What's the best way to learn programming??

[regulus]

I played around with C-Sharp a month or two ago but lost motivation due to it just becoming impossibly complex after a while and I found myself writing many lines of unnecessary code to achieve something simple. I'm not interested in working in IT but just playing around with XNA and modifying other people's code to achieve something different is what I'm after.

How do I go about learning proper programming and proper techniques on a hobbyist level? How did YOU learn your skills? Any good books or good tutorials?
I did Google and found a boatload but the age old problem persist, the author usually assume too much and lose me very quickly.

I have LOADS of time on my hands and wanna do this properly this time round.

 

[regulus]

Thanks for all the replies. I've slaved away many hours at some very tough programs and what irritate me most about most tutorials or books is that they show you HOW to do it, but not WHY in any given problem.

Example, I can write complex looping structures but at the end have no idea how I got to my result.
Another example, I can write a program that interface with any database but I don't understand a thing about the code i wrote. I just know how to write it.
Hope it makes sense. Hard to explain really

I've tried reading books on the art of programming but I was waaayyyy out of my technical depth and gave up after giving it one hell of a go.

Anyway, I'm looking at that book inquisitor and will prolly go buy it tomorrow

 

[regulus]

I still cannot grasp the concept of classes and the inheritance from them. Simple as they may seem, I just don't "get" them. I sort off know how to use them, but it'll make my life SOOO much easier if someone can explain them to me if simple, layman English. I have off course loads of other stuff I still don't get, but classes would be a good start.

Btw, what forums were you asking on?

Edit: Luckily arrays in all its shapes and forms have been kind to me...so far.

 

[regulus]

Ok, here's my understanding from what you guys just wrote.

I write my base class and leave it be to do its "thing". I inherit from class into another class with EXACTLY the same properties to which I can add or change as necessary. It's essentially the same class but this time changed a bit to accomplish something else.

I understand the concept well (hopefully ), but I cannot immediately see the value of inheriting from the base class. Why not just load all the attributes, variables and methods into the base class and call them from there? Or am I understanding this wrong?

edit: Inquisitor, you write very well but you get very technical in using a lot of jargon. I understand 100% what you're saying and you say it well, but if a complete newbie was reading that he would run away screaming.
Daven, you are more beginner friendly!

 

[regulus]

Thanks again for replying guys. I understand much better now and will spent most of tomorrow just writing different classes and wrapping my head around their different uses. I had a quick look on Microsoft's site and found an Absolute Beginners series of media helping noobs like me get started.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/express/visualcsharp/learning/default.aspx

For anyone else just starting out.

I'll be sure to check back with any issues that arise (and they will).
That Game of Life looks very cool and I would love to be able to write something like that in the near future.