I first began programming in my freshman year in high school. My first programming language was QBASIC, introduced to me by a then junior. While looking for QBASIC tutorials over the internet, I came across a language known as C++. This language was described as very powerful, and since my goal in programming was to create video games, this langague appealed to me.

For my next birthday, I received the Standard Edition of Microsoft Visual C++ 4.0. I then bought a plethora of hard-text references. I now own about 20 books, which I consult quite frequently. It is a good idea to buy many books so that you can see different approaches and techniques to ultimately formulate the one suitable for yourself.

Like the QBASIC tutorials, many C++ tutorials can be found online. However, many tutorials and books require C (another programming language) as a prerequisite. Well, I never learned C, and thus my start with C++ was a rough one. These tutorials that I provide require no prerequisite knowledge in a programming language, however, I suggest learning QBASIC (I was able to do it in about 3 months) because: (1) it isn't very difficult, and (2) it will make concepts such as variables and loops easier to comprehend. A fair knowledge of mathematical functions (Algebra II/Precalculus) will also make some concepts clearer.

This site is intended as an open programmer's forum. For the time being, I will be writing all the tutorials which you see. I hope to churn out about 1 a week. If there is any interest in writing your own tutorials, let me know. Also, I need feedback to tell me whether I'm doing a good job, and if not, what I need to change. I have no objections to using my source code, but please, if you do so, make a comment saying where you got the code from.

Also, I am currently learning Java and JavaScript, so if you don't have a Java-savvy browser, download one! otherwise in the future you will not be able to view the site.

Well, that's all I have to say. Welcome to the world of programming!

--Kevin Menard, Jr.