i am in an epic quagmire of horrid misunderstanding.

its been a while since ive been in the scene, couldnt remember my login for the account i used to have here, so excuse the 1st post. i dont want it to seem like ima post n boogy. in any case here we go:

just recently installed mandriva one 2009 to run away from Ubuntu. working great, got everything configured so i figured it would be a great time to try and jump back in where i left off and try and get some scripting under my belt. ive made petty shots at other languages like PERL and C and whatnot before, but my mind always gets scattered when it comes to a certain point.

You know in EVERY programming book, right after learning about variables you start to learn about those dreaded LOOPS and CASES! yeah..... everytime, thats when things start going downhill in a hurry. I figure attempting to learn the logic and flow using scripting would be a good stepping stone before hitting a massive language. but the main reason for this post is this.

"Does anybody have some tips on understanding and mapping out the logic and flow of scripts"

ive dont the whole, write the outline of the program and fill in the code, to no avail. and obviously practice makes perfect. but i kid you not, ive been sitting here for 8 hours and on my 3rd pot of coffee nailed down solo reading Shell Programming in 24 Hours... and im ahead of schedule.... for a little bit at least. Doing the exercises is something ive been making attempts at, but in all reality, im trying to find a way to idealize whats happening better and was hoping one of the guru's here could offer some assistance for a lil starter boy.

i appreciate whatever responses come in advance, and i look forward to hopefully un-knotting my nuerons. theyre kinda upset between the heavy doses of coffee and the non-stop CRT Screen watchin. take care and thanks again!