Where did you learn coding?

I went to College for Computer Science & Engineering, picked most of it up there.  Used to program a bit in high school on the Ti-86 calculator while bored in class.  The rest I picked up on the job as a Software Engineer / Application Developer. 

I use C# Windows Apps for my Lotto junk, the language has quite a bit of functionality and is quite similar to C++.  With a nice Visual Studio development environment, hammering out applications with nice displays and organization isn't nearly as difficult to accomplish as it is in C++. Besides, most of my actual work these days is on web based applications, so we write everything in C# .NET.

You can do a great deal with the Visual Basic, in Excel. Those formulas can get surprisingly elaborate.

I've been using VS2008 for about a year now, and I feel confident saying it's the best development environment and languages I have ever used.  And I have used most of them.  (I probably know about 16-18 computer languages fairly fluently.)

It is such a powerful set of tools, and they take the drudgery out of common, detail-oriented tasks.  For example, creating a Windows service has never been easier.

Plus, the .NET 3.5 language enhancements are just dynamite.  I use them whenever I can.

Good luck with getting that sparkle back!

I've had VS 2008 PRO for a month or so... it's kick azs.

There is so much that can be done that I had to go out and buy additional books on 'how to' and 'self instruction' beyond my VB6 knowledge.

In addition to learning C++, I'll be learning C# and many subheadings under each language.

I love the integration of different programming platforms in one easy IDE.

VS 2008 is the way to go.  We've been using it at work for some time now.  We're a C# shop mainly, but also frequently use VB, Java, JavaScript, SQL, etc etc.

how are you todd

There are lots of materials to improve our skills in coding.  I think it depends on ourselves but NOT methods.

(My option is the first term)  Practice is same important as learning.

My first computer was as Commodore VIC=20 in 1982. Back then there wasn't much "software" and if there was it was expensive and in the form of a cumbersome plug-in cartridge. I was fascinated with this computer and wrote several games and "homework helpers" and shocked my Spanish teacher by turning homework in dot-matrix even with the tilde (~) over the "n". The C64 was next and similar to the VIC.

The Amiga was a lot more difficult to program and the mac and PC I didn't have the $ to buy expensive programming tools, so I was not programming for a while. Then I got hold of Microsoft QuickBASIC and wrote a program for the Jersey Cash 5, and one time it did match all 5 numbers! Then Visual Studio .net came out. (I didn't like VS6 and below.) I used a demo at first to make my first Pocket PC app and in C# because I liked it and it could be used for Pocket PC.

More recently Visual C# "Express" came out. This is the greatest thing since they invented Dunkin' Donuts, and it's FREE! The only thing I don't know how to use it for Pocket PC so I use C# Exp. for desktop apps, and the older VS2003 for maintaining the Pocket PC app. The Pocket PC is very convenient because it can be easily used "on the spot" right at the Lottery terminal and back-testing can be conducted while waiting for my girlfriend to shop for shoes or on the long lines at Dunkin' Donuts.

Of course I write more than Lottery programs. I have one that can quickly fetch news articles and photos without needing a browser, and other ones assist with editing restaurant menus.

I only had a very few classes in college that dealt with programming, on a Radio Shack TRS-80 I think, in BASIC.