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[JWki]

Nah what gimp had is terrible but when I open say a node editor for materials I want to be able to pull that over to my second screen and have full sight on the scene view when playing around with it.

[cathy121]

Hi, guys!

I am new to coding, so my question may look silly. My question is about PHP. As far as I understood it is a scripting language. I saw that there are PHP5 and PHP7. What about PHP 6? What is the biggest difference in all of them?

[oahda]

It seems PHP 6 doesn't really exist (except as some separate thing) and that they jumped straight from 5 to 7. There's some info here: http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/php7/

I'd actually never heard about the "spaceship" operator in any language before. I like it. Would make sorting less cluttered in a lot of languages.

[cathy121]

Thank you for a link and explanation. It became more clear to me. I am still reading about PHP, do not get what does scalar date types mean? I understand that it only save one single value but what does it mean?

[Ordnas]

Thank you for a link and explanation. It became more clear to me. I am still reading about PHP, do not get what does scalar date types mean? I understand that it only save one single value but what does it mean?

Scalar data type like these: http://php.net/manual/en/language.types.intro.php:  boolean, integer, float and string?

[Ordnas]

Really considering Qt for the editor now. Docks. Code editor (not built in, but I easily added the web based Ace in a web view). Won't be having any Unicode issues. Cross-platform. I think I'm sold.

What about Visual Studio, the best IDE ever + Visual Assist X + zillion plug-ins + Incredibuild (in case you work in an office)? 

[JWki]

Really considering Qt for the editor now. Docks. Code editor (not built in, but I easily added the web based Ace in a web view). Won't be having any Unicode issues. Cross-platform. I think I'm sold.

What about Visual Studio, the best IDE ever + Visual Assist X + zillion plug-ins + Incredibuild (in case you work in an office)? 

You misunderstand. They are talking about using QT for their own editor to use with their engine, not a code IDE.

[InfiniteStateMachine]

The visual studio environment is actually available for use to make your own editor via the visual studio isolated shell framework. It's insanely powerful and few people realize it's readily available.

Of course, being a WPF framework, this is strictly windows only so fair warning.

https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb685691.aspx

[cathy121]

Thank you for a link and explanation. It became more clear to me. I am still reading about PHP, do not get what does scalar date types mean? I understand that it only save one single value but what does it mean?

Scalar data type like these: http://php.net/manual/en/language.types.intro.php:  boolean, integer, float and string?

Thank you! I am going right now through boolean, integer and so on. Takes time to understand it. The other question appeared in my mind. Is it right that with PHP7 errors not that often lead to crashes?

[Ordnas]

Please, PLEASEEEEE  , learn a programming language first such as C, Java or Python, so you have a clear understanding of what is going on "under the hood", or just for a general knowledge of how a computer works. Anyway, of course errors lead to crashes.

[ThemsAllTook]

Let's not be hostile or condescending toward people trying to learn, please.

[Ordnas]

Ops, I apologise guys, I didn't mean to be hostile, I was just trying to say an advice in a informal way (otherwise I wouldn't put a funny emoticon). I will be more carefully next time. Sorry Cathy!   If you have any other question just ask, I will not bite, I promise!  

[cathy121]

Yes, I started to learn C programming language, it takes time. I know my questions may look not that smart because I am still on the first learning stage. Going through many articles and tutorials right now. PHP stuck in my mind because I was looking for something to minimise the loading time. Yesterday, I was reading through this and many questions appeared in my mind. I googled all things which were not clear to me but I still do not get one thing. What does 'Implementation of an abstract syntax tree for generating bytecode' mean?
Do I have to understand it or it is better not to go into the details right now?

[Garthy]

Hi cathy121,

PHP is a popular web development language. It is worth knowing if your goal is to write server-side code to serve dynamic webpages. Apart from that, it is actually a poor language to start with, use, or learn with. I would strongly recommend starting with something else.

C is a well-established low-level language with considerable history. It is not difficult to learn but it is difficult to work with when starting out. It is worth knowing eventually but I would avoid it initially.

I would recommend a different starting point, depending on what you want to achieve.

Java is a well-designed language, and could be worth a look. It is sensible and scales well. There are a few oddities and the organisation that now owns it is a bit of a hostile entity, but it is a good starting point anyway.

Scripting languages will let you get on with the process of experimenting with programming while hiding some of the more difficult concepts from you, such as memory management. They will generally have the easiest learning curve but you need to expand outward into other things eventually as they tend not to scale well to large projects. Python is a popular scripting language and might be a good one to start with. I recommend Ruby personally, but it is less popular.

You might also want to look into an existing engine (eg. Unity) if you want to mess about with things and get a tangible output without needing to learn as much about programming. If your goal is the end result, check this out. If your goal is learning to write code, try a language.

> What does 'Implementation of an abstract syntax tree for generating bytecode' mean?

It is just talking about an improvement in the process of converting the code you write into a form that the computer can run for you. Don't worry about it for now, it will have no effect on your learning.

Good luck.

[InfiniteStateMachine]

I think a large portion of the programming populace could go through life without being able to explain  'Implementation of an abstract syntax tree for generating bytecode' so I wouldn't worry about it :D

[Garthy]

Those who use hammers versus those who create hammers.

EDIT: Some clarification as my comment was a bit vague:

Many people use programming languages, some with considerable skill, without necessarily knowing the innards of compilers or bytecode interpreters/engines, which far less people understand in depth.

Some people use hammers (or other tools), some with considerable skill, without necessarily having the ability to construct a quality hammer themselves.

[Ordnas]

Yes, I started to learn C programming language, it takes time. I know my questions may look not that smart because I am still on the first learning stage. (...)

I agree with Garthy, start with Unity if you want to make games "right away", or Game Maker if you don't mind making a 2D game (Game Maker is very easy to grasp). If you like Game Maker, and you are thinking of a career as a programmer, then you could start to study a scripting language like Phyton or Lua.  

[Garthy]

or Game Maker if you don't mind making a 2D game

I understand that Game Maker is a good choice for 2D games if you go down the engine path. I don't know a lot about it myself though. :}

[Ordnas]

or Game Maker if you don't mind making a 2D game

I understand that Game Maker is a good choice for 2D games if you go down the engine path. I don't know a lot about it myself though. :}

I used it a bit, it is very easy to use, you can create fast prototypes with drag-and-drop functionalities in the scene.

In a post I read that that a teacher, that had never programmed before, in a month, made a learning-game for her students... I think that is remarkable for this engine 

[cathy121]

Hi cathy121,

PHP is a popular web development language. It is worth knowing if your goal is to write server-side code to serve dynamic webpages. Apart from that, it is actually a poor language to start with, use, or learn with. I would strongly recommend starting with something else.

C is a well-established low-level language with considerable history. It is not difficult to learn but it is difficult to work with when starting out. It is worth knowing eventually but I would avoid it initially.

I would recommend a different starting point, depending on what you want to achieve.

Java is a well-designed language, and could be worth a look. It is sensible and scales well. There are a few oddities and the organisation that now owns it is a bit of a hostile entity, but it is a good starting point anyway.

Scripting languages will let you get on with the process of experimenting with programming while hiding some of the more difficult concepts from you, such as memory management. They will generally have the easiest learning curve but you need to expand outward into other things eventually as they tend not to scale well to large projects. Python is a popular scripting language and might be a good one to start with. I recommend Ruby personally, but it is less popular.

You might also want to look into an existing engine (eg. Unity) if you want to mess about with things and get a tangible output without needing to learn as much about programming. If your goal is the end result, check this out. If your goal is learning to write code, try a language.

> What does 'Implementation of an abstract syntax tree for generating bytecode' mean?

It is just talking about an improvement in the process of converting the code you write into a form that the computer can run for you. Don't worry about it for now, it will have no effect on your learning.

Good luck.

Wow! Thank you so much for all details! Probably, soon will post other questions