develop to solve problems, and want to write more 
efficient code, and at some point, you'll find that advanced maths are 
crucial to progress. Good news is, by that point, you'll have developed 
the mental muscles and familiarity with the concepts to learn the maths 
much easier. Don't feel like you have to take Numerical Analysis right 
off the bat... give yourself time to learn at a pace that works for you.

I failed more math than you will likely ever take. I eventually 'got it' 
and now I love it & did well in University math classes. Don't worry if 
you 'suck at math' - most math education makes maths too difficult, 
boring and frustrating. I suggest two things that worked for me - buy a 
copy of "Godel, Escher, Bach: The Eternal Golden Braid" by Hofstadter 
and read the parts you understand. That book made math come to life for 
me, and it may help you. Even if it does not, second - keep taking math 
classes. Even if you fail, even if you suck at it, keep taking the 
classes until you pass. Every class, you will learn *something* and when 
you finally 'get it' it will be worth it. Trust me on that, if nothing 
else - I was not exaggerating when I wrote I failed more math than most 
people ever take. I am just too stupid to know when to quit. :)

3. Agile Web Development with Rails (Hansson). Programming Ruby 
(Thomas). The Ruby Way (Fulton). Ruby for Rails (Manning). In that 
order. All are excellent books.

Good luck!