i am very new to programming. i have done a little bit of HTML, but apart from that nothing. how do you actually get started with this programming thing?
HTML is not really a programming language, it's a markup language. I don't say this to sound elitist, it's merely a preface to warn you that real programming is different from how you envision it from your experience with HTML.
The first step to getting started with programming is to start programming. That sounds funny but it's true, you won't actual learn anything until you start pounding the keys and making things happen.
So where do you _really_ begin? Choose a language! The one you pick doesn't really matter. Learning to program is all about developing the mindset for it, and once you have that you can learn any language very quickly unless it has a strange design philosophy. I think it's safe to say that you came here because you want to make browser games, so starting with something like PHP would probably be a good choice. C#, Java, Python, Ruby, and Perl are also good starting points. In my college program we learned C first, because it's a staple language and requires you to understand programming at a low level. If you're a good C programmer then you can be a good anything programmer. I'll warn you though, you will not be making a game when you first start programming. You might not even make games in your first week, month, or maybe even year. Game development, especially web based games, requires a firm understanding of programming philosophies. You have to know about optimization, databases, and most importantly, security. All of these things take time to learn.
Programming languages break down into two categories from a broad perspective - compiled languages and scripting languages. For a beginner, it might be good to start with compiled languages just so you can get a taste for the software design process. Compiled languages tend to have a low level of expressiveness, meaning they do less per line of code written than a scripting language might do. I would say scripting languages are easier, but they are also slower and easier to put a bug into that you might not understand how to fix if you're a beginner.
So I've said a lot so far and I haven't really said anything. How nice of me, eh? You're probably still a little lost, and I don't blame you, so you're probably just looking for someone to shove something in your face so you have a starting point to go from. Here it is: Java. Java is an object oriented compiled language that has its own memory management, it will teach you good coding practices without having to get tied down with pointers and references that C/C++ has you deal with. Java is also versatile, it can make console applications, GUI applications, applets for websites, and can also be used in Java Server Pages (JSP) to make websites. So where do you start?
http://www.javacoffeebreak.com/tutorials/gettingstarted/part1.html A lot of people will tell you to pick up a book and go through it, but there are tons of resources on the internet so we might as well make use of them. If you're just starting out then you might want to get a taste for a lot of different languages before spending some money on a book. Computer books can be fairly expensive
If Java isn't your cup of tea (such a bad pun), then for no other reason than personal bias I would have you go looking at Python.
http://www.python.org/ It's a scripting language with a lot of nifty features that can be used for almost anything. There's a lot of tutorials on the net and a lot of packages you can download for free such as pygame that make it more powerful. Check it out!
In order to actually start coding you will need to download a compiler or interpreter for your chosen languages. Follow my link for Java if you choose to go with that, it explains how to download the compiler and setup your computer to actually get going. If you go with Python, check out:
http://wiki.python.org/moin/BeginnersGuide for a guide on how to get, install, and code with Python.
It's dangerous to go alone, so take this bit of advice with you: ASK QUESTIONS. Don't know? ASK! Still don't know? ASK MORE! Don't be afraid or ashamed, and if someone tells you to RTFM, just ask someone else because you probably wouldn't want that person's answer anyway.
Hope this helps, happy coding!
