Very sorry, but this must be the most n00b question =]

Hey there,
I've wanted to learn a programming language for quite a while, but Visual basic, seemed just that, too basic, so i went higher and found out C++, my freind said i wouldnt be able to, but i'm going to try. As im only 13 i cant purchase any, am i right in saying, C++ IDE?, but ive found "Dev-C++" which i think is what i need, is this correct?
Also if any of you could give me a helping hand somehow, would be greatly aprieacted.
Many Thanks
/Ben

Visual Basic is not "basic". But regardless...

> but ive found "Dev-C++" which i think is what i need, is this correct?

Yup. Perfectly good for starters.

> so i went higher and found out C++, my freind said i wouldnt be able to,

Your friend is too pessimistic. Many have started programming in C++ at your age. Programming seems to be much easier for young minds. Just don't expect it to be too easy... or even easy

> Also if any of you could give me a helping hand somehow, would be greatly aprieacted.

This is the place, for sure. But most in here expect you to not ask for the sake of asking. It's always best when you show that at least you tried to search for the answer. Anyways, start by reading the tutorials on this website. That will start you with C++... http://www.cprogramming.com/tutorial.html. Search the web for "C++ tutorial" too and you'll be amazed. Have fun and ask anytime you get stomped.

Yeah, I started programming at 13. It's great to learn then because you have a solid base for the future.

Ben,

C++ is a good language to learn the foundations of programming. In some ways it might be better to start-out with a simpler language, but there are a couple of advantages to C++:

- It is very popular. There may be more classes, books, and websites on C/C++ than all other programming languages combined.

- It is a powerful language. Most commercial programs are built on C or C++. Most of the applications in your PC were probably written in C++, and there's a good chance that the program running in your DVD player was written in C or C++.

If you want to "impress your friends", Visual Basic will get you there sooner. But, you may be writing Visual Basic programs without really understanding programming.

The downside to C++ is that you must start-out with text-based programs. There are no graphics, color, mouse, sound, or networking in Standard ANSI/ISO C++.

Of course, all of these things can be done "in C++" but they are done with additional libraries that go beyond the standard. Dev-C++ includes the WinAPI library, so you can write full Windows GUI programs with it.

There is still a lot to Standard C++ (much more than you might think by looking at the tutorials). If you were taking C++ in college, you would probably take 2 semesters of Standard C++, before moving-on to non-standard areas such as Windows GUI programming, or network programming.

Don't be discouraged if it takes you several hours to get Dev-C++ downloaded, installed, and working. I've never used Dev-C++, but every time I've tried-out a compiler for the first time, there have been "road bumps" and it can get frustrating. If I can get "Hello World" compiled & running the first day, I'm happy and ready to start making "real progress" the next day.

I strongly recommend that you get a book. If you make it half-way through the tutorials, and are you still are interested, a book will help. A good beginning book will cover essentially the same information as the tutorials, but with much more depth and explanation. You'll typically get a full chapter on each subject covered by the tutorial. For example Accelerated C++ is about 350 pages, and Teach yourself C++ in 21 Days is about 750 pages.

Then, you will need a more advanced book. Thinking C++ makes a good 2nd book, and you can download it FREE!!! I assume that you don't have a job, so free and on-line may be important. Computer/programming books cost more than novels, but less than textbooks. Hopefully, your parents can afford to buy you books, and hopefully they appreciate the value of an educational book! You can never have too many programing books!

I would be even better to take a class, if your school offers one. It's my impression that about half of the people here on this forum are learning on their own, and about half have had formal classes. Many of the real experts (and professional programmers) here have taken Computer Science in college. I have taken a few programming classes in other programming languages, but all of my C/C++ is self-taught. (I'm still not an expert after many years of part-time programming.)

good luck,

Doug.

When I was 13, I can only script a DOS batch file and the basic functionality of QBasic. Didn't know about C back then. Didn't know that it even existed.

I missed those days. The days of DOS, Wordstar, and Lotus 123. The days of Alleycat, Prehistorik, and Lotuscar.

BTW, IMHO I think you are on the right path when you've chosen C++ over VB. If you get stuck with VB, you won't get far because VB is not real programming. All you need now is perseverence, and hardwork because it's much harder than VB.

>> BTW, IMHO I think you are on the right path when you've chosen C++ over VB. If you get stuck with VB, you won't get far because VB is not real programming. All you need now is perseverence, and hardwork because it's much harder than VB.

Yeah yeah! Unsupported assertions rock!

I first signed up to this board when I was eleven. Just expect your reasons for programming to change as you do. I have taken leave from C++ many times, but for some reason I keep coming back.
Remember also that a programming language is just that -- a language. And so learning the language is only the first step to writing "non-trivial" applications (games, utilities, simulators, etc.) Forgive me if I've insulted your intelligence, but these are my thoughts.
Make sure your tutorials are not outdated (that tattered For Dummies book in the back for the library is NOT FOR YOU).

I peronally think visual basic is harder to program then C++. I dabbled in it before I took my C coutse at college and found it very frustrating to get to grips with. Perhaps it's just me. It seems very much related to Windows programming with the "end sub" routines and so called - buttons creations. Oh, and I used MSVstudio.net too, so perhaps that was my error there.

On the correct subject, taking C++ like all above have stated is an excellent stepping stone into the proffesional world of programming if that is your ideal goal later on. It is the most well used and well known language, and some other languages have spawned from it, including Java and C#. I wish you all the best in your studys

Originally Posted by g4j31a5

BTW, IMHO I think you are on the right path when you've chosen C++ over VB. If you get stuck with VB, you won't get far because VB is not real programming. All you need now is perseverence, and hardwork because it's much harder than VB.

I should burn you for that comment. Though I do agree with you that the right path is C++ rather than VB. But I guess it depends on what you want to do. For just general programming, C++ is a better choice if you can come to grips with the complexities (seems to be easier for young people), but VB is better if you want to do quick-n-dirty GUI-based apps. Every tool has a purpose. Read my sig. :P

I started programming at your age, as i'm only 14 now

Many Thanks All for the comments and help,
I've Ordered The Teach yourself C++ in 21 Days book, seems good
Edit: ive managed to find a "hello world" program, that hasnt got any errors, but i Compile and Run it, and it says compiling, but nothing else happens after, is there a window meant to come up with the program?
or is it just me? or even just meant to be like that
many thanks

>I've Ordered The Teach yourself C++ in 21 Days book, seems good
It's not. Jesse Liberty is not a good author. He complicates things more than they need to be.

>i Compile and Run it, and it says compiling, but nothing else happens after
What compiler are you using? It could be that a console window is being created, but it flashes so quickly that you don't see much. That happens with Dev-C++, and some solutions are in our FAQ.

>It's not. Jesse Liberty is not a good author. He complicates things more than they need to be.

I have this book and i think it's great, this is what i'm reading at the minute, it's not a bad book.

>What compiler are you using? It could be that a console window is being created, but it flashes so quickly that you don't see much. That happens with Dev-C++, and some solutions are in our FAQ.
just the built in complier as far as i know =]

I like C++ primer, I've read C++ primer plus which is good if you're new to programming, but I find that it gets pretty stale and uninteresting until the later chapters (classes are not formally introduced until abut 11-12 chapters. Plus there are a lot of chapters which spend too much time on design without really saying anything. I think you'd like C++ by Lippman et al.