Thread: Need some advices about c++ ,not just about the code

Originally Posted by Elysia

Don't forget that there are libraries too. If you're lucky, you might find one or two books in one.

We have two here, but one is only accessible to Indiana University students. The local library for the city has only the Teach Yourself books and DUMMIES series. When I asked why they simply replied with 'because the college equivalent are at the IU campus library' so I'm better off just buying them if and when I can (which is why I'm buying used because wife would have killed me if I spent almost $400 on all brand new books).

Hmm...Amazon didn't show me until after I bought the C++ Standard Library that there was a newer C++11 version. Should I have bought that one instead? Guess I can always get it later too or read things online in regards to C++11 features and what was added.

Originally Posted by BHXSpecter

Hmm...Amazon didn't show me until after I bought the C++ Standard Library that there was a newer C++11 version. Should I have bought that one instead? Guess I can always get it later too or read things online in regards to C++11 features and what was added.

Yes, you should have. Consider asking if you can return it. If not, it's not the end of the world, but you know, it would have been better if you could have...
C++11 is huge. It is not an incremental add on. It's almost an entire language that needs be taught from scratch. You will find that many ways of doing things in the older C++03 standard are rather obsolete now (raw pointers, for example).
I would recommend you read through a C++11 book instead of trying to retroactively append it to whatever you've learned. Wikipedia has a good article on what's new in C++11. Also, in case you are interested, C++14 is just around the corner. I doubt there are books yet, but if you are interested in what's new, check out isocpp.org.

Well, okay, I don't mean it exactly as people interpret it as (a weakness of mine, you might call it).
What I mean is that in the new standard, you will that certain things are done much differently than in the old (and for good reason).
I would, for simplicity's sake, recommend that you learn the methods used in the newer standards first, and only fall back on older methods as you need them. I doubt that there is any complete C++11 book that will cover everything, so it might be wise to read a C++11 book first before reading books based on the older standard.

Originally Posted by BHXSpecter

One problem. You are assuming I'm some noob looking to learn C++, which I am not. I have been programming in some form for 16+ years now. My wife and son's health has made me realize I need to turn my love of programming into a career. Unfortunately, I fell for all the bull the books out there gave about teaching you C++ and most ended up just seeming like the glazed over language features then ended with "You've learned to program, now go program." I just felt like the books I have read were terrible at teaching and feel like I'm missing so much about the language as to why I have so many issues with programming in C++. I have read C++ for Dummies back in '96 and felt lost, have since read Sams entire line of Teach Yourself C++ books (21 Days, 24 hours, 10 minutes), and the all have seemed lacking. I still felt lost even though I understood the classes, variables, io, functions, etc. and didn't know what advanced things they had outside of the basics.

The books I have never touched linked lists, binary trees, or anything like that. Don't think they even touched structs outside of saying structs are public by default and classes are private otherwise they are basically the same thing. I'm just glad that now I have a path other than the usual path beginner books give of "You finished, now go program!".

I hate how books like that make it seem like there is nothing more to programming than knowing a programming language. That's like saying there's nothing more to being an author than knowing how to write in a natural language. Being literate is certainly required to be an author, but it's not sufficient.

Likewise, teaching someone a programming language isn't the same as teaching someone to program. They are actually separate skills, though you need to know at least one language before you can really learn to program. The second skill is something that takes far more time and practice to hone.