Overwhelmed. Step back and learn C first before C++?

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I've been self learning C++ for over a month now. I know it would take years before I can be 'skilled' in C++. But currently I am overwhelmed by it. I still haven't grasps the basics. There's just too many to learn.

I've read somewhere that C is simpler (to learn). Should I familiarize myself with the basic of C first?

Posted 5-Sep-15 8:01am

Are Riff

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RedDk 5-Sep-15 14:21pm

Visual Studio C++ (C#, VB.NET, etc ...) managed and unmanaged flavors included (.NET/other) opens the door to MSDN online samples. If you don't know where to buy hardcopy, or if bookstores that sell computer programming books are not in your area, downloading and studying these samples is the logical course of developing your skills.

Stick with C++. You'll run across C samples elsewhere. At which point you might be challenged by the idea of converting to C++ or C#. One word: template template template ...

Are Riff 5-Sep-15 14:37pm

Does 'template' means reading others sample code?
I practice coding using Visual Studio 2015.
What do you mean by managed and unmanaged?

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 5-Sep-15 22:42pm

No, your idea of template has nothing to do with reality. Read. Read!
"Managed" in this context, mean not instruction-set code, but CIL code for CLI (in such CLR as .NET), used during run-time via JIT. Read on all of these abbreviations (for example, in Wikipedia) — this is not the good place for explaining it all, and most of the CodeProject members do have some idea on the topic. Read!
—SA

Are Riff 6-Sep-15 2:25am

Thanks, I've begun reading a thousand pages book on C++. I guess I've haven't reach the part yet.

RedDk 7-Sep-15 13:19pm

Better question "why convert?". As you can see beneath here, posting Q in CP QA will result in a lot of opinionated bolderdash from cpians who have nothing better to do than waste you time with their version of belabored english. This esoteric rhodomontade is to be ignored.

Forget about "template". Go get Barne Stroustrup's "The C++ Programming Language".

Are Riff 8-Sep-15 9:22am

I already did ;-)

Andreas Gieriet 6-Sep-15 0:01am

Everybody has his own way to learn. Nonetheless: what is your background and how do you teach yourself a computer language (work throug some tutorial, work with a text book, ...)? What do you know from your working environment (Operating System, IDE and related tools)?
Regards
Andi

Are Riff 6-Sep-15 2:37am

I'm pretty competent at computer (Techs articles is all I read everyday), you can name any productivity software, I've used it, Apart from the programming and other coding things .

I taught myself C++ through book and video tutorials.
I use both PC and Mac.
In PC I use Visual Studio 2015, and XCode in Mac.
Programming is the whole different beast though.

I'm still looking for the best way to learn C++ though.

Andreas Gieriet 18-Oct-15 13:55pm

My advise: set yourself a task an try to design and implement it in C/C++.
Nothing with graphics - since C/C++ as languages do not provide any framework to render any nice graphics - you always depend on some libraries that take their time to learn how to use...
Select a topic based on your pet/favorite topic and try to get it working. Ask some specific questions here if you get stuck.
Regards
Andi

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Patrice T · Accepted Answer · 2015-09-05T11:14:00

C++ is a superset of C, so about any C program will be compiled by a C++ compiler.
I don't recommend C or C++ to beginners even if they are popular. Managed languages (like VB, C#, Python, Java, JS, ...) are a much better choice for beginners because you can focus on what you want to do.

My advice:
- Master Boole algebra, that's what rules every condition in a program. Boole algebra is not very complicated but it is mandatory.
- Master one or more Analyse methods, i recommend E.W. Dijkstra Top-Down method. This method helps you to organise the problem in a fashion aimed to programming.
- Find tutorials to get started on a subject. Don't hesitate to follow more than one tutorial.

The most important thing is to master methods to analyse problems, after that, it is simply a matter of translating the analyse in a language.

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov · Accepted Answer · 2015-09-05T18:13:00

I can give you one advice which many may consider very weird (risking some down-voted on my answer): Do not learn C++ and do not learn C, learn something reasonable at first. Later on, you will have to get well familiar with C++, of course, and may be with C.

I saw too many developers who benefited a lot from not learning C/C++ at first, and many developers who suffered from learning C/C++. The problem here is imprinting. The slackness of these languages can heart inexperience brains and stimulate formation of bad habits.

Even though C++11 is very modern, C and even C++ are enormously archaic at heart. Worse, they have been created as "anti-theoretical", careless, designed without understanding that fast writing is less important than readability, and so on. Further history of language development was, in big part of it, the history of overcoming of the inherent problems of the languages, which is not the best from the learner's standpoint. Many C++ addicts pointed out efficiency of the compiled code, but this is not because of the quality of the language, but merely due to much more effort put in compiler implementation. Inherently, there are no a single language feature promoting efficiency, compared to other language compiled to native instruction-set code.

One point which even the proponents of C or C++ often agree with is: this is not the best for beginners. Even assembly language makes more sense, because it helps to learn the CPU operation principles. Better choice for a beginner? Many: Pascal (especially Object Pascal, which can be used with cross-platform Free Pascal), C#, Java, Python, to name just the few of the most popular. (And to yourself a big favor, not Basic, not even VB.NET, at least not at the beginning.)

You should better read these pages criticizing C++, for better understanding:
C++ is Good for the Economy, It Creates Jobs!,
Defective C++.

Now, the main idea, most practically important: don't hope to learn just one language, get ready to learn several one. Learning just one narrows down our vision, dangerous for personal development. :-)

And, finally: the choice is yours. :-)

—SA

P.S.: I really hope for not having flame wars here.

Overwhelmed. Step back and learn C first before C++?

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