Strawberryjam

Hey there all.
I need some advice. I am 30 years old and always wanted to program. I have so many ideas and i am very inquisitive and curios. I have been fiddling with computers since 1988 on a ZX Spectrum 48K . So yes, that is as far as my experience goes as far as programming is concerned. (BASIC)

I just have this urge to learn to program and its eating away at me. I feel incomplete. There is just so many things i need to know.
How does all these OS's work on a fundamental level?
How does my CD Drive open when i click eject?
How does my OS communicate with my BIOS?
How does the driver of my soundcard communicate with my MIDI keyboard?
How is colours written to my screen when watching a DVD????
How is sound translated and sent to my Soundcard?
+++++++++

You have no idea, i feel i am losing my mind. I just dont know where to begin.
I thought being surrounded by programmers would motivate me and guide me.
So i came here...

I have read tutorials on the web, but there is so much garbage out there too that i dont know what to believe.

I am a musician, running my own studio and performing to pay the bills. I do video editing and compositing too. I use Adobe Products for video, and multiple other applications for music (Reason, Sonar6 with all kinds of plugs). I have taught myself to use them.
I use Ubuntu Studio 64bit, and Windows XP Pro SP2 32bit.
I would like to write my own virtual instruments, video FX plugs and sequencing software. I have amazing ideas.

Please help or just tell me if i am wasting my time.
Thank you

Ps. I have various synthesizers..old and new...KORG Triton, Roland X6 and i am really interested in writing operating systems for them. Even improving the ones i have, or modding them for my own needs.

Narue

Why would you be wasting your time?

>I have amazing ideas.
Just a heads up, but regardless of how amazing your ideas are, it'll take time before you can realize them with your programming skills. I usually estimate two years of learning and practice before one can be reasonably proficient in a general purpose language when starting from nothing.

And welcome.

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Even if the voices aren't real, they have some pretty good ideas.

Strawberryjam

Thank you.

That is the kind of motivation i need.

I just thought i am getting old.
I am by no means trying gunning for an overnight solution. I am smart enough to know that.
Just need to know where to begin, and i'll take it from there.

Thanks again

MiKuS

To be a good coder age is not of importance.

I suggest you go and get yourself a linux distro, i suggest debian, or debian based distros, install python in your new development environment

Linux puts you in a position where YOU are in control of your OS, it's taught me a lot since i've been using it.

Python is in my opinion one of the best starting out languages because it doesn't have as steep of a learning curve as other languages like C++ and a decent level of functionality is available.

the first thing you do with python should be following this guide back to front
http://www.ibiblio.org/obp/thinkCSpy/index.xhtml

Strawberryjam

I run Ubuntu Studio 64, and have Python installed on both Windows and Linux. I am currently working through a Python tutorial By Josh Cogliati.

Thank you

__________________
Ok, now i have all the equipment...If i only know how to use them !!!

Sane

Welcome! Most of your questions have a short answer, and a long answer. If you want the short answer, I'm sure you've already found them on Wikipedia or other sites.

If you want the long answer, you've got to start all the way from the bottom, and you'll gradually see the big picture as you work your way up. So try to start with something small, with an objective in mind. Use that as your starting point, and work your way up through the different kinds of programs you can make. As already pointed out, this is easier said than done. Learning how to program is long-winded process.

Just don't set high objectives from the start. You'll find yourself stuck pretty quickly. Just my two cents.

renato

Like Sane said, start from the bottom. I learned a lot by programming PIC's, and applications for the PC using Assembler. After a while you start to grasp how everything fits together. When you're comfortable with low level programming as well as some higher level programming (using a language like C/C++, Delphi/Pascal etc.) you can start studying how operating systems control the hardware.

The kind of stuff you want to learn, in my opinion, is a lot easier than the really high level programming things most programmers get to deal with (I'm talking about learning all kinds of different API's, network programming, integrating different systems etc.)

I think we share the same interests and is also still learning. Maybe we can help each other in the future.

A nice application to play with when learning the fundamentals of computer systems can be found at http://www.idc.ac.il/tecs. I also have some nice reading material on the low level details of computer systems if you're interested.

Good luck with your learning journey.

Arevos

You may be interested in Operating Systems Design and Implementation by Tanenbaum and Woodhull. It's a pretty famous guide on Unix-like OS design, and inspired the creation of the Linux OS we know today.

Strawberryjam

Thank you all very much for all the advice and the warm welcome. I really look forward to becoming an active part of this community.

Thank you again and keep those hints and tips coming.

__________________
Ok, now i have all the equipment...If i only know how to use them !!!

Infinite Recursion

Age is irrelevant. I have seen sharp programmers that were pre-teen and I had a 65 year old man sitting next to me in an Intro to AI class years ago. If you have the dedication and motivation, anything is possible. Including what you describe above. Just be aware, there is no magic button... learning to do some of these things will take time, as well as trial-and-error.

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http://jasonpowers.net

"There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root."