Do they eat newbies?

[abandonedbywolves]

If a hypothetical person knew bugger all about computers, but was made curious by the way half of Dreamwidth seems to be involved in the programming side, where would you suggest that person begin?

I've Googled and found lots of resources, but because I know nothing I have no way to tell if they're good resources, so I'm looking for advice from actual people.

All suggestions welcome - online, books, or "Don't bother, go away and come back when you've learned [other language]".

Comments

[abandonedbywolves]

First up - you are brilliant and I really appreciate the help.

I'm definitely going to sit down with Picking Up Perl before I do anything else - I've seen people getting assigned bugs, and that's where I flail and go "But I have no idea what I'm doing!" So it's good to have some reading first, before poking anything.

Again, thank you. *Goes to read*

[foxfirefey]

Definitely read some if it makes you feel better! But don't get too caught up in feeling "confident" before making the next steps--there are plenty of people willing to guide you through them, and it's a great way to learn. For instance, I knew Perl before going in, but I still needed guidance, because starting out I didn't know where things were in the Dreamwidth code, or how to generate a patch--everyone needs some guidance when they first start!

[abandonedbywolves]

I've applied for a Dreamhack account, downloaded PuTTy like it instructed, so now I'll wait to get to play with that. So I'm having a read of Picking Up Perl, and well, you've seen where I'm lurking now. ;)

I appreciate the reassurance - the DW folk do seem very welcoming and that's a big part of the appeal here.