advice for newbies - experiences regarding open source development
 

Please answer the following questions as they relate to your Linux platform programming experiences.

1. For what function do you code? (3D Modeling, GUI, Engineering, Internet etc)
2. How long have you been a programmer?
3. Which LOS do you use? How buggy is your LOS - IDE combination?
4. Which three languages do you use most often when developing for Linux?
5. What open source compilers do you use?
6. Assuming a rookie wants to develop on this platform - what other tools would you recommend?

Please approach the software from a zero-cost point of view. Think of the newbie who is about to spend his last dime on hardware and wants to start using that programming degree to pay off student loans.

7. From your experience, are there any special hardware features which should be used by a programmer?

Thanks

***** ABBREVIATIONS *****

RH = Red Hat
LOS = Linux Operating System (see answers)
IDE = Integrated Developer Environment

******* SOME ANSWERS TO POSTS ***********

LOS = Linux Operating System --- Could include info regarding your preferred distro, use of a dual boot etc. Essentially asking how you link to the kernel. (Also implies viability of being a programmer without use of either monoposoft or $$$$$$)

Special Hardware --- Assume the reader is a newbie. What hardware would be necessary to start programming? We all know about the Motherboard, Hard Drive, Monitor etc. From your experience, would the use of dual monitors or programmable joysticks for game programming or a particular tablet for GIMP programming etc be useful or would it just be fluff? If useful, at what point should the newbie acquire it?

***** Some References on this site for visiting newbies ***

Wanting to Start Programming --- SimpJee
Not new to linux or programming, new to "linux programming"... --- io86
Linux C++ IDE --- Micik
ide for programming --- sharapchi
Please recommend Java learning books --- ArthurHuang
Books for Kernel Programming --- theexamking
MMMM MMMM Compilers. --- sdmike6
GCJ, the java compiler --- daziplqa
programming tools to aid C development --- irfanhab
Linux GUI programming questions --- alagenchev
MinGW or Cygwin??? --- montylee
how can i learn to hack ? --- Falkor
Sockets Programming --- pink_lady
run well in vc++ but not in g++ --- cris123
Which C++ editor in Linux has the class view/class browser feature --- imaginationworks

1. console programming, sockets, interprocess communication etc.
2. Around 2 years.
3. openSUSE, Red Hat, Fedora, Slackware
4. C, C++, shell scripting
5. gcc
6. Anjuta

1. Engineering, scripting, hobby
2. 13 years
3. RH
4. Fortran to Pascal to C to C++ to java to Oracle to Perl to .. used them all from time to time
5. java, perl, many OpenSource java libraries and tools


ppanyam

1. for fun ...
2. about a year or two when i'm in linux
3. linux and once in a while in bsd and x86 solaris , most of the time redhat
4. only pascal and recently tcl and java ...
5. pascal/kylix and recently tcl and java ...
6. if for fun ... music , coffee and cigarettes ... if not ... ask your boss ...
7. i dont understand this 7th point ... ^_^


.

I posted answers to your questions at the bottom of the thread starting post.

Hopefully, this thread will serve as a somewhat useful starting point for the newbies among us.

Thanks to everyone who contributes.