Programming

I don't know how helpful it would be as a quick start, but I've found this website invaluable as a reference when learning how to program in C++:
cplusplus.com - The C++ Resources Network

 

I'm very glad that you are giving programming a try. It's a wonderful creative art, and it's a great way to feel empowered. What Owen posted is really good as a reference for the language constructs and the standard library.

I'd recommend that you try to learn algorithms. Programming is for solving problems, and learning a language, like C++, is not really learning the literature of the language. By also learning algorithms, you learn about how people are using the languages to solve their problems.

I hope that you post as many random questions that you have here. It's wonderful to see more interest in computing.

 

Is c++ better to know or java because I took java last year and I really like it but would it be better for me to learn c++ instead

 

It depends on what you feel like you're going to do with programming. If you're going into a low-level engineering firm, like a computer hardware manufacturer to write drivers, you want to be versed in assembly, C, and C++.

However, most IT shops are in the managed world, which means languages like Java, C#, and Visual Basic.NET. These are languages where performance and control of the hardware is not as critical, but correctness of code is. Instead of writing boiler plate to manage memory, you can just focus on solving your problem, and it will happen without any memory leaks or segmentation faults.

But it depends on what you're going into. Honestly, I'd recommend sticking to Java or C#, as C++ is a little bit tricky, and it's probably not used in too many IT shops.

For the record, I work for a revenue agency, and we're a VB.NET shop.

 

Hi SnowLeopardLove,

Great to take up programming.

A couple of advices.

My first advice would be, that you consider what you are aiming for in terms of acquiring programming skills. Much work is done in higher level languages with more focus on web interaction etc. Do you want to do low level stuff or more high level "business stuff"?

I also suggest you get some experience with other programming languages before jumping into C++. C++ is not for the faint of heart, and not really that suited for the beginner.

Python is a great language to start with. C#, VB.NET and Java are other great languages. They are easier to learn, and there are tons of (free) learning material.

 

Ooh, I forgot about Python!

Because of my school's curriculum, I started with C, then moved on to C++. C is an easier language to learn, I would say, because it's much clearer what's happening when you code in C than when you code in C++. And because I had that experience learning one language, learning another wasn't too bad. (The same was true when I taught myself CUDA as part of a summer research-assistant position.) So yes, starting with a simpler language like Python, which was designed specifically to be easy to learn and use, would probably help you get a handle on the ins and outs of programming, which will make more advance languages easier to learn.

 

Also, stay way away from functional languages until you get more experience. When you start out in a procedural or object-oriented paradigm, going to the functional paradigm is harder.

Or maybe I just need to shut up, since I almost failed out over lambda calculus.

 

To be honest, I wouldn't start out with C++. While I good language, it's far too complex for a beginner.
My suggestion would be to start with a simple language like Pascal (you can download the free IDE Lazarus that uses Free Pascal -- it works a lot like Delphi) or Python. Once you get to understand programming logic and algorithms, you can move on to a more complex language like Java or C++ because the logic remains the same, it's just the syntax that is different.

 

This ^.

I too started out with C++, as I'd wanted to jump right in, but since my goals weren't well defined, and I was new to contemporary languages, it wasn't all that easy. I grew up with Commodore BASIC and then later Amiga BASIC, so it was a lot simpler to ease myself into C++ with Python and later Ruby. Honestly though within a year or two I had put all my work and study into the hardware side of computing, not wanting to be chained to a desk and deadlines day in and day out. I later realised I made the right decision when I saw all the stressed Java programmers at the company I supported. But I digress, like the posters above me stated: define your goals, and figure out what programming field you want to get into, and ease yourself into that niche with easier languages.

 

I started off with C++ and I didn't think it was too bad, I enjoyed it actually. I personally like it a lot better than C, it seems easier to me. Python would be a good one for beginners since it is pretty simple.

 

I came to university already knowing Turing, Visual Basic, and Java from high school, but our intro course taught us with Python, and it was geared towards people who had no programming knowledge. It was an absolute cakewalk for me, but that said, I'd highly recommend it if you're just getting your feet wet in the programming world.

 

Well that is an interesting opinion, as C++ is just C with a bag on the side. Then again Object Oriented programming is just procedural programming with a bag on the side. Of course I'm of the opinion that C is just a instruction set independent assembly language.

I think an important thing to keep in mind is don't focus too much on the language, instead focus on the concepts of computing. About 10 years ago I came to the realization that all computers are the same. Dosen't matter if you are working on a Windows PC, a Mac, an iPhone, an IBM Mainframe, or a Cisco router. They're all Von Neumann architecture machines and have the same core concepts.

I liked this book, Elements of the Theory of Computation. You can find used copies pretty cheap.

I also like the Deitel How to program series.

I wouldn't worry about picking the "right" language. The point is to learn how to program not to learn a language. Once you get the concepts down you can quickly pick up new languages.

 

Yes, but at the same time, there are better languages to start with for learning. And I definitely believe those are object-oriented, managed languages.

But I think that algorithms are more important than coding though. Sort of like reading essays is more enlightening than reading a manual of style.