   out of curiosity, have any of you ever...
  Read a whole programming book in one go. Like , cover to cover, only stopping for meals, snacks, etc?  
  Yeah, I used to do that. It''s a bad idea, tho; you don''t get nearly as much out of it as if you take frequent breaks to apply the knowledge you''re gaining.    "Sneftel is correct, if rather vulgar." --Flarelocke ;  Hmm, how much should I read before taking a break...and how much do you think i should read in a day. I have a QBasic book, which is 180 pages long. Was thinking of reading it all tomorow.  ;  Don''t read it - burn it! QBasic gives you terrible programming hobbits.   [My Image Gallery (WIP)][Greatest Tetris clone evar!][Return your stolen MP3s] ;quote:Original post by Valderman  Don''t read it - burn it! QBasic gives you terrible programming hobbits.I know; I still have Frodo from that time I tried to write a text adventure with gotos and no functions. ;  Really? But i tried learning another language (C++) and i failed miserably. I think that it would be better for me to learn QBasic first, no? ;  In any case, I have a C++ book lying around here - if I was to try and read that in maybe 4 days - would that be okay? ;  I find a comfortable place, and then read a chapter. After that, I go sit in my uncomfortable computer chair and go back through the chapter, applying everything taught in it.Rinse and repeat until I finish the book.   "Next time a terrorist gets freed after ten months of red tape, I’ll be sure to thank [the democrats]. I guarantee you that if someone is put in prison with the Patriot Act, even in the rare chance they are not a terrorist or have connections to terrorism, they are sure as hell guilty of something." -- A True Die-Hard American Patriot   [edited by - Mscgamer on February 17, 2004 5:22:01 PM];quote:Original post by SayDaysAgo  In any case, I have a C++ book lying around here - if I was to try and read that in maybe 4 days - would that be okay?   Maybe that''s why you failed the first time - your rushed yourself.  Don''t put a limit on how long it should take you.  Just take your time and read through everything until you thouroughly understand it.;  "i tried learning another language (C++) and i failed miserably." ... "I have a C++ book lying around here - if I was to try and read that in maybe 4 days"The problem here is that you're trying to do this too quickly. 4 days isn't enough time to really learn C++. Is the goal to read a book or to actually learn something? If it's the latter, then do what Sneftel suggests: Take the time to be sure you understand everything by *applying it*. In other words, actually write programs using the things you're reading about.If you find that C++ is still too hard, might I suggest learning Python first? There's an excellent free online book for it here. 