If I wanted to learn programming

If he's not interested I am.

I've had trouble finding good books on coding in the more common languages(which is surprising, because you'd think that'd be the easiest).

Sure, I'd like that .pdf

I'd like to get started somewhere

I made a Mediafire account just for you.
http://www.mediafire.com/view/?1b2k37egiz166bg

Best of luck in your future endeavors!

C

[/troll]

Best option in my opinion is Java. Fairly easy to set up, and tons of online tutorials to help you. Get Eclipse or NetBeans IDE (I use NetBeans). Was the first language I learned.

This.

Figure out a project you want to do, make it simple. Figure out how to make it, in whatever language you want, though I'd aim for something where you have to actually do a lot of the system setup, message handling, etc yourself. That's how you'll learn.

Heck, if games are your focus, download Unity 3D and setup some simple games in C#. While the engine does some things for you, you mostly have to focus on setting up your logic, message handling, AI, etc. It's a great way to start to scratch the surface without burying yourself under complexity.

At 18, if you can, get your butt to school. The degree may or may not be useful, but learning how to learn is a good thing that most secondary schools don't teach, and you get access to a lot of things you might not otherwise have. More than anything, pick a suitable language and go. Don't worry about if you'll need to learn a different language later. You will.

For beginner programmers I always recommend starting with something that yields quick visual results.

Just last week I started learning my boyfriend some programming as he wants to get into Game Development, I made him install GTA San Andreas with Multi Theft Auto (http://mtasa.com/). After doing a few peer programming sessions he started making his own mods and came with ideas, we ended up making a complete delivery system (where you travel from location A to B to deliver goods, get a payment and then get assigned a new target location).

Just in those few sessions he learned about functions, variables, casting (turning strings into numbers and vice versa) as well as general household tricks on how to keep your code clean and readable. We're moving over to Flash now so he can start learning about objects, again, because Flash yields quick visual results.

In the end programming is just a matter of syntax, once you learned one language you pretty much know them all, you just have to flip the syntax switch in your head.

Do I need an advance computer for actually programming things? I'm using a laptop atm.

I've programmed on a Netbook before (don't recommend that, by the way). If you start doing complex projects, compile times on slower machines can start to bog you down, but it should take a while to get to that point.

Like most things, a fast computer always helps but isn't actually needed.

Conversely, I do a LOT of my development on a netbook. It's quite useful in the field, and since I do all my coding in a simple text editor in a Linux environment, it's really not that bad at all. Granted it would be nice to have more screen real-estate, but for the most part, I can manage. (Fun fact: For larger compiles, I can bypass the hardware limitations by rsynching the source code to my desktop, which does the compile and copies back the binaries. Handy!)

Tiny keyboard just makes my hands cramp.