Re: what is the best way to learn to program?

[little_mistress]

I think they both gave very good answers, but there is another thing that you want to think about What do you want to make? Some sort of project. Its onething to have a tool box full of tools, its quite another to have something that you want to make that is within your skill level.

The first thing i made was a multi-user webpage editing system that was modled conceptually after a newspaper with an "owner", "editors", "sections", "staff-writers", etc. It took me months! now i could probably do it in about 3-5 days.

Aside from the technical part, think about what you want to make. Have a goal, a project. Maybe you could write some customized commands for your shell, or some nifty little cgi thingy that gets a random line from the unix fortune program and puts a different one into a webpage for each visitor. Think of something fun, interesting, and useful. Then the actual "learning" part will be simple. Otherwise you just have a hammer and nails and nothing to build.