How to begin writing a software for a beginner?

Hi, I'm a student in college right now. I've familiarized myself with various CS classes such as C and Java and some other more functional languages like Matlab. However, right now I have an idea of a simple program/software that I wanna write for my own use, but I do not know where or how to begin. I can write code, but I am missing the picture of the transition from knowing how to write code to actually writing a simple software that you put on a CD. So I'd appreciate some guidance from the more experienced programmers out there. What is the next step given that I have an idea and I have the ability to code? Do I use something like Visual Basic etc?

How to begin writing a software for a beginner?
Visual Basic .NET is a great beginning langauge to start with. If you have Visual Studio, you can actually create ready-to-install packages to put on a floppy, CD, or on an Internet Download Site.





Also, you'll probably want to find someone who is good at MARKETING to help you sell it. As a general rule, those who can write code well cannot market it well (although, there are a few exceptions...like me. Heh!).





Good luck.
Reply:VB as part of Visual Studio is OK as it has the ability to produce a shipable package i.e.program, install package etc. Java or J++ is good too. Really you need a project. Unless you have an end goal in mind then writing little bits of code is never going to test you.
Reply:First you must have an algorithm. Computers are dumb and you must tell them exactly how to do something. You will need to draw the way the screens will look and give all the fields names. You must then define the relationship between all the fields. When you write a program you will call subroutines that handle the display and input of screens, etc. In my experience the hardest part is design, not programming.
Reply:HI ...





Writing code is the hard part the rest is understanding the problem you want to solve..


i use a lot of hand writing before i jump to my keyboard


Choosing the right programming language is a matter of personal choosing ... some prefer to use a simple language like visual basic and other like the complexity of C++.


for me i use VC# for simple and complex tasks..


if your problem is a simple one i prefer Visual basic ...


but the most important is to try to understand the problem...





best regards ...
Reply:first you think about any game you like to play and get your ideal by create the game
Reply:First break your problem into small chunks. Then organize the small chunks so that you know which chunk needs what for input and what kind of output it creates.


Once you have this organized you can start to write the functions (in C) or methods (in Java) that fit together to go from the initial conditions to the required output - I know that sounds kind of vague, but that is what you get when you boil down an 80 hr course into a few paragraphs.


Start small and practice, practice, practice!