Hi everyone,
I picked up Brian Overland's "C++ Without Fear" last week to see what C++ is all about. I've never touched C++ before this and the most programming-related experience I have is writing a few basic scripts in Visual Basic for Excel and I've used SAS before. So far, I'm following the book and understanding almost everything (and more importantly, really getting into it and enjoying it), but there is one issue I have...
I was unable to get the compiler supplied with the book working (it has you do everything in a DOS shell, which I've NEVER used before) and finally just gave up and downloaded Dev-C++ to use. I do have a working compiler now, but it made me realize how little I know about using my computer. I don't know anything about using DOS and struggled with what seemed to be common knowledge in the world of computers.
I like the Overland book and have been using it in conjunction with the tutorials on this site, but I'm worried my lack of overall computer knowledge is going to hinder me if I do become serious with C++ and programming in general to make it more than just a hobby. The book explains the code and why certain things act the way that they do, but gives absolutely NO direction to the complete amateur it's geared toward in terms of how to use the compiler (or even where the files are once you extract them). I couldn't get the environmental variables to work and needed a much more step-by-step walkthrough on using a compiler than the book gave. Luckily, Bloodshed is pretty straightforward...
Can anyone recommend some basic books/websites/any supplements to the Overland book that will help me not only expand my C++ knowledge, but my computer knowledge in general?