Where to start learning to program?

So I want to learn how to program/script; however, I have no idea where to begin. There's so much to learn and so many different resources that it's daunting, so I decided to come here for advice!

First, I know I want to learn C# first (which is the main reason I'm posting this here, since I know Unity uses C#), but don't know any good resources for learning. I was mainly wondering what books and tutorials you would recommend ( I would like to have a few books so I can learn on car trips/out of home), and on how to start learning how to program. I understand that may sound silly, but I really don't know where or how to start.

Secondly, while reading a topic on another forum I saw people suggesting Pseudo-code and Algorithms as a good starting point. I was wondering how you guys feel about that, and again... Where and how to learn it.. And what is Pseudo-code exactly?

Sorry if I sound a bit dense or dumb, I just have no clue how to begin.. And sorry if this isn't the correct place to post this.

 

Pseudo code is an explanation of how things work. But usually when you try to run it you will get error messages because it is pseudo to explain the concept.

Did you have a look at the Learn section up there in the menu? You can find plenty of useful resources there.

When this doesn't really help then you may be the kind of type who prefers to learn from a book. Ignore the general C# books. You want to learn how to make games with Unity, not how to code a calculator. So you better grab a Unity book. Most of them are still made with Unity's JS. But there are some C# books around now too. So keep your eyes open when you search for the right book.

And then there is the learning by doing approach. Grab Unity. Open it up, create a cube, now find out how to rotate it by using this forum and Google. When solved go on with the next problem and so on.

You can also mix the methods. The important bit is that you deal with it in the one or another way. That way you learn something new every day. Up to the point where it starts to make sense.

 

I see..

Well, the main problem about the "Learn" section is that it deals mainly in youtube video's or online resources, which is fine; however, my internet is extremely slow (46 kb/s download speed) which makes watching any stream/video a real pain, especially how Youtube does it when they won't buffer the whole video, which is why I'd rather learn from books.

This may seem like a silly question, but when learning C# from Unity books, will I also be able to take that information and program outside of Unity?

 

Yes. Of course you have to learn a bit more than just the Unity api then.

 

You can find many tutorials on how to make certain games in unity in text format on the net, even in C#. I used Google and it worked wonders but you probably have to check if it's Javascript or C#

For the silly question. C# is much more than what you learn to program in Unity. Still, I think learning C# from Unity is a good start for beginners. Then moving to more C# should be easier since you are used to the normal programming basics such as loops and ....other stuff.