Thread: Need some guidance

Hi again.

I have got a lot of free time now that my exams are finished. I'm planning to use quite a lot of it to learn more programming (I originally set my mind on C++ a while ago, but had to put it on halt). Now that I'm ready, I'm stuck between C and C++. I have been considering C because it seems a much smaller and simpler language due to the absence of object-oriented programming and other advanced techniques that may (or may not?) make my learning experience harder.

I want to use the knowledge gathered from learning a programming language to improve my problem solving skills, way of thinking, etc. So it's in a way purely for educational purposes.

So can someone shed some light on this?

Thanks!

If you just want to program for fun and improve problem-solving skills, use Python.

Originally Posted by laserlight

You might want to read Stroustrup's C++ FAQ for an idea of what the original designer of C++ thinks about programming in C++ and learning programming using C++.

Thanks for the link! It has answered a lot of my questions, and I'm so far convinced.

Originally Posted by medievalelks

If you just want to program for fun and improve problem-solving skills, use Python.

Well, I was hoping to either learn C or C++ because they seem to be the main and most popular programming languages. And because of this I will probably learn one of them in the end, so why not now?

Or is it best I go for a different language such as Python?

Originally Posted by Meikj

Well, I was hoping to either learn C or C++ because they seem to be the main and most popular programming languages. And because of this I will probably learn one of them in the end, so why not now?

Or is it best I go for a different language such as Python?

I would heartily recommend learning Python first. It doesn't take very long and is excellent as a first programming language because it teaches you the wider concepts of programming and structure without the level of detail and responsibility that comes with C/C++.

An excellent book to use is "Python Programming: An Introduction to Computer Science" by John Zelle. It's not so much a Python book as an intro CS book which happens to use Python. After this, the Riley books (Learning Python etc) are great.

After learning Python I went onto C and now I'm learning C++, I don't regret learning C before C++ at all and I'm glad I did. I really enjoy both languages and am happily switching my studies between them both now.

Originally Posted by Sharke

I would heartily recommend learning Python first. It doesn't take very long and is excellent as a first programming language because it teaches you the wider concepts of programming and structure without the level of detail and responsibility that comes with C/C++.

An excellent book to use is "Python Programming: An Introduction to Computer Science" by John Zelle. It's not so much a Python book as an intro CS book which happens to use Python. After this, the Riley books (Learning Python etc) are great.

After learning Python I went onto C and now I'm learning C++, I don't regret learning C before C++ at all and I'm glad I did. I really enjoy both languages and am happily switching my studies between them both now.

Thanks for the book recommendations. I'm definitely going to learn Python properly and deeply, it looks like a very good language to know.

I greatly appreciate all of your help. Thank you all!