Should I learn C ?

[Charles]

Hi folks,

I would like to create an email client and organizer like MS Outlook, and I would give myself a year
to do this, in the evening & week-ends.
I have been looking for information on how to do it, and I found out I can develop such a program
using C, C++, or Delphi. I am new at programming, I just know some PHP, and JavaScript that I use
for my job, I like it. I don't know other languages, such as object-oriented languages.
What would you do if you were me? Would you choose Delphi, C, C++, or another language to develop an
email client and organizer?
I don't now the differences between these object-oriented languages...
Thanks a lot,

--
Charles.

[dfg]

Charles wrote:

Hi folks,

I would like to create an email client and organizer like MS Outlook, and I would give myself a year
to do this, in the evening & week-ends.
I have been looking for information on how to do it, and I found out I can develop such a program
using C, C++, or Delphi. I am new at programming, I just know some PHP, and JavaScript that I use
for my job, I like it. I don't know other languages, such as object-oriented languages.
What would you do if you were me? Would you choose Delphi, C, C++, or another language to develop an
email client and organizer?
I don't now the differences between these object-oriented languages...
Thanks a lot,
I would choose Ada(95). But really, you are posting in the wrong group.
It has nothing to do with programming in C. You should learn as many
languages as you can.

It can however take many MANY months/years to learn a language suitably
enough to do what you desire. Even the paradigms will take a long time
to get used to. Not only that, but you could actually do what you want
in most languages out there. Forth, Cobol, Fortran, Assembly language.
Anything.

--
Charles.

[John Kordyback]

Charles wrote:

Hi folks,

I would like to create an email client and organizer like MS Outlook, and I would give myself a year
to do this, in the evening & week-ends.
I have been looking for information on how to do it, and I found out I can develop such a program
using C, C++, or Delphi. I am new at programming, I just know some PHP, and JavaScript that I use
for my job, I like it. I don't know other languages, such as object-oriented languages.
What would you do if you were me? Would you choose Delphi, C, C++, or another language to develop an
email client and organizer?
I don't now the differences between these object-oriented languages...
Thanks a lot,

--
Charles.

It really depends what your goals are. You can't go wrong learning C or any
other language. I make my living using languages like Java and C#, but I feel
that years of programming in C (about 20 years now - where does the time go?)
helps me every day.

My advice would be, program every day. It's like playing a musical instrument -
you need to do always have your hand in. Object oriented languages like
SmallTalk, Java, and C++ (to a lesser extent) let you decompose the problem in a
different way and help most people manage complexity. I would worry less about
whether you are using OO, procedural, or 4GL type languages - think about
understanding algorithms, data structures, and having fun. If you enjoy what you
are doing, then that is your best indicator.

/qb

[Ben Pfaff]

"Arthur J. O'Dwyer" <aj*@nospam.and rew.cmu.edu> writes:

On Mon, 10 Nov 2003, Alan Connor wrote:

I, for one, would very much to see a good defintion of "algorithm" .

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=algorithm&r=67

Knuth Vol. 1, section 1.1 "Algorithms " is a good definition, if
you have easy access to it.
--
"Your correction is 100% correct and 0% helpful. Well done!"
--Richard Heathfield

[Alan Connor]

On Mon, 10 Nov 2003 01:37:25 -0500 (EST), Arthur J. O'Dwyer <aj*@nospam.and rew.cmu.edu> wrote:

On Mon, 10 Nov 2003, Alan Connor wrote:

I, for one, would very much to see a good defintion of "algorithm" .

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=algorithm&r=67
-Arthur,
trip trap! trip trap!

Thanks. I'll give it a looksee and then ask you to explain it :-)

But it will be a while. I do not have continuous access to the Internet.

--
Alan C this post ends with w
q

[Alan Connor]

On 09 Nov 2003 23:10:36 -0800, Ben Pfaff <bl*@cs.stanfor d.edu> wrote:

"Arthur J. O'Dwyer" <aj*@nospam.and rew.cmu.edu> writes:

On Mon, 10 Nov 2003, Alan Connor wrote:

>
> I, for one, would very much to see a good defintion of "algorithm" .

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=algorithm&r=67

Knuth Vol. 1, section 1.1 "Algorithms " is a good definition, if
you have easy access to it.
--
"Your correction is 100% correct and 0% helpful. Well done!"
--Richard Heathfield

Alas not. But thanks.

--
Alan C this post ends with w
q

[Richard Heathfield]

Alan Connor wrote:

I, for one, would very much to see a good defintion of "algorithm" .

"The Art of Computer Programming", Volume 1, Chapter 1, Section 1, pages 1
to 6.

--
Richard Heathfield : bi****@eton.pow ernet.co.uk
"Usenet is a strange place." - Dennis M Ritchie, 29 July 1999.
C FAQ: http://www.eskimo.com/~scs/C-faq/top.html
K&R answers, C books, etc: http://users.powernet.co.uk/eton

[Nils Petter Vaskinn]

On Mon, 10 Nov 2003 07:29:10 +0000, Alan Connor wrote:

Thanks. I'll give it a looksee and then ask you to explain it :-)

But it will be a while. I do not have continuous access to the Internet.

Short explanation: A step by step reciepe for doing something (not
nessesarily by using a computer, it could be step by step rules for
solving an equation on paper). Very often used to describe "the way to do
something" in programming.

Eg: step by step instructions for how to add an element at position N of
an array.

1. If nessesary increase array size.
2. Move all elements larger than N one place down the array.
3. Insert the new value at position N.

Wich translates nicely to (untested and probably buggy) code:

int add_to_array(in t value,
int** array,
size_t pos;
size_t *array_length,
size_t *array_elements )
{
int *new_array;
/* step 1 */
if (*array_element s == *array_length) {
/* adding would go over the edge */
new_array = realloc(**array , sizeof(**array) * (array_elements + 1));
if (!new_array) {
return 0; /* fail */
}
*array = new_array;
++(*array_lengt h);
}
/* step 2 */
memmove((*array )+pos+1,
(*array)+pos,
sizeof(**array) *(array_element s-pos));
/* step 3 */
*((*array)+pos) = value;
return 1;
}

--
NPV

"the large print giveth, and the small print taketh away"
Tom Waits - Step right up

[Richard Bos]

Alan Connor <zz****@xxx.yyy > wrote:

On 09 Nov 2003 23:10:36 -0800, Ben Pfaff <bl*@cs.stanfor d.edu> wrote:

Knuth Vol. 1, section 1.1 "Algorithms " is a good definition, if
you have easy access to it.

Alas not. But thanks.

It is worth getting. Not cheap, but worth its price. If only because I
laughed out loud when I discovered that he'd even dug up the cuneiform
spelling of that one Babylonean chap in the index.

Richard

[John Kordyback]

Alan Connor wrote:

"Algorithm" . One of those mysterious terms that shows up in so many diverse
contexts that it must have many definitions. Or be extremely general.

Not mentioned in the K&R index....Yet there is an entire and highly technical
book called "Algorithms in C" (So it says in "C for Dummies" where it fails
to define the term.)

The FAQ uses the term about 6 times but doesn't define it.

It's not in any of my Linux books...

I, for one, would very much to see a good defintion of "algorithm" .

It's a bad spelling of logarithm that your spell checker never catches.

/qb