Hi everyone,

I know several of you here write Palm software. I've got a couple of simple applications I'd like to write for my Palm. For that matter, I have a couple of little tools I'd like to write for my Windoze machine, too.

I don't know anything about how to get started with this. I've never been a professional programmer, but I have written some medium-lengthy and complex engineering analysis software over the years. This stuff was all in FORTRAN, though, and pretty much entirely batch numerical analysis stuff (non-interactive). I wrote a couple of really simple Mac programs in the early 90's, so I have a basic idea of events and event-based programs. Those were in C, of course. I've been working through the SICP book, which is scheme, and probably not at all applicable to what I want to do. That's my meager programming background.

What do I need to do to get off the ground with writing a Palm application? I'm assuming there is a standard development environment, libraries, etc. Does this cost a small fortune? Is there an open-source alternative, with good documentation? Is there a repository of palm programs I can use as a starting point? Are there any must-read books on the subject?

I have the same questions for Windows. I thought I had heard about a developer program or an educational program through Microsoft where you could get their development environment. Is this the way to go?

I realize these questions are probably all stupid and really basic, but that's where I am. I want to get a development environment set up so I can make some simple programs.

For my first Windows program, I just need a window that can display the result of a specific postgresql query, going through the postgresql ODBC driver (I have no idea how any of that works yet). Even better, it would be great to have the result of this query (a number) display in the toolbar, updating every 5 minutes or so.

I was thinking about writing a networked Pong game for my first "real" Windows application. Or, start with pong vs. computer and then add the possibility to play over the network. Can someone suggest a better starting problem?

I would like to get to the point where I could make a real application, which leads me to believe that C is the way to go. My concern is the huge learning curve associated with learning the libraries (as it was with the Mac). Is this still the situation?

Thanks for helping a newbie get started.

Best,

Jim