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Learning C/C++ from beginning?

Blogs > stalife
Post a Reply
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stalife
Profile Blog Joined June 2006
Canada1222 Posts
January 21 2010 09:19 GMT
#1
which books would you guys recommend for picking up C/C++ from the beginning? I started with Java, and I'm not really good at it, but I can write some codes.. I'd like to pick up C/C++ as well to start some basic projects of my own.

Any recommendations?? Thanks!

****
www.memoryexpress.com
keV.
Profile Blog Joined February 2009
United States3214 Posts
January 21 2010 09:28 GMT
#2
A billion good C and C++ books. IMO, start with C and practice with data structures; linked lists, binary trees, memory managers etc... After that knowing some Java and C you will pick up C++ very fast.
"brevity is the soul of wit" - William Shakesman
haduken
Profile Blog Joined April 2003
Australia8267 Posts
January 21 2010 09:28 GMT
#3
www.cplusplus.com

Better than any book.

To make it useful

Pick up a book that teaches you frameworks once you are done.

Qt, Visual C++, etc.. and learn libraries such as boost...

Understand the strength of C/C++ versus say Java. Understand the application of such strength where it fits. Understand the downfall and weakness of C/C++.
Rillanon.au
imDerek
Profile Blog Joined August 2007
United States1944 Posts
January 21 2010 09:41 GMT
#4
c++: the book by bjarne stroustrup the author himself.

go with c first though
Least favorite progamers: Leta, Zero, Mind, Shine, free, really <-- newly added
Marradron
Profile Blog Joined January 2009
Netherlands1586 Posts
January 21 2010 10:02 GMT
#5
For what purpose ?

You might as well learn c# or something like that. seems a bit more advanced than c++
Aim Here
Profile Blog Joined December 2009
Scotland672 Posts
Last Edited: 2010-01-21 10:08:35
January 21 2010 10:05 GMT
#6
On January 21 2010 18:41 imDerek wrote:
c++: the book by bjarne stroustrup the author himself.

go with c first though


I disagree. If you're planning on writing C++, then learn it straight off. C++ is superficially a superset of C, but the philosophy and the mindset of writing C++ code is very different from that needed for C code.

Plus, old C hands are likely to get into the bad habit of using C-isms, like malloc/free or pointer manipulation, rather than use the C++ variants.

Not that I'm opposed to learning C - C is a much nicer, cleaner language than C++ and is worth learning as the only low-level language you really need. C++ on the other hand, unless you have a specific need for it, I'd recommend saving all that memory space you'd use for C++ and using Java or Python or C# or something instead...
BlissX1
Profile Blog Joined October 2009
United States328 Posts
January 21 2010 10:16 GMT
#7
C++ and C and C# are easy TBA. i would suggest you learn java first, then Python. Then see if you still want to learn C++ and what not. if so, it will be easy. Java is already easy, Python is amazing. all the C stuff looks like total uselessness compared to Python cause Python is so efficient. That's why NASA uses it. C is nice though, but i suggest dont learn it for the first time. get some experience first. it will make it much easier.
XtremeOneZ 4 Life Bliss[x.1]
Amnesty
Profile Joined April 2003
United States2054 Posts
January 21 2010 10:56 GMT
#8
Accelerated C++

Pretty good book. Actually uses C++
The sky just is, and goes on and on; and we play all our BW games beneath it.
Aim Here
Profile Blog Joined December 2009
Scotland672 Posts
January 21 2010 11:08 GMT
#9
I forgot to recommend a book for the OP, and so I suppose somebody had better recommend K&R as the definitive book on straight C, and unrecommend anything by Herbert Schildt, whose books are both very popular and yet so egregiously wrong that they spawned a jargon file entry.
iaretehnoob
Profile Joined June 2004
Sweden741 Posts
January 21 2010 11:08 GMT
#10
On January 21 2010 19:16 Bl1ss wrote:
Fortran is amazing. all the C stuff looks like total uselessness compared to Fortran cause Fortran is so efficient. That's why NASA uses it.
mptj
Profile Blog Joined June 2009
United States485 Posts
January 21 2010 11:31 GMT
#11
I recommend C for the absolute beginner i'm reading it and it comes with the software and its very interactive. It's kind of old, but it works with vista, while you're running a linux shell.
"Only the Good Die Young"
FirstBorn
Profile Blog Joined March 2007
Romania3955 Posts
January 21 2010 11:33 GMT
#12
On January 21 2010 18:28 haduken wrote:
www.cplusplus.com

Better than any book.


I'm going to second this, VERY usefull site. Helped me a ton with getting the hang of C/C++.
SonuvBob: Yes, the majority of TL is college-aged, and thus clearly stupid.
agorist
Profile Joined July 2009
United States115 Posts
Last Edited: 2010-01-21 11:46:01
January 21 2010 11:42 GMT
#13
C first.
C++ second.



What is your current skillset? Know the difference between the heap and stack? Can you wield pointers?
CTStalker
Profile Blog Joined November 2004
Canada9720 Posts
January 21 2010 11:47 GMT
#14
as has been said, learn C first (and then never learn C++: learn Lisp instead)

this is the book you'll use to learn C
By the way, my name is Funk. I am not of your world
araav
Profile Blog Joined September 2004
Armenia1590 Posts
January 21 2010 11:59 GMT
#15
don't go for C first, don't go for C at all if you are not planning to be a system programmer.

C++ is a moderate OO language and I would recommend doing it this way -
first pick an easy book, not a fancy one, like any book for dummies, get the grasp of pointers, templates, classes, encapsulation, polymorphism, etc

then go for more master series, like take Effective/More Effective C++ books.
then go for expert series, like Alexandresku
then take up the C++ standard and make it your bible

this is your true path of a C++ guru
The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all.
Neshapotamus
Profile Blog Joined May 2006
United States163 Posts
January 21 2010 13:18 GMT
#16
http://www.learncpp.com/
Amnesty
Profile Joined April 2003
United States2054 Posts
January 21 2010 13:19 GMT
#17
Disagree with the C first approach. Strongly strongly disagree.
The problem is you don't end up learning C++ next. You learn a bastard child mish mash of both next. Its like you are learning C but with some cool classes thrown in. And its just bad.
It's not that the C language is horrible, its not. The problem is coding C++ in a C POV that is horrific.

The main problem with that is you won't even realize you are writing bad C++ code so you wont even try and fix it. It takes a lot more effort to unlearn C to learn C++
God have mercy if you read a whole chapter on macros in C and then crack open a different C++ book. And a lot of C++ books are really C books in disguise beware.

Start with the book I recomended. I really wished that book came out a lot earlier.

You didnt say why you wanted to learn C++. There might be a better option for you. Right now, im using C#/WPF for my project. It would be a nightmare to do using other options.
The sky just is, and goes on and on; and we play all our BW games beneath it.
Marradron
Profile Blog Joined January 2009
Netherlands1586 Posts
January 21 2010 14:04 GMT
#18
for online c instructions http://www.iu.hio.no/~mark/CTutorial/CTutorial.html#
Flaccid
Profile Blog Joined August 2006
8914 Posts
January 21 2010 14:12 GMT
#19
I don't understand the 'learn C first' idea. Sounds like a waste of time.

What type of projects are you looking to do? I ask because you might want to consider spending that time learning C# (as others have said) instead. The thing about C++ is that it can be tough to jump into because it can be so convoluted. It's just been built upon and built upon until there are 100 different ways to do any one thing and you end up agonizing over which is the 'best' way.

C#, on the other hand is much more intuitive (C++ is only intuitive to those that have coded C++ for the majority of their lives) and you will climb the learning curve much more quickly. Microsoft is pushing it hard too so each update to the framework brings more and more useful goodies. I coded C++ and C for years and have switched almost entirely to C#. Another nice thing about C# is that you can jump right into coding web-applications and ASP for web junk, if that's an ambition of yours.

Anywho, if you do decide to go that route, these guys have a nice series of books for each step of the learning curve: link
I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy
ProoM
Profile Blog Joined May 2009
Lithuania1741 Posts
January 21 2010 14:19 GMT
#20
On January 21 2010 18:28 haduken wrote:
www.cplusplus.com

Better than any book.

To make it useful

Pick up a book that teaches you frameworks once you are done.

Qt, Visual C++, etc.. and learn libraries such as boost...

Understand the strength of C/C++ versus say Java. Understand the application of such strength where it fits. Understand the downfall and weakness of C/C++.

Knock knock. Whos there? -After very long pause- Java.
IMBA - International Mountain Bicycling Association.
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