Learining C++

[Donkey]

Now I am a beginner in learning C++. Can anyone answer me three
questions:
1. What free compiler is appropriate for a beginner to use?
2. What books or reference should I choose?
3. What should I pay attention to or What is the key points when I
study C++?
I will appreciate your help.

[Jaspreet]

Donkey wrote:

Now I am a beginner in learning C++. Can anyone answer me three
questions:
1. What free compiler is appropriate for a beginner to use?
http://www.thefreecountry.com/compilers/cpp.shtml
2. What books or reference should I choose?
3. What should I pay attention to or What is the key points when I
study C++?
I will appreciate your help.

[opalpa]

>> 1. What free compiler is appropriate for a beginner to use?
g++ http://www.cs.wm.edu/cspages/computi...orial/gpp.html

2. What books or reference should I choose? Lots of options. I do not have a specfic recommendation.
3. What should I pay attention to or What is the key points when I
study C++?

Road to mastery is long. Keep your wits about you and question what
you read. Try to write simple code, no matter how large the project.
Write code in small increments, compile frequently and verify that code
does what you expect frequently.

Opalinski
op****@gmail.com
http://www.geocities.com/opalpaweb/

[michaelkatsilis]

As well as learning the language and having a solid grounding there,
build your design skills because that's where it all fits in.

Regards,

Michael

[loufoque]

Donkey wrote :

2. What books or reference should I choose ?

Accelerated C++ is a good introductory book.
You could also consider the C++ programming language by Bjarne
Stroustrup, which can act as a reference.

[Daniel T.]

In article <11*********************@z34g2000cwc.googlegroups. com>,
"Donkey" <ne********@hotmail.com> wrote:

Now I am a beginner in learning C++. Can anyone answer me three
questions:
1. What free compiler is appropriate for a beginner to use?
I don't know anything about your OS, so I can't say... Do a google
search for "free c++ ide [your OS]"
2. What books or reference should I choose?
<http://accu.org/index.php/book_reviews>
3. What should I pay attention to or What is the key points when I
study C++?

Start high level. Many books try to teach C++ "from the ground up" and
that leaves you so caught up in the minutia of the language that you
can't seem to get any useful work done.

There's enough at this site to keep you going for a long time:
<http://www.cetus-links.org/oo_c_plus_plus.html>
--
Magic depends on tradition and belief. It does not welcome observation,
nor does it profit by experiment. On the other hand, science is based
on experience; it is open to correction by observation and experiment.

[Roland Pibinger]

On 27 Mar 2006 19:51:04 -0800, "Donkey" <ne********@hotmail.com>
wrote:

Now I am a beginner in learning C++.
.... and, I assume, a beginner in programming in general.
Can anyone answer me three
questions:
1. What free compiler is appropriate for a beginner to use?
2. What books or reference should I choose?
3. What should I pay attention to or What is the key points when I
study C++?
I will appreciate your help.

First you should learn C, not C++, which shall give you a good basis
for learning C++. You will not understand the numerous traps and
gotachas in C++ without the C foundation. For beginners learning C is
best done in a course, not from a book. You need someone who
demonstrates how to invoke a compiler and assists you in how to
interpret the inevitable error messages.
When you have a basic understanding of C (esp. pointers and memory
management) you can move on to C++ (probably also in a course). IMO,
books for beginners should introduce the language as simple as
possible. In that category are:
Deitel & Deitel: "C++ How to program" and
Schildt: "C++ from the ground up"

Good luck!
Roland Pibinger

[Roland Pibinger]

On Tue, 28 Mar 2006 08:57:58 +0200, loufoque
<lo******@remove.gmail.com> wrote:

Donkey wrote :

2. What books or reference should I choose ?

Accelerated C++ is a good introductory book.
You could also consider the C++ programming language by Bjarne
Stroustrup, which can act as a reference.

Both are not for a "beginner in learning C++".

[Roland Pibinger]

On Tue, 28 Mar 2006 13:34:50 GMT, "Daniel T." <po********@verizon.net>
wrote:

3. What should I pay attention to or What is the key points when I
study C++?
Start high level.

What should be the high level of the 'multiparadigm language' C++?
Many books try to teach C++ "from the ground up" and
that leaves you so caught up in the minutia of the language that you
can't seem to get any useful work done.

There's enough at this site to keep you going for a long time:
<http://www.cetus-links.org/oo_c_plus_plus.html>

Last revision: 2002-Feb-11 14:11:17 (GMT)

[Phlip]

Roland Pibinger wrote:

What should be the high level of the 'multiparadigm language' C++?

The OP is advised to start with A> a softer language like Ruby, to learn
programming in general, then B> /Accelerated C++/ by Koenig and Moo.

--
Phlip
http://www.greencheese.org/ZeekLand <-- NOT a blog!!!

[Thomas Tutone]

Roland Pibinger wrote:

2. What books or reference should I choose ?

Accelerated C++ is a good introductory book.
You could also consider the C++ programming language by Bjarne
Stroustrup, which can act as a reference.

Both are not for a "beginner in learning C++".

Why is Accelerated C++ not for a beginner learning C++? It may not be
ideal for someone without programming experience at all, but it's
pretty darn good for someone with basic skills in another programming
language.

Best regards,

Tom

[Marcus Kwok]

Roland Pibinger <rp*****@yahoo.com> wrote:

On 27 Mar 2006 19:51:04 -0800, "Donkey" <ne********@hotmail.com>
wrote:

Now I am a beginner in learning C++.
... and, I assume, a beginner in programming in general.

Can anyone answer me three
questions:
1. What free compiler is appropriate for a beginner to use?
2. What books or reference should I choose?
3. What should I pay attention to or What is the key points when I
study C++?
I will appreciate your help.

First you should learn C, not C++, which shall give you a good basis
for learning C++. You will not understand the numerous traps and
gotachas in C++ without the C foundation.

This contradicts the advise given in the FAQ:
http://www.parashift.com/c++-faq-lit....html#faq-28.2

They recommend not learning C first, since many of the idioms that are
good C style are bad C++ style, and thus must be un-learned.
For beginners learning C is
best done in a course, not from a book. You need someone who
demonstrates how to invoke a compiler and assists you in how to
interpret the inevitable error messages.
Yes, having someone around to help you can be extremely worthwhile.
books for beginners should introduce the language as simple as
possible. In that category are:
Deitel & Deitel: "C++ How to program" and
Not recommended:
http://accu.org/index.php/book_revie...04&term=deitel
Schildt: "C++ from the ground up"

Also not recommended:
http://accu.org/index.php/book_revie...8&term=schildt

In fact, most of Schildt's books are not viewed very highly:
http://accu.org/index.php/book_revie...t&field=author
Check out the other book reviews on http://accu.org/ for recommended
books for learning:
http://accu.org/index.php/book_revie...ew.xqy?subject

--
Marcus Kwok

[JCR]

Another way is to download QT 4 at trolltech.com (if you run Windows,
you can get the open-source version with the compiler MinGW (a perfect
compiler at least for the first few months of your learning cruve). You
can start then making nice little programs with GUI in C++! My point
is that C++ in the console is pretty boring and does not bring much
excitement for a beginner... There are plenty of online resources
(qtcenter.org) to learn the basics. You can also chose a different C++
toolkit with GUI capabilities; QT is a very good one but is not the
only one! Other candidates are WXWidgets,FLTK... and my apologies for
those not named here! Try to pick one that is cross-platform. If you
don't understand something not related to the QT/wxWidget/...
libraries, you can post here your question after having spent at least
one night on it. After a few weeks, pick up any of the books suggested
to put things together. Books and courses are more useful if you
already know a little about the topic. You can then explore the STL and
see how it fits in your programming interests. Maybe visit boost.org
and see which libraries you could use in your programs. Try to redo the
same programs using a different design or a different libraries just to
experiment... Strive for readability and efficiency. Try to learn one
new thing every day.
Enjoy!
JCR

Donkey wrote:

Now I am a beginner in learning C++. Can anyone answer me three
questions:
1. What free compiler is appropriate for a beginner to use?
2. What books or reference should I choose?
3. What should I pay attention to or What is the key points when I
study C++?
I will appreciate your help.

[Noah Roberts]

Roland Pibinger wrote:

On 27 Mar 2006 19:51:04 -0800, "Donkey" <ne********@hotmail.com>
wrote:

Now I am a beginner in learning C++.

... and, I assume, a beginner in programming in general.

Can anyone answer me three
questions:
1. What free compiler is appropriate for a beginner to use?
2. What books or reference should I choose?
3. What should I pay attention to or What is the key points when I
study C++?
I will appreciate your help.

First you should learn C, not C++, which shall give you a good basis
for learning C++. You will not understand the numerous traps and
gotachas in C++ without the C foundation.

Definately not. C++ and C are different languages. Learning one does
not help learn the other and in fact those that start with C often find
themselves stuck in several paradigms that are not optimal for C++.
Good habits in C end up being bad habits in C++. What you get are
people that code C in C++ and this is just not the best way to do
things; it ends up in beasteal code that makes C++ programmer's brains
explode.

Learning to avoid C traps doesn't help learn to avoid C++ traps and
often leads you into them (memset this anyone?). Only a good working
knowledge of C++ will help you avoid gotchas is C++.

Such problems as using char[] instead of the much better std::string,
piss poor object design, and total inability and unwillingness to deal
with templates are but a few examples of what results from that path.

If the OP wants to learn C++ they should start by learning C++, not C.
Learning C first will not help and is likely to greatly steepen the
learning curve. Instead of learning the most efficient way to do
something in the language you are using you may very well end up using
what you know, C.

I spend sooooo many hours every day weeding through C code written in
C++ that could otherwise be spent adding features and fixing things ...
it is just sad. All the wasted time and effort...

Don't waste your time. Learn the language you want to use. I don't
think there is much need to learn something "easy" like Ruby first
either...and certainly not C with the goal of learning C++.

[Daniel T.]

In article <44**************@news.utanet.at>,
rp*****@yahoo.com (Roland Pibinger) wrote:

On Tue, 28 Mar 2006 13:34:50 GMT, "Daniel T." <po********@verizon.net>
wrote:

3. What should I pay attention to or What is the key points when I
study C++?

Start high level.

What should be the high level of the 'multiparadigm language' C++?

What I mean is, learn <vector> and <string> before you bother with c
arrays and <cstring>. Learn the contents of <iostream> <fstream> and
<sstream> before you poke your nose in <cstdio>.

I'd hate to say it, but basically the exact opposite advice you gave. :-/
--
Magic depends on tradition and belief. It does not welcome observation,
nor does it profit by experiment. On the other hand, science is based
on experience; it is open to correction by observation and experiment.

[Daniel T.]

In article <44**************@news.utanet.at>,
rp*****@yahoo.com (Roland Pibinger) wrote:

On 27 Mar 2006 19:51:04 -0800, "Donkey" <ne********@hotmail.com>
wrote:

Now I am a beginner in learning C++.

... and, I assume, a beginner in programming in general.

Can anyone answer me three
questions:
1. What free compiler is appropriate for a beginner to use?
2. What books or reference should I choose?
3. What should I pay attention to or What is the key points when I
study C++?
I will appreciate your help.

First you should learn C, not C++, which shall give you a good basis
for learning C++.

I refer the OP to the FAQ
<http://www.parashift.com/c++-faq-lite/how-to-learn-cpp.html#faq-28.2>
--
Magic depends on tradition and belief. It does not welcome observation,
nor does it profit by experiment. On the other hand, science is based
on experience; it is open to correction by observation and experiment.

[Roland Pibinger]

On Tue, 28 Mar 2006 20:35:32 +0000 (UTC),
ri******@gehennom.net.invalid (Marcus Kwok) wrote:

Roland Pibinger <rp*****@yahoo.com> wrote:

On 27 Mar 2006 19:51:04 -0800, "Donkey" <ne********@hotmail.com>
wrote:

Now I am a beginner in learning C++.
... and, I assume, a beginner in programming in general.

Can anyone answer me three
questions:
1. What free compiler is appropriate for a beginner to use?
2. What books or reference should I choose?
3. What should I pay attention to or What is the key points when I
study C++?
I will appreciate your help.

First you should learn C, not C++, which shall give you a good basis
for learning C++. You will not understand the numerous traps and
gotachas in C++ without the C foundation.

This contradicts the advise given in the FAQ:
http://www.parashift.com/c++-faq-lit....html#faq-28.2

Then this FAQ contradicts reality :-)
They recommend not learning C first, since many of the idioms that are
good C style are bad C++ style, and thus must be un-learned.
Really? That's just a myth we've been told for years. BTW, Bruce Eckel
just announced a new eSeminar "Thinking in C .. prepare people for C++
and Java by teaching them the necessary subset of C".
http://www.artima.com/weblogs/viewpo...?thread=154029

books for beginners should introduce the language as simple as
possible. In that category are:
Deitel & Deitel: "C++ How to program" and

Not recommended:
http://accu.org/index.php/book_revie...04&term=deitel

Schildt: "C++ from the ground up"

Also not recommended:
http://accu.org/index.php/book_revie...8&term=schildt

Both reviews can be ignored. As I've said before C++ books for
beginners should be written for beginners, i.e. by introducing
language concepts in a very simple and understandable way. Clearly
Stroustrup wrote a better C++ book but not a book for beginners.
In fact, most of Schildt's books are not viewed very highly:
http://accu.org/index.php/book_revie...t&field=author
Schild is a best-selling C++ book author. At the same time his work is
criticized by many gurus. Why? Because he brings the esoteric black
art of C++ programming to the masses? Nobody was ever harmed by
reading one or his books.
Check out the other book reviews on http://accu.org/ for recommended
books for learning:
http://accu.org/index.php/book_revie...ew.xqy?subject

Thanks, I have read many of the recommended C++ books.

Best regards,
Roland pibinger

[Phlip]

Roland Pibinger wrote:

They recommend not learning C first, since many of the idioms that are
good C style are bad C++ style, and thus must be un-learned.
Really? That's just a myth we've been told for years. BTW, Bruce Eckel
just announced a new eSeminar "Thinking in C .. prepare people for C++
and Java by teaching them the necessary subset of C".
http://www.artima.com/weblogs/viewpo...?thread=154029

That is just a sales pitch for a specific course. A C guru will indeed feel
threatened by the modern languages, and will promote that taking his course
will help understand them. And it will. The issue is not what order to
learn things, but what order to use C++ abilities when you first start
coding in it.

In the beginning, there was C, and professors taught it. Then C++ came
along, and professors moved to teaching C first and then upgrading to C++.

But C++ was conceived as a new language that re-used as much of C as
possible. Being a new language, it can be learned first.

About a decade ago, forums such as this one started promoting that topic,
and helping professors learn to teach std::string before char[]. C++ and
its Standard Library form a Very High Level Language, just like Perl or
Smalltalk.

So that teaching indeed appears as old to you as a "myth". It ain't. It was
once heresy.
Both reviews can be ignored. As I've said before C++ books for
beginners should be written for beginners, i.e. by introducing
language concepts in a very simple and understandable way. Clearly
Stroustrup wrote a better C++ book but not a book for beginners.
Uh, total beginners are advised to learn a simpler language first.
Schild is a best-selling C++ book author. At the same time his work is
criticized by many gurus. Why? Because he brings the esoteric black
art of C++ programming to the masses? Nobody was ever harmed by
reading one or his books.

Schildt occassionally indulges in relatively harmless simplifications. But
he totally pissed off the community, years ago, by refusing to acknowledge
his reviews, or publish Errata for the line-item problems in his books.

--
Phlip
http://www.greencheese.org/ZeekLand <-- NOT a blog!!!

[Olumide]

Donkey wrote:

1. What free compiler is appropriate for a beginner to use?
I'd recommend something called MINGW (see: http://www.mingw.org/). Bear
in mind that MINGW does not come with an IDE.
2. What books or reference should I choose?

I spent years looking for one book that would learn me C++, and I
eventually found that book. Its called "The Late Night Guide to C++" by
Nigel Chapman. Its an excellent, self-contained text, and its author
does a wonderful job of justifying the uniques feartures of the
language. I whole heartedly recommend it.

- Olumide

[n2xssvv g02gfr12930]

Donkey wrote:

Now I am a beginner in learning C++. Can anyone answer me three
questions:
1. What free compiler is appropriate for a beginner to use?
2. What books or reference should I choose?
3. What should I pay attention to or What is the key points when I
study C++?
I will appreciate your help.

1) GCC is the obvious one, IDE use MinGW for Windows or KDevelop for Linux
2) Look for a book with a presentation style that suits you, and
preferably covering the ANSI C++ Standard
3)
3.1) Scope rules, and Object Orientation when using C++
3.2) Constructors and Destructors, especially virtual Destructors
3.2) STL, (Standard Template Library), will save a lot of time
3.3) operations that have undefined behaviour, (compiler dependent)
3.4) Practice, persistence, and attention to detail

I've been chewing on C++ since 1993 and still learning, but then that's
the geek in me.

JB

[loufoque]

Daniel T. wrote :

What I mean is, learn <vector> and <string> before you bother with c
arrays and <cstring>. Learn the contents of <iostream> <fstream> and
<sstream> before you poke your nose in <cstdio>.

You shouldn't even use arrays, C-strings or C stdio.

[loufoque]

Olumide wrote :

I'd recommend something called MINGW (see: http://www.mingw.org/). Bear
in mind that MINGW does not come with an IDE.

You can get Code::Blocks or Dev-C++ which are two IDEs for gcc mingw.

[Gavin Deane]

Roland Pibinger wrote:

On 27 Mar 2006 19:51:04 -0800, "Donkey" <ne********@hotmail.com>
wrote:

Now I am a beginner in learning C++.
... and, I assume, a beginner in programming in general.

Can anyone answer me three
questions:
1. What free compiler is appropriate for a beginner to use?
2. What books or reference should I choose?
3. What should I pay attention to or What is the key points when I
study C++?
I will appreciate your help.

First you should learn C, not C++, which shall give you a good basis
for learning C++.

That's nonsense. There is an argument that a complete beginner should
learn a simpler language before moving on to C++. I'm not sure whether
I agree with that or not. However, if you do go down that route, C is
one of the worst choices of language to start with. Because it is
superficially so similar to C++ but idiomatically so different, moving
from C to C++ requires a huge amount of unlearning. There is no need to
burden a beginner with that extra effort.
When you have a basic understanding of C (esp. pointers and memory
management) you can move on to C++ (probably also in a course).
Aside from any other objection, making a beginner learn advanced C++
concepts like that first, rather than showing them concepts that allow
them to write programs easily and correctly from the outset is simply
unfair. How do expect to keep someone interested for all the time it
will take to learn that, when you haven't even shown them how to write
Hello World in C++ yet?

Perhaps you've been programming long enough that you moved to C++ from
a C background. Just because that is the way a lot of today's
experienced C++ programmers happened to do it does not in any way imply
that it's a suitable route for a beginner whose goal is to learn C++.
IMO,
books for beginners should introduce the language as simple as
possible. In that category are:
Deitel & Deitel: "C++ How to program" and
Schildt: "C++ from the ground up"

Books for beginners must satisfy two criteria. Firstly, they must be
easy for the student to read, follow and understand. This is
subjective. Only the student can judge, and different students will
have different opinions of the same book. Secondly, books must be
technically correct, consistent and up to date. This is objective but
the student can not know whether this criterion is met. Only expert
peer review can.

The ACCU reviews for the books you recommend suggest that both fail the
second requirement and are therefore undesireable texts for beginners.

Gavin Deane

[osmium]

"loufoque" writes:

What I mean is, learn <vector> and <string> before you bother with c
arrays and <cstring>. Learn the contents of <iostream> <fstream> and
<sstream> before you poke your nose in <cstdio>.

You shouldn't even use arrays, C-strings or C stdio.

I feel that a computer program without files, which yours will be, is
pretty well crippled.

[Phlip]

osmium wrote:

I feel that a computer program without files, which yours will be, is
pretty well crippled.

Hmm. Maybe it's time you were introduced to <fstream>.

--
Phlip
http://www.greencheese.org/ZeekLand <-- NOT a blog!!!

[Gary Labowitz]

"Roland Pibinger" <rp*****@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:44*************@news.utanet.at...

On Tue, 28 Mar 2006 20:35:32 +0000 (UTC), <snip> Both reviews can be ignored. As I've said before C++ books for
beginners should be written for beginners, i.e. by introducing
language concepts in a very simple and understandable way. Clearly
Stroustrup wrote a better C++ book but not a book for beginners.

In fact, most of Schildt's books are not viewed very highly:
http://accu.org/index.php/book_revie...m=schildt&fiel

d=author
Schild is a best-selling C++ book author. At the same time his work is
criticized by many gurus. Why? Because he brings the esoteric black
art of C++ programming to the masses? Nobody was ever harmed by
reading one or his books.

This is just a troll. Many of my students have been harmed reading Schildt's
Java 2 book. I have to correct several major misstatements and talk them out
of the errors based on Schildt's lack of precision. He is criticized for
being wrong.

[Gary Labowitz]

"loufoque" <lo******@remove.gmail.com> wrote in message
news:44***********************@news.free.fr...

Olumide wrote :

I'd recommend something called MINGW (see: http://www.mingw.org/). Bear
in mind that MINGW does not come with an IDE.

You can get Code::Blocks or Dev-C++ which are two IDEs for gcc mingw.

I've played a little with the MinGW Developer's Studio. Has anyone gone into
depth and found if this is a good option?

[osmium]

"Phlip" writes:

osmium wrote:

<inserted>

You shouldn't even use arrays, C-strings or C stdio.

I feel that a computer program without files, which yours will be, is
pretty well crippled.

Hmm. Maybe it's time you were introduced to <fstream>.

And just how do you open a file without using a C-string?

[Daniel T.]

In article <49************@individual.net>,
"osmium" <r1********@comcast.net> wrote:

"Phlip" writes:

osmium wrote:

<inserted>

> You shouldn't even use arrays, C-strings or C stdio.

I feel that a computer program without files, which yours will be, is
pretty well crippled.

Hmm. Maybe it's time you were introduced to <fstream>.

And just how do you open a file without using a C-string?

You use a string literal or a std::string (by applying the c_str
member-function.)
--
Magic depends on tradition and belief. It does not welcome observation,
nor does it profit by experiment. On the other hand, science is based
on experience; it is open to correction by observation and experiment.

[osmium]

"Daniel T." writes:

In article <49************@individual.net>,
"osmium" <r1********@comcast.net> wrote:

"Phlip" writes:

> osmium wrote:

<inserted>

>>>> You shouldn't even use arrays, C-strings or C stdio.
>
>> I feel that a computer program without files, which yours will be, is
>> pretty well crippled.
>
> Hmm. Maybe it's time you were introduced to <fstream>.

And just how do you open a file without using a C-string?

You use a string literal or a std::string (by applying the c_str
member-function.)

My point was that a string literal *is* a C style string. I am willing to
drop this thread, it has been belabored enough.

[Default User]

Gary Labowitz wrote:

"Roland Pibinger" <rp*****@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:44*************@news.utanet.at...

Schild is a best-selling C++ book author. At the same time his work
is criticized by many gurus. Why? Because he brings the esoteric
black art of C++ programming to the masses? Nobody was ever harmed
by reading one or his books.

This is just a troll. Many of my students have been harmed reading
Schildt's Java 2 book. I have to correct several major misstatements
and talk them out of the errors based on Schildt's lack of precision.
He is criticized for being wrong.

Well, yeah. People on this newsgroup certainly have no problem with
Accelerated C++, which I think rivals Schildt for clarity of expression
and ease of learning, while actually being accurate for the most part.


Brian

[Paul Dubuc]

Thomas Tutone wrote:

Roland Pibinger wrote:

2. What books or reference should I choose ?
Accelerated C++ is a good introductory book.
You could also consider the C++ programming language by Bjarne
Stroustrup, which can act as a reference.

Both are not for a "beginner in learning C++".

Why is Accelerated C++ not for a beginner learning C++? It may not be
ideal for someone without programming experience at all, but it's
pretty darn good for someone with basic skills in another programming
language.

The new "_4th Edition_ C++ Primer" by Lippman, Lajoie and Moo is very good
and, I think, more complete than "Accelerated C++." Earlier editions weren't
as helpful, but this one has been completely reworked.