Thread: Does it matter to know how C++ were made or just to use it!?

  1. #1
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    Does it matter to know how C++ were made or just to use it!?

    Hello , i'm a totally beginner in Computer and want to get an answer to this question:

    first ,I read a short history about C++ on Wikipedia , and noticed that it was developed as enhancement to C . The one who made these changes ( Bjarne Stroustrup as I think ) , exactly what type of knowledge he has to do it... !! And can I learn that in some entertaining way away from tedious computer-invention history or the long articles on Wikipedia ... Or the most important , does it really matter or enhance my career to learn how it's made or just how to use it properly !?

    Thank you !

  2. #2
    C++ Witch laserlight's Avatar
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    History is fun, but it usually does not play a part when you are actually programming. Perhaps it will come in handy if you have to design a solution to a problem, then you recall that some famous guy solved a similiar problem before, so you can look up his solution for ideas. However, until you have the basics right, you can design all the solutions you want but you'll never implement anything.

    If you're talking about learning C before learning C++, then I say do not bother. C++ may have begun life as "C with Classes", but it is so much more than that now.
    Quote Originally Posted by Bjarne Stroustrup (2000-10-14)
    I get maybe two dozen requests for help with some sort of programming or design problem every day. Most have more sense than to send me hundreds of lines of code. If they do, I ask them to find the smallest example that exhibits the problem and send me that. Mostly, they then find the error themselves. "Finding the smallest program that demonstrates the error" is a powerful debugging tool.
    Look up a C++ Reference and learn How To Ask Questions The Smart Way

  3. #3
    Malum in se abachler's Avatar
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    As usual, I agree with laser, C++ is really the way to go unless you intend to program PLC's, microcontrollers, or GPU's. Im old enough to have learned C first because thats all there really was, then learned C++. I have to say I wish C++ had come out sooner. Mostly if you learn C++ you wont have any problems writing code for C as long as you remember not to use classes, the opposite is not necessarily true.

  4. #4
    Carnivore ('-'v) Hunter2's Avatar
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    exactly what type of knowledge he has to do it... !! And can I learn that in some entertaining way away from tedious computer-invention history
    Take a course in compilers and/or programming language design. You won't find much history. Otherwise, you can gain similar experience/knowledge by attempting to write a scripting engine, which you can possibly later use in something like a game console to make it actually 'useful', i.e. entertaining. Of course, this requires learning the language very well to begin with, and programming a game...
    Or the most important , does it really matter or enhance my career to learn how it's made or just how to use it properly !?
    No, it doesn't matter.
    Just Google It. √

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    It is not necessary to know history of a language to be able to use it. Most of us know very little about how the English language evolved, but we manage to communicate using it. Similarly, it is not necessary to know the history of C or C++ to be able to use modern C or C++ effectively. There are, however, times when it is useful to know the history -- historians will need to know the history of a range of spoken or written languages, and some developers (eg those who must maintain legacy code, which is a fairly common occupation in some enterprises) will need to know something of the history of C and C++ to be able to know what particular constructs need to be avoided, and why.

  6. #6
    Captain - Lover of the C
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    I personally feel that as you get better with C/C++, you will inherently learn about how C/C++ works internally and even the people who helped it evolve. I mean, look around. The best programmers on this forum (the people who can use C/C++ most effectively) are also the people who know the most about how C and C++ were made.
    Don't quote me on that... ...seriously

  7. #7
    Cat without Hat CornedBee's Avatar
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    Also, during learning C++, you will from time to time come across a property of a language that will seem strange to you. Understanding the history of C++ means understanding why it works the way it works.
    All the buzzt!
    CornedBee

    "There is not now, nor has there ever been, nor will there ever be, any programming language in which it is the least bit difficult to write bad code."
    - Flon's Law

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