Thread: to the cpp frontier

  1. #1
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    to the cpp frontier

    Hi
    any advice for a someone pushing to learn cpp? Besides "don't do it!" of course :-)
    I've been genning up on OO, but the syntax is kinduv strange = all this << cout biznez.
    really just looking for links that other people thought were good.
    Cheers.

  2. #2
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    Well, I guess C++ isn't the easiest language to learn [I already knew how to program in about 7 different languages when I started learning C++]. My advice is "Get a good book". Koenig and Moo's Accellerated C++ is one that I've seen recommended several times. There are other recommendations (and "unrecomendations") in the "Book recommendations" thread - it's a quite a long thread, but books that are recommended by several people in that thread are probably worth buying, and if you find one that is "unrecommended" by a few people, then that's probably one to avoid.

    If you can find a class at some school, that would also help you quite a bit [well, ok, so we see some strange teaching practices here, so not ALL schools are good, but it will most likely get you going quicker].

    There are some tutorials here on Cprogramming.com that you could read as well, to get you going the first few steps - but it's not a replacement for a book.

    --
    Mats
    Compilers can produce warnings - make the compiler programmers happy: Use them!
    Please don't PM me for help - and no, I don't do help over instant messengers.

  3. #3
    Frequently Quite Prolix dwks's Avatar
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    Three pieces of advice:
    1. Get a book. They're simply the best and most comprehensive way to learn a language.
    2. Get a good compiler. Using some junk compiler to learn how to program isn't going to help you in the long run. There are plenty of good, free ones around. cpwiki.sf.net/Integrated_Development_Environment
    3. Stick around here. CBoard should be able to answer your most puzzling questions in a few hours or minutes.
    dwk

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    I think my C and Java proficiency helped me learn C++ swiftly. I do recommend you buy a book if you do not know C. I also recommend you hit cplusplus.com and this site for miscellaneous help when your book isn't interactive enough for your learning needs.

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    I don't know why C++ came so smoothly to me, after all when I started I had literally no programming experience at all! I sincerely disagree with the people that say C++ is a bad language to start with. Just find a good book(C++ Without Fear was mine, highly recommend it) and spend some time really trying to learn it. Another thing, don't rush graphics. Learn console really good before moving to graphics.

  6. #6
    Banned master5001's Avatar
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    Some people are just naturals What can you say, Iruc. The better you are at problem solving, the easier programming will be for you.

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    that's great! I really appreciate all your replies.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by stabu View Post
    Hi
    any advice for a someone pushing to learn cpp? Besides "don't do it!" of course :-)
    I've been genning up on OO, but the syntax is kinduv strange = all this << cout biznez.
    really just looking for links that other people thought were good.
    Cheers.
    I really am not trying to be a prick or anything, but please note the words in bold, and learn to spell them correctly. Proper spelling is the foundation of good written communication.

    in any case, I'll offer my two cents to answer your questions.

    Links:
    www.cplusplus.com. Great reference section, especially for the C++ standard library.
    MSDN. If you're programming for Microsoft Windows, this is THE site to go to for reference. There is no greater authority for the win32 and .Net APIs.

    Books:
    Teach Yourself C++ in 21 Days by Jesse Liberty. This is the book I learned from, and it has been an excellent source of information even now that I am an experienced professional developer.
    Other books by the same author: Teach Yourself C++ in 24 Hours, Teach Yourself C++ in One Hour a Day.

    Also consider learning C# and Java, as they are increasing in popularity, and are very C/C++ like, and once you know C++, C# and Java are a breeze. It would help you greatly if you ever want to work as a software developer. The more you know, the more valuable you are.

    Learn any or all of the following: MS SQL, MySQL, and Oracle. Once again, the more you know...

    Learn to write code for Unix and its brethren like Linux, *BSD, Solaris, etc. Lots of companies are going to Linux because of the low cost of implementation.

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