C++ Completely new, Want´s to learn.

[GHARN]

So I am completely new to this whole programing thing. So i wonder is it Visual C++ i should download or where can i download right C++? And what compiler do i have to use? Sorry if i got bad english.

[ausairman]

I use code blocks, both in windows and linux: http://www.codeblocks.org/ It's free software which is nice. If you look around there are a lot of very good, free C++ compilers/IDEs out there.

I dived into C++ a few months ago, with absolutely no idea, and found it somewhat frustrating. I recommend reading up a little before you start, even if you've had previous experience with programming.

Visual C++ is nice but it's not free, and only works in Windows. Aside from looking pretty and maybe having some cool features I really don't see much advantage to using it, but then I'm not an expert...

[Zarakava]

I really like http://www.learncpp.com/ for basic C++ stuff.

[muratagenc]

I would recommend gcc. http://www.mingw.org/ I'm on linux and use gcc. and later on I'll use Qt.

if you're on Windows and wanna work Visual Studio, you can download it from Microsoft, http://www.microsoft.com/visualstudio/en-us/products/2010-editions/visual-cpp-express

also,
if you're a college student, most of the colleges give MS VS 2005 free. there is that MS student portal or stg like that, some MS apps are free for students. VS 2K5 was one of them and I believe it's still free.

[Turbine]

Codeblocks, cross-platform, light weight compared to VS, free. Better to learn with. VS is designed to lock developers onto the Windows platform. MinGW compiler on Windows, GCC on Linux. The best way to learn, none of this Microsoft crap.

[acorn]

the way mingw is set up with codeblocks by default there is a crapload of dependencies. you have to seriously mess with it to not have any missing dlls. i like vc express. what i get is what it is. no worry about missing dlls. im sure codeblocks can do this also. its just not that way by default. by default you need like 5 dlls for release software.

[Audie]

While learning, I went in and out of Qt Creator (just to start a project, main.cpp needs to have a little more than the barest introductory "Hello World" program, which might just repel someone completely new), and so I first started to use CodeBlocks mainly for a while and then started using VC++ Express mainly for no better reason than its appearance and straightforward way to have multiple code windows outside of the main window.

Since I'm learning C++ from an IDE-neutral book (still), I in fact just opened up Qt Creator to start a project and I have no problem with the Qt-specific start-up statements and preprocessor and could now use it just as naturally as I can use CB and VC++ if I wanted. So, I don't really feel Visual C++ Express has "locked" me into the Windows platform, and if anything it can be very helpful for getting started from complete ignorance to see how to move away from Microsoft anything (although this is not to say that it's necessarily a good thing to start from complete ignorance like me).