[Ligeti]

Hello

This is not a tutorial, and not a guide, this is my personal (and humble) opinion about what you should learn to understand programming (in general)

First, I would like to say something about hacking:

Hacking is not all about IT security, most people (even here in HC) define a hacker as an "IT security geek" which is not at ALL true! a hacker can be talented in anything, composing music, cooking food, reading poems, diving into volcanoes ... no that would be classified as stupid! *joking*

Hacking is an extreme interest, in how stuff work (knowledge with great amount of details) by disassembling and reassembling if possible, it is also an attitude, some people are born with this attitude, others work hard to achieve it.

So you want to learn how to program and you don't know where to start (totally lost)? OK... here is my answer:

1. Learn Python and learn HTML scrapping with it (don't waste your time arguing ... just do it)
   
2. Learn C/C++ and learn how to write a sniffers using winPcap library (or Pcap for Linux).
   
3. Learn how to code a simple client/server applications (Windows Sockets2 for example)in any language you want (compiled-able language).
   
4. Learn assembly language, it is easy to learn!, look ... you may never code in assembly, BUT you will CRACK, you will DEBUG and you may program a PIC (programmable Integrated Circuit) and for that you will need assembly.
   
5. HTML is not a "programming language", and %90 of the people I personally know who say that they know HTML, they don't! My advice: learn HTML5 (notice the 5), and focus a lot on the header, you should read the header and fully understand everything right there... (where are the links, sources.... etc. are coming from).
   
6. JavaScript is a "MUST"! A nice (and fun) way to learn it is ... using Greasemonkey plugin (Firefox)
   
7. Perl: if you are going Linux, then you must learn Perl, in fact you should learn all the 3Ps (Python, Perl and PHP)
   
8. Batch and Shell (and powershell is also great to know)
   
9. Learn how to write plugins for Firefox... or Chrome!
   
10. Learn how to write plugins for Notepad++ (optional, but really handy)
    
11. Learn AI, Prelog and/or LISP (very few does... and the smart ones will do)
    
12. Learn how to search and use Google!
    

Don't waste time now on OOP (object oriented programming), YES DO NOT FOCUS ON OOP NOW!!! Alright? It will come to you in time... because OOP takes time to fully understand (specially if you are speaking C++), Don't rush, there are more important stuff to learn now!

Don't focus on pretty interfaces and GUIs, GUI is important, but %99 of the tools I like to use has no GUI!

Delphi, Java and .Net are languages (or programming environments) used for big projects, you wont need that now (or ever)...

OK, another thing, when learning a programming language, you should know -at least- how to:

• Working with files.
  
• Multithreading (when possible).
  
• SQL DBM connectivity, where DBM stands fro Database Management System, means... how to connect to SQL Server, MySQL, Oracle and PostgreSQL.
  
• Data Structure.
  
• Algorithms.
  

And you must know something about communication... I mean, what is RS232, to connect to a mobile phone and send a message from the PC (Bluetooth) using AT Commands (specially Samsung and iPhones)

Some facts:

• C language is not dead, and whoever say so knows nothing about OS, PICs/dsPICs, FPGAs, Drivers, Arduino, Motorola...
  
• There is no white hat, black hat ... there is a hacker, or not a hacker!
  
• All you need to be a hacker is to hack "quietly"
  
• Don't bother yourself with what others may think of you, bad or good... it doesn't matter (bad or good), all what matter is what you really want (your goal) so don't even think about yourself, or your feeling (am I smart? am I good enough? am I ... etc!), the answer to all those questions will always be "No!", so focus only on the goal (one step at the time)... "slowly, but sure"
  
• Security does not exists, there is only the illusion of being secure, and as someone said: "a false sense of security is worse than a true sense of insecurity"
  
• Read, not only IT stuff... read Sun Tzu (Art of war), read history books, quit TV shows and stupid Sci-movies, be active, be creative, be thankful... be good!
  

Of course... there is more to all that, but I think that it is enough for now, and if you want to learn more, search the forum and I am sure that you will find it, if you can't you can always request a tutorial, or you can just ask me and I will post one here on HC (and I may post many tutorials soon)

Very Important:
I am too old, and too tired to argue with anyone, I don't do "competitions" if you know what I mean... I am here just to help whenever I can, but mainly... I am here to make friends, so be one

Thank you
Ligeti
(Source: Ligeti++)