Ask HN: Your favourite tutorial for total beginners?

Article summary

The article asks for recommendations on tutorials for total beginners in any technology. The author mentions the Django Girls Tutorial as their favorite, citing its lack of assumptions about prior knowledge and good balance between big picture and small details. The article is a call for suggestions and recommendations from the community. Various tutorials and resources are discussed in the comments.

Main themes

• tutorials for beginners
• programming resources
• technology learning
• web development
• Haskell
• Rails

What commenters say

• The Django Girls Tutorial is a great resource for beginners due to its accessibility and balance of information.
• Some tutorials, such as the Rails Tutorial, may be too advanced for complete beginners and require prior knowledge of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
• Other resources, like Learn Enough Command Line to Be Dangerous and CS50, are recommended as more suitable starting points for total beginners.
• The effectiveness of a tutorial depends on the individual's learning style and prior experience, with some people finding certain resources helpful and others not.
• Tutorials that provide a gradual learning curve and hands-on experience, such as OneMonth Rails, can be beneficial for beginners.
• Some commenters disagree on the suitability of certain tutorials, such as the Rails Tutorial, for total beginners, citing the need for more foundational knowledge.
• Interactive and visual resources, like the Emacs interactive tutorial and the car differential video, can be engaging and effective for learning.
• The importance of understanding the basics and fundamentals of programming before diving into more advanced topics and frameworks is emphasized.