i wanna learn

[emuguy!!]

im looking for someone that would be happy to put in there time to teach me stuff like programming and technical things like the inside of a computer and what everything actually does. id like to know exactly how stuff works in a computer. id be happy to pay although it wouldnt be much as i only have a ****ty job. i know i ,ight sound daft askin thi but i cant find a course in my area or anywhere for this stuff

[ammoQ]

So what exactly are you asking for?

[Hax]

Originally posted by ammoQ
So what exactly are you asking for?

[emuguy!!]

some one that can teach me

[yakumo fujii]

.............Get a A+ certification book and read it 50 times. This WILL give you most of the things you need to know about computer hardwares (really, i am on 3rd time cuz it's BIG). When you are finished with that, you should know almost everything about computer hardware, and you can take a test and become a certified A+ technician! (i am working on that as well, but the test costs a lot)
.............For programming language, buy a book about Visual Basic, Visual C++, C#, or consult a community college at a location near you.

[ammoQ]

Like yakumo fuji said, get good books and read them until you understand them. It takes some time and isn't easy, but that's the way most of us learned it.

[Drack]

Try a book about C, Its got some advantages over some of the other languages, but alot of disadvantages too. I've shot my self in the foot many, many times.

[Gamer1]

books are really over rated for learning. if you really want to learn, you have to get someone showing you all that they know. books are unpersonal, but tutors are always better, since whatever came from a book, came from an actual person. books (like those dummie books) are basically second hand knowledge.

[metal_ash]

a real teacher is better than reading books. try buying a video cd that shows how you can build a pc on your own.it will show you the parts and how they work.
for programming, if your not into reading that much, try to enroll on a course of programming. but if you have time to read and read, i suggest learning the c and C++ language.

[ammoQ]

pah! Books are much better. Considering it will take at least 100-200 hours to learn programming, what do you expect from a video? Teaching you how to become a script kiddy?

[Gamer1]

the real thing is always better. not talking about those video professors, not talking about dummies books, but with a real human being.

[ammoQ]

It's good to have someone you can ask those tricky questions not answered in the book, right.

[Drack]

At least with a book you can easily go back and go over something that was really hard for you to understand. Also after youre finished with the book it can always be used for reference.

[Mohd]

Books is better but some times you will have to reffer to someone to teach . .

[Demigod]

If you want some information on computer hardware visit some hardware sites like www.tomshardware.com or www.anandtech.com.

Here's some basic information on computer hardware:

The following are the bare necessities for a computer:

Mainboard (or motherboard; slang: mobo)

The motherboard is a large board that houses all the computer components. There are two chips on the motherboard that control the flow of data (some boards only have one). The MCH (memory controller hub; aka northbridge) controls the CPU, memory and AGP, while the ICH (I/O controller hub; aka southbridge) is reponsible for PCI, USB, ISA (if it exists), IDE, and practically everything else. The motherboard houses the BIOS of the computer and defines the computer's abilities.

CPU

The CPU is the central processing unit in a PC. It's responsible for processing data into information. The primary components of a CPU are the registers, the ALU (arithmetic/logic unit) and cache. Most CPUs also have a FPU (floating-point unit). The CPU can do basic arithmetics, such as add, minus, multiply and divide. The CPU can only really add though and will use add for all its other arithmetic tasks (2 - 5 = 2 + -5, 2 * 3 = 2 + 2 + 2). It also has logical capabilities, such as AND, OR, XOR, etc. The CPU is a general purpose processor, meaning it can handle any number of different tasks, set by the programmer.
The CPU core is consisted of silicon which is melted and shaped into thin slabs and the circuitry is "etched" into the slab of silicon. CPU chips contain millions of transistors, which act like on/off switches. The more transistors the CPU has the more data it can process and can scale to higher clock speeds. The CPU sits on a socket (or a slot on some boards) and is cooled by a heatsink and fan (water cooling and peltiers are also available).

RAM (Random Access Memory) and Cache

RAM is generally referred to as primary storage. It is where processed information is stored (currently running programs). It's the workspace of the computer. The more RAM you have the more space the computer has to work with and less shuffling/swapping is encountered. Cache is fast RAM (uses SRAM instead of DRAM) that is used for fast access to commonly used data. It's the workspace of the CPU. There are primarily two levels of cache, level 1 cache (L1) and level 2 cache (L2). Some server CPUs also have level 3 cache as well. When looking for information the CPU will first look at the level 1 cache, then the level 2 cache, then slower primary memory (RAM), then finally the secondary storage device (hard drive).

Videocard (aka graphics card or GPU)

The videocard is responsible for outputting graphics to an output source (usually a CRT or LCD monitor). The speed and quality of the output image is determined by the RAMDAC (Random Access Memory Digital to Analog Converter) and the capabilities of the card (color depth, resolution, etc.). Most videocards nowadays have 2D and 3D acceleration capabilities as well. Direct3D and OpenGL are two primary 3D APIs and DirectDraw is a primary 2D API. Some cards also have MPEG2 and DVD acceleration. The videocard is usually hooked up to a monitor or other graphical output device.

The following are optional components that are found in most PC systems:

Hard drive (hard disk or secondary storage)

The hard drive stores permanent data. It has greater capacity than primary memory, but is much slower. Hard drives store data on magnetic platters and use a magnetic head to retrieve and store data. The platters continually spin at a fixed rate and the head retrieves the data when it comes around. Although the hard drive is used for storing data most OSes also use it for virtual memory, to store information.

Optical drives (CD-ROM, DVD-ROM)

Most PC systems nowadays come with optical drives. These drives use optics (lasers) to read data. The data is read off the CD or DVD with a laser as it spins. CDs and DVDs can hold a large amount of data and are useful for distributing large programs. They are a necessity nowadays for most programs come on CDs. There are also CD-RW and DVD-RW drives available, which can write to writable optical media as well.

Soundcard (SPU)

Most PC systems also come with a soundcard. Soundcards can process digital audio data and output it to amplified speakers. They also have audio input capabilities as well. A lot of motherboards come with built-in sound. The capabilities of a soundcard differ from brand to brand but most adhere to the DirectSound standard.

That is the basic breakdown of a computers` components. Hope that helps somewhat.

[ammoQ]

I had noone to teach, someone must be the first ;)

[yakumo fujii]

Teachers are useful if you did not have the basics down because they can put some abstract logical thoughts into simpler words that are easier to understand.

Books are more useful IF you have some basic knowledge about a certain subject, because you can always refer back to find something you are not familiar.

[KillerShots]

OK, 1st... yeah, you're on the right track, you NEED someone to help you through this, unless you got some serious iron resolve or something (no one does). Books are great. Get one. Have someone go through it with you (if you can), so that when you get back to it, you know exactly how to use it!

Next, you need to assign yourself a project (don't be too ambitious!). Pick something relatively easy, and for a 1st timer, it will be a text-based project or just data manipulation. Learning to code without a goal is like going through hell...you just don't know how things work or why you'd want/need them.

Me personally, I assigned a goal of creating a text-based adventure/RPG style (not MUD or anything similar...those ARE difficult). All I wanted was to get a little symbol on the screen to go through an infinitely deep randomly generated fully dynamic maze and fight increasingly difficult monsters all the way down (and get increasingly better loot too!). Well, that worked out pretty well, and I learned a LOT from it.

Next, I think you'd want a book recommendation. Well, I learned on something called "C++ How to program" by Deitel & Deitel. If you get this, you'll want the 2nd edition (NOT the 3rd). I've heard bad bad things about their 3rd edition :).

And finally, if you want to go that route, I can help you start.

First, either purchase a C++ compiler (if you want to learn C++, otherwise for other language, disregard the above book and so forth :) ), or download the Linux KDevelope program. Me personally, I use Microsoft Visual Studios 6.0 SP 5, but I have used the Linux KDevelope and know my way around it :). MSVS costs about $400 IIRC, or for a student about $100 (Can't sell software). KDevelope is free, but you need to download Linux (free) and install that (I recommend Mandrake - www.linux-mandrake.com)

The best way, as mentioned above, is to go to college and learn from there (the professor there is right there and can easily be asked questions), but then again, some professors just SUCK (personal experience) and don't give a single project. Simply ask - What is the syntax of the "for" statement after reading the book...how's that going to help anyone?! Do something with it!

Lastly, I mentioned you need someone to help with the book. As I went and made the recommendation, I can help. After you're set up, drop an e-mail at Rich@mail.ostrow.org, and we'll set something up.

However, I don't want to be tutoring everyone here through this (I REALLY don't have that much time!), so I'll go ahead and limit myself to just emuguy.

Bear in mind, I can't really teach you how to build an emulator! That's something I'm not yet willing to step into :). I can however teach you the syntax of C++, some object oriented programming, data structures (Linked lists, queues, hash tables, etc.), and maybe a little OpenGL. As I'd said, there will also be projects involved (like make a text-version of the game of life or something), so you can actually put this stuff to use and learn first-hand. No college I know of does that :). Been to Brevard Community college (Graduated) and am in my final semester at Florida Institute of Technology.

Why would I do this? Because I've found that I learn quite a bit from dredging that information up yet again, so I think it's worth it.