Thread: Need help starting up :)

Hey guys , I just started with my 2nd year in college in India. I know programming on C++ , have studied it till a brief intro of OOPs.
I have been working a very old IDE , TurboC++ 3.0 , shifted to 4.5 though. I am not able to work using graphics.h as I am running a windows 7 home basic. My field of interest in programming is basically game programming , want to learn it but for that i need graphics to work. Can you please help me out with this maybe suggest a different compiler which supports graphics etc.

I tried 3.0 turbo using dosbox but it was unable to load the header's, despite setting the correct directories

If you're doing game design there's a wide range of game .libs out there that you can use for graphics, sounds, and input. You just have to look. Lmao.

Some of the languages out there are: SDL, Ogre3D, OpenGL, or Allegro.

Two compilers that I really like are Dev-Cpp, and Code::Blocks.

Just keep doing your research on game design and programming man. Game design is a loooonnnggg process, trust me, I've posted a good amount of my problems on here. Ha ha.

Here's some links so you can be lazy. ;]
Bloodshed Software - Dev-C++
Simple DirectMedia Layer
Code::Blocks

The others you can look up! ;D

Originally Posted by FoFGhost

Some of the languages out there are: SDL, Ogre3D, OpenGL, or Allegro.

these are not languages. they are libraries. you should learn the difference between the two.

Two compilers that I really like are Dev-Cpp, and Code::Blocks.

those are not compilers. they are IDEs. an IDE is a graphical interface for editing, compiling, and debugging code, but the actual compilation is done by GCC or MSVC++ (or others) and those compilers are generally console programs that the IDE invokes when you click the build button.

also, Code::Blocks is pretty well respected around here, but Dev-Cpp is very very very very VERY old and extremely buggy. it has not had a new version since 2006, and when you download the version that comes with the mingw compiler, it gives you a version of GCC that was released in 2003. do yourself a favor and get Code::Blocks or Eclipse CDT or NetBeans and mingw with GCC 4.5. Microsoft Visual C++ Express Edition is also an excellent option, and is also available at no cost.

Hey , thanks for the input guys!

I downloaded both , Codeblocks and Visual C++

I realise that Visual C++ is quite different from Turbo that I had been using , besides the interface , there is a certain which is killing me...HOW DO I CODE ON IT?

I started a new console application but it has some
#include "stdAfx.h"
blah blah
int main(blah)
blah

which I have no clue about , can someone help me out?

I usually start by including the required header's, conio.h stdio etc and write a void main etc.
Is my knowledge of C++ not good enough?
Can someone help me out?

You forgot to uncheck the "put stdAfx.h" box in your project settings (look for "precompiled headers") -- you'll want to get rid of that.

There is no conio.h, stdio, or void main in C++ (and I don't think there ever were).

Originally Posted by Arpan Das

Is my knowledge of C++ not good enough?
Can someone help me out?

you have the tools now, but it looks like you are correct in that your C++ knowledge is where you are deficient now. look at the list of recommended books on this forum. as an example, Accelerated C++ comes highly recommended.

Originally Posted by tabstop

You forgot to uncheck the "put stdAfx.h" box in your project settings (look for "precompiled headers") -- you'll want to get rid of that.

There is no conio.h, stdio, or void main in C++ (and I don't think there ever were).

Not possible.
iostream.h , conio.h , stdio.h are header files in C++ , and the very basic which govern input and output.
void main() is the first function that is called. But i think this syntax is 20 years old thats why.
I will use a few books and look up precompiler headers.

Originally Posted by Elkvis

you have the tools now, but it looks like you are correct in that your C++ knowledge is where you are deficient now. look at the list of recommended books on this forum. as an example, Accelerated C++ comes highly recommended.

I guess my knowledge is not upto date in C++ , I will have to read up more , thanks

Originally Posted by Elysia

You have a big learning curve ahead of you. Turbo C++ is an old IDE by today's standards and today also useless. It supported lots of non-standard stuff that is never used today.
I suggest you check out some tutorials on using the Visual Studio IDE to get hang of it.
As for stdafx.h, check some tutorials on precompiled headers to understand what they are and where they come from and what they do. Stdafx.h is a precompiled header.

Yes I realised. I think I have time to cover it , I just started with computer engineering. And I do need to read a lot. With your help I can go on to know this better.

Originally Posted by Elkvis

these are not languages. they are libraries. you should learn the difference between the two.



those are not compilers. they are IDEs. an IDE is a graphical interface for editing, compiling, and debugging code, but the actual compilation is done by GCC or MSVC++ (or others) and those compilers are generally console programs that the IDE invokes when you click the build button.

also, Code::Blocks is pretty well respected around here, but Dev-Cpp is very very very very VERY old and extremely buggy. it has not had a new version since 2006, and when you download the version that comes with the mingw compiler, it gives you a version of GCC that was released in 2003. do yourself a favor and get Code::Blocks or Eclipse CDT or NetBeans and mingw with GCC 4.5. Microsoft Visual C++ Express Edition is also an excellent option, and is also available at no cost.

You know, when I read the first line of what you posted I automatically knew you were a "Debby ..........ing Downer". Sorry for my typo on the "languages", before that I did say that there are plenty of game .libs out there. Just saying.

Another thing is those IDE's come with compilers, and I wasn't thinking about someone just downloading a compiler and not the whole package. So EXCUSE me boss man that I could not fit your standards.

Originally Posted by tabstop

You forgot to uncheck the "put stdAfx.h" box in your project settings (look for "precompiled headers") -- you'll want to get rid of that.

There is no conio.h, stdio, or void main in C++ (and I don't think there ever were).

But unfortunately msvc accepts void main without so much as a warning, which is why soo many people insist on using it. Hell, even I was one of them before I knew better. I blame my lousy high school programming teacher for that.

Originally Posted by FoFGhost

You know, when I read the first line of what you posted I automatically knew you were a "Debby ..........ing Downer". Sorry for my typo on the "languages", before that I did say that there are plenty of game .libs out there. Just saying.

Another thing is those IDE's come with compilers, and I wasn't thinking about someone just downloading a compiler and not the whole package. So EXCUSE me boss man that I could not fit your standards.

they're not my standards. if you expect people to take your advice, it needs to be good advice, and you need to appear to know what you're talking about. using the wrong terminology is one of the fastest ways to lose credibility among the people who frequent this forum. if you took what I said as insulting, you need to grow thicker skin. I suspect you're not a little kid, so stop responding like one when someone gives you advice or guidance. if you really thought I was trying to be condescending, you misunderstood. you have a right to your opinion, but everything I said was accurate, and I stand by it.

Originally Posted by Salem

I think everybody missed this:

Unless there has been a sudden improvement in the educational standards, the OP is stuck with TurbidCrap.

Whilst upgrading to modern compilers is a good thing long term, and worth being aware of, it will do nothing for the immediate problem of handing in homework assignments. If the tutors are still stuck in the past, it's not going to help them much.

This (installing the compiler) is really a problem for their college to sort out - they mandate this rubbish, they should pay the price for supporting obsolescence on new hardware and operating systems. The free support on web forums for something this old is fast drying up.

It seems a tough choice
Follow the crowd, end up with a near useless 'certificate' and hope to make some good connections along the way to get you a job.
Or drop the course, learn modern C++ yourself using many fine online resources, and hope employers recognise you for the skills you have, as opposed to who you might know/owe you a favour.

Where can I learn modern C++? The precompiler header portion is something I cant find. I have learnt a very old version of C++ , in which we start a program with

Code:

#include<iostream.h>
...
void main()
{}

i know about classes , structures , linked lists etc. Im very well acquainted with all that.
But this is totally new to me. Can someone recommend me a book so that I can catch up? Also can someone tell me books on compilers and how different compilers work and what is the significance?