c or c++?

iseeu_3 · December 13th, 2003, 11:27 PM

hello, i was wondering what the difference between c and c++ is? i am looking to learn some programing and was wondering what a good one to learn is? more practical i guess is what i mean.

<shad>

elmers · December 13th, 2003, 11:58 PM

Start with c and work your way to c++. I recommend buying

"The ANSI C Programming Language"
by Brian W Kernighan and Dennis M Ritchie

Its a nice intro to c and as c++ is an "extended version" of c it wont be a waste of time.

Jumping right into c++ would be hard if you have no previous experience with programing.

If youd like a crash course in a nice, modern and powerfull, but easy language Id recommend Visual Basic.

iseeu_3 · December 14th, 2003, 12:08 AM

i didnt' know that c++ is an extended version of c. so visual basic would be a good "starter language"?

<shad>

elmers · December 14th, 2003, 12:17 AM

c++ name is a pun on c as the ++ implies a "increment" of c. Nuff said.

VB is a nice starter language but if your serious about learning to program you need to start with something simple and work your way up. VB is ok but dont expect to write video games in it.

FE simple file browsing program ----VB
Linux OS -------------------------C++

So it depends on how technical you want to get. Also a c compiler can be found and downloaded of the internet for free, while VB is quite expensive.

iseeu_3 · December 14th, 2003, 01:32 AM

ok, i did a search for vb books and found this one:

Microsoft Visual Basic .NET Step by Step
Author: Michael Halvorson
Publisher: Microsoft Press

i don't know if that one is good but i heard a few reviews for it and they said it was. i think this would be a good book for a beginner like me.

thanx for your help elmers!

<shad>

iseeu_3 · December 14th, 2003, 01:37 AM

also, i did a search for vb compilers and found a few that were free, are they worth the time downloading or should i just bite the bullet and buy a good one?

<shad>

The Terk · December 14th, 2003, 07:51 PM

one of the real main differences in c and c++ is that c++ is object oriented (like java) where as c is a procedural language...

elmers · December 14th, 2003, 08:33 PM

I dont use visual basic, so I cant really help you. I've played with it for a while but didnt do anything complicated.

Creosote · December 14th, 2003, 09:18 PM

To use VB6, you have to pay for the program. To use VB.Net, you can download the compiler from MS. But VB.Net is a lot harder to program in without the IDE.

If you are happy to start of with command-line programs, I would just start with C if I was you.

If you want some graphical type stuff...and don't want to spend any money, then try VB.Net or Java.

The Terk · December 14th, 2003, 11:29 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Creosote
If you want some graphical type stuff...and don't want to spend any money, then try VB.Net or Java.

gg java... gotta love it