C++, C, C#, Visual C++, Java, Basic?

[Markpyro]

Im not very experianced in the "C++, C, C#, Visual C++, Java" area.
I want to learn this kind of programming, but I dont know where to start. Is there anything in particular that I should start with? I have my heart set on learning C++, but is there anything I should learn before it?

Thanks,
MP

[AqoTrooper]

you should start off with something ez, let's say, visual basic.
than learn C, than C++, and than Visual C++.
in the end you'll be ready to learn Java and Java Script.
also you might want to learn HTML and Microworlds in the way.

I suggest you to start learning first C, use 'Borland C++' and I sure you can find a good forum in the net for it.
if you won't find, than go to a university or ask me or some other WB member that knows it to teach you.
when you're done, you can study C++, and it'll be ez for you since you already know C and they have many things the same...
if you're interested I can also teach you MW, it's a special graphic programing languadge, it's very very ez to learn and you can program really cool things with it, it's only disadvantege is that it can't create *.exe.

anyhow, I suggest you learn things like flash or so, they'll help you much more since you can use them to make cool stuff fast and put on the internet.
but I don't know flash or paskal so if you're gonna ask me for help at all you better ask about those from other ppl here.

again, you can enter google and type it in search, you might just find forums that teach you about it...

[Fenguin]

Jump right into C++. There's no point in learning Basic before C++ because they are almost completely distinct. I recommend starting with basic C++ at first; don't try to do fancy forms and such using a visual editor because you'll have a harder time grasping the concepts. All you need is a editor (like TextPad) and a compiler and you're all set to go.

I somewhat recommend buying a book; even though you can probably find all the information online, having some organization to your learning will help you learn more in a shorter time. Most books start off with simple programs and so you will be able to progress at your own rate.

Later, if you have access to a Visual C++ program, get that; it can provide a visual interface for editing forms and such so you do not have to program them yourself. However, do this after you learn the basics of C++ itself.

[Markpyro]

Thank you, both of you. I have learned HTML + XHTML and CSS already, FYI.
Do you have any suggestions for books?

[TimP]

I agree, don't bother learning C first. All it will do is teach you bad procedural programming habits which will be harder to break when going into object oriented C++. Two popular C++ authors are Ivor Horton and Herbert Schildt, althought I haven't read their material. Jesse Liberty also has a C++ book out (Sams Teach Yourself C++ in 21 Days). I've read his C# books in the past and they are top notch.

In general, Sams publishing has good books for teaching yourself (hence the Teach Yourself line of books :)). Do NOT bother with anything other than the 21 days books. I've read a 24 Hours book and a 21 Days book and the 24 Hours books are quick and dirty. They just throw a bunch of code at you tell you it works rather than explaining it. The examples are also short sighted and not very practical.

To clear up some confusion, there is no difference between C++ and Microsoft's Visual C++. It's just the name given to Microsoft's C++ compiler. You can compile console applications with the VC++ compiler just like you can with any other compiler. In fact, the Microsoft Visual C++ .NET 2003 compiler is available for free, with the added bonus of being able to compile either to native code or managed .NET code (it's not too important to know exactly what that means now, but it's a perk). Their compiler has been rated one of the best compilers and you can't beat the price.

Alternatively, you could learn a fully object oriented language like C# or Java. In my experience I've found these languages to provide a simpler, more unified feel, but don't confuse this with being less powerful. The sky is the limit with both of these languages and they're commonly used in enterprise development.

If you have any more questions feel free to ask them and I'll try my best to answer them.

[TheBB]

Personally I'd skip C and all its siblings for a while and go straight for Java.

[Fenguin]

Personally I'd skip C and all its siblings for a while and go straight for Java.
I've had a rather bad experience with Java. It sucks that the JRE isn't even installed on half the computers are our school...

With Cxx, you can actually run programs on most computers. ;)

[Magmaniac]

// C++
// check out the ads down at the bottom. They might help you.

#include<iostream.h>
int main()
{
int forever;
forever = 1;
cout << "Start with C++ like I did. \n\n\n\n";
cout << "IT'S SO EASY!!!!!\n\n\n\n";
do
{
cout << "\nLOOPS ARE FUN!";
}
while(forever==1);
return 0;
}

[TheBB]

See what I mean? Which idiot created the damn << operator anyways... it blows! :P

I've had a rather bad experience with Java. It sucks that the JRE isn't even installed on half the computers are our school...

With Cxx, you can actually run programs on most computers. ;)

When VM's are installed everywhere - which they will be - you can run programs on ALL computers!

[Semi]

I personally started out with Basic because as a young lad C was way above my head.

I'm sure C takes longer to master than basic, and basic programs (i think) take far less time to program. Of course they are less powerful, so it really depends on your needs and time commitment.

Learning Basic after you learn C is easy as cake though, so if you have the time, learn C.

Edit: oh and by C i mean any of the C's

[TimP]

Modern VB.NET has come very close to C++ in functionality, though. Unless you're planning on writing high performance number crunchers (SETI, Prime95), 3D rendering engines, or device drivers, you can do just about everything in VB.NET that you can do in C++.

[Markpyro]

What is the deal with all of the "Basics"? What does VB.net have to do with regular old Visual Basic?
Could someone give a little background here?

[Sikawtic]

I got a big book and all... but how do you use the Borland compiler?

[Exedore]

See what I mean? Which idiot created the damn << operator anyways... it blows! :P
I like my binary shift operators! C++ overloaded them for input and output, but you can still use printf() from C.



Also, it's good to know how to properly program C over C++ because most programs do use C becuase it provides far better optimization. C++ is nice, but certain things have a huge overhead when compiled.

[TranquilNightElf]

Well I reckon you should at least go through C and C++ if not take the time out to learn them all out.
You should have fundamental understanding at least....
And if you should decide to take WinAPI programming, that would be good as well, depending on your requirements.

But yeah, learn JAVA !! . It'll serve you well.

[Markpyro]

Meh....
Again, what is the difference between VB and VB.NET? And what does VBA have to do with any of them?

[TimP]

When people refer to "VB", they're usually referring to Visual Basic 6.0. VB6 is from 1998 and is heavily influenced by COM (component object model). VB6 is generally considered obsolete in the sense that no major company would start developing a new application in it. Right now the code is just being maintained. VB.NET is centered around Microsoft's .NET Framework which debuted in 2002. VB.NET is the most significant change to Visual Basic and can almost be considered a new language, except for the retained keywords (Dim, etc.) If you want to learn VB, learn VB.NET. VBA on the otherhand was a subset of VB6 for automating and adding logic to Microsoft Office applications. VBA stands for Visual Basic for Applications.

VB.NET is being actively maintained and extended by Microsoft, with a new version of the language set to debut later this year. VB.NET code is compatible across all versions of VB.NET (but NOT VB6). Therefore, if you wrote an app around an earlier version of the language, it will still compile in the upcoming release. Here's a little history break down of VB:

1998 - Visual Basic 6.0
2002 - Visual Basic .NET/7.0 (.NET Framework 1.0)
2003 - Visual Basic .NET/7.1 (.NET Framework 1.1)
2005 - Visual Basic .NET/8.0 (.NET Framework 2.0) - To be released

The .NET Framework, SDK's, and compilers are all free, contrary to the VB6 days. In fact, if you have the .NET Framework currently installed, you can navigate to your C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v1.1.4322 (or v1.0.3705) folder and you'll see a bunch of files including a few applications:
vbc.exe - Visual Basic .NET compiler
csc.exe - C# compiler
jsc.exe - J# compiler

[Markpyro]

So, I shouldnt bother learning VB, but just learn VB .NET if I wanted to learn that area?

[TimP]

Yes, that would be your best bet.

[madman5]

// C++
// check out the ads down at the bottom. They might help you.

#include<iostream.h>
int main()
{
int forever;
forever = 1;
cout << "Start with C++ like I did. \n\n\n\n";
cout << "IT'S SO EASY!!!!!\n\n\n\n";
do
{
cout << "\nLOOPS ARE FUN!";
}
while(forever==1);
return 0;
}
I read a C++ book(C++ for the absolute begginer)and i can translate that! The first 5 pages taught me that. The whole book was about making games(At the end of a chapter, there was a game that summarized what you learned).

Also, how do you insert bitmaps and other pictures with out DirectX?

[Markpyro]

Dunno. Well, Im on Chapter 5 of my C++ book. Its all moderatly easy to understand, everything except the "Bitwise Logical Operations". :o I read the chapter and at the end I was like, "WTF WTF WTF?"

[madman5]

Dunno. Well, Im on Chapter 5 of my C++ book. Its all moderatly easy to understand, everything except the "Bitwise Logical Operations". :o I read the chapter and at the end I was like, "WTF WTF WTF?"Yeah that happend to me alot. I would read a sentance 10 times before I understood it:( At the end of chapters I understood atleast half of what was taught, although "Bitwise Logical Operations" wasn't in my book.

[GrassDragon]

Are the bitwise logic operations the AND, OR, and XOR stuff?

[TimP]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitwise

Although I've never had to use them in my programming experience. They deal with logic gates. (OR, AND, XOR, etc.)