C++ programming

Yeah, not entirely rational to be honest - I wanted to learn something, stumbled across a book that teaches C++, bought it and I'm working through it now.

I learned about object oriented programming at Uni, way back when, but to be honest it didn't really sink in an awful lot, so it will be difficult for me to pick up properly.

That Wibit course is a great little thing, by the way Choas, I've already just watched the section on OO programming and it's reminding me more clearly what it's about.

So, yeah - not exactly rational, but perhaps I can move to C# later, if it's not too much of a pain?
 
This makes some interesting reading:

http://www.tiobe.com/index.php/content/paperinfo/tpci/index.html

Seems to provide a good indication of what languages are hot and worth spending time on to increase your earning potential.

Shame about Delphi, was a great language in its time and I'm surprised to see C# dropping and overtaken by Objective-C. There are still a lot of .NET jobs out there in my area and not too many Objective-C roles (which is a shame as I love it).
 
Wibit quote:

Many modern languages today were inspired by C++. It is imperative to learn C++ before even attempting Java or C# or any other OOP language. Syntax structure for C++ is pretty much the same as C and other higher level languages follow similar syntax and program structure as C++.
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Interesting how opinions differ so much.
 
Nice list.

I'm surprised to see C and objective C doing so well, as well.
No doubt, increased popularity is likely to be because of its use in Apple iOS and as we all know Apple, over the last 2 years, has been doing very well with its mobile apps. So many people own iPhones, it's not even funny.

Is this merely a temporary trend or is this likely to be a sign of things to come? Only time will tell, I guess.

Java is always at or near the top due to its open source nature and C++ has major usage in games.

Perhaps the OP or anyone looking to get back into programming, should consider that list.
 
I did read that, it was already posted further up in this thread by neocon. If I can branch out from C++ to easier languages such as C#, then that's what I will do. I too could see why Objective C is so popular as soon as I knew it was in use for the i Os! Mad.
 
sunama said:
Nice list.

I'm surprised to see C and objective C doing so well, as well.
No doubt, increased popularity is likely to be because of its use in Apple iOS and as we all know Apple, over the last 2 years, has been doing very well with its mobile apps. So many people own iPhones, it's not even funny.

Is this merely a temporary trend or is this likely to be a sign of things to come? Only time will tell, I guess.

Java is always at or near the top due to its open source nature and C++ has major usage in games.

Perhaps the OP or anyone looking to get back into programming, should consider that list.
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Objective C can be a great language if you know how to get the most out of it, and it's really flexible if you want to mix in things like C and C++ to increase performance in particularly heavy processing areas.

I wouldn't recommend it as a first language though, it has too many quirks to take into account and the square bracket syntax could make transitioning to other languages difficult.
 
Tilluss said:
I wouldn't recommend it as a first language though, it has too many quirks to take into account and the square bracket syntax could make transitioning to other languages difficult.
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Definitely agree with this - you can take almost any other language and it prepares you somewhat for dealing with C but starting with C and trying to go to another language is an entirely different story (and one that can be quite hilarious to watch at first).

I'd echo what everyone above pretty much has said start with something like C# with visual studio if you want to make a career in it.

I'm fairly proficient sort of at C/C++ but even 15+ years on I'm still learning new stuff - infact I tend to avoid using it if I can a lot of stuff I've done in other language even versions of BASIC and integrated dlls written in C for stuff where other languages doesn't have the speed, etc. needed.

Thing with C/C++ as well in most languages there will only really be one proper way to implement a lot of functionality whereas in C/C++ you can reinvent the wheel in many different and potentially just as valid ways and do stuff that other languages won't let you. You can take pretty much any given piece of code and reimplement it in a completely different way 100 times (not really explaining it very well).
 
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Well I'm still trucking along with C++, much to your chagrin I imagine, but am actually enjoying it. How sad am I? :p

I think because this is a potential career change for me, if I put the hours in and apply the grey matter, it's much more rewarding to me than when I was learning it at college and uni.

I'm all over Method Overloading, now, and I've just done something about Dynamic Methods/Functions (that one clearly hasn't stuck too well :p). I am working through my book and doing the Wibit course, which I must say again is excellent, as I'm getting the simplest coding embedded in my brain through the book, and the concepts are coming along in my head through the Wibit C++ course.

Does anyone have any recommendations for any books relating to OO programming, or any forums that I can pester people on?
 
C++ is an awesome programming language, at least to me. And it was the 1st major language that I learnt, apart from general HTML, CSS and AS3... if any of those could even be considered a programming language :P

Though at the same time I was picking up C#.

I am currently looking for work in C# mainly as it is fairly straight forward and fairly easy to pick up and go. C++ with time and effort (a whole lot of it) can do anything and is amazing.

So I'd say go for C#... but C++ while keeping C# in mind is not the end of the world.

As to books, for C++ I have:
"C++ from the Ground Up" by Herbert Schildt
"C++: The Complete Reference" by Herbert Schildt

Both of these I found to be very useful, the 1st has tutorials and what not you can follow the second is a good reference. Got them both from the Big River online shop for not a great deal.

TBH, I just wish I put more effort into my C++ then I did for C# but in the end it will all work out. Just make sure your theory is good in the principles and it'll transfer to other OO languages.


edit: Just remembered, but I can't remember where I heard/read the info, there are rumors that C++ with OpenGL will be increasing in popularity, but I really am not sure if there is any truth in this or if it's just wild theorizing as a result of MS pulling XNA from the new VS 2012.
 
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Nikolai said:
edit: Just remembered, but I can't remember where I heard/read the info, there are rumors that C++ with OpenGL will be increasing in popularity, but I really am not sure if there is any truth in this or if it's just wild theorizing as a result of MS pulling XNA from the new VS 2012.
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I can see why this would start to becoming a little more popular but not an explosion as with other languages. Plus OpenGL is a bag full of hurt for a beginner, it's quite a messy thing to get your head around, hell, I still look at it and things start to hurt.
 
Nikolai said:
C++ is an awesome programming language, at least to me. And it was the 1st major language that I learnt, apart from general HTML, CSS and AS3... if any of those could even be considered a programming language :P
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Out of interest, how many years have you been programming in C++?
 
sunama said:
Out of interest, how many years have you been programming in C++?
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Not long enough, I did it in a post grad course in computer games programming. I effectively taught myself enough C++ in a month and a half to pass all my modules during the year... bar one due to family/personal situation that arose.
 
alexthecheese said:
Does anyone have any recommendations for any books relating to OO programming, or any forums that I can pester people on?
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Thinking in C++ is available to buy from amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Introduction-Standard-One-2nd/dp/0139798099

or available as a free download from the author's website:

http://www.mindview.net/Books/TICPP/ThinkingInCPP2e.html

MIT has a couple of introductory courses

http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/electric...iented-programming-january-iap-2010/index.htm

http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/electric...-introduction-to-c-january-iap-2011/index.htm

Stanford has a couple of relevant courses - these are more general computer science courses that happen to use C++

http://see.stanford.edu/see/courseinfo.aspx?coll=11f4f422-5670-4b4c-889c-008262e09e4e

http://see.stanford.edu/see/courseinfo.aspx?coll=2d712634-2bf1-4b55-9a3a-ca9d470755ee

I don't see how it would be a bad thing to learn it - its not going away any time soon, every other kid in India is learning Java and hardly any computer science courses in the UK teach C++ yet its still fairly relevant to quite a few areas especially where performance is concerned.
 
Thanks dowie, much appreicated. Will check the local library and see if they have those books available, if not will try the free versions.

Can I just enrol on those Mit/Stanford courses then? That's pretty cool.
 
alexthecheese said:
Can I just enrol on those Mit/Stanford courses then? That's pretty cool.
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you don't enroll - you can just watch the lectures/read the material for free.... MIT ones do sometimes seem to have bits missing - like you only get to see the lecture notes for a course but can't watch any lectures etc... but still useful anyway.

if you do want to enroll for these sorts of courses then coursera.org does provide some too - you do have a schedule to follow and assignment deadlines to meet so if you're doing it on an ad-hoc basis then perhaps not so suitable unless you've got the time free.

there is also udacity.com which lets you complete courses at your own pace though AFAIK don't offer anything C++ related - though there might be a few compsci related courses you find interesting though
 
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Thanks chaps, appreciate the input to this thread.

Impossible question I know, but is it possible to learn a language to a standard that'd get you a junior role in a year? My company are offering redundancy and I'm tempted to take it to go down this path. Thanks. Feel free to mock me if you wish!
 
alexthecheese said:
Thanks chaps, appreciate the input to this thread.

Impossible question I know, but is it possible to learn a language to a standard that'd get you a junior role in a year? My company are offering redundancy and I'm tempted to take it to go down this path. Thanks. Feel free to mock me if you wish!
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It's possible (I did it over a few years, not just the one which is your goal) but you would have to create a few real world working examples of software that would actually be used. For example; I did a bit of freelance work creating a few apps for people and put them into the app store, I then provided updates and extended the functionality etc. One of the apps also had a web backend (php/mysql) with an administrative interface etc.

It's a difficult task to learn and prove all you need to do in just a year mind you, but some employers prefer self taught developers as they see it as a show of determination through learning the hard way. I have learnt so so much since I started my position in 2011, but I count myself very lucky in finding a very patient employer and very good colleges who are very willing to pass on their knowledge without question.

All I can say is that it's very possible if you have enough determination and drive, but you need to push hard. It's fine learning the theory, but it's all about how to put that theory into practice and proving that you can put it into practice effectively.

Finally, Good Luck!
 
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