beginning with cplusplus!!!!!

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beginning with cplusplus!!!!!

beginning with cplusplus!!!!!

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hi guys i am new to programming... dont even know what IDE you guys are using... i am using turbo c++ which is vey basic when seeing the IDE you guys are posting screen shots of. can you please help me out ... what should i install to start with programming in c++ and what should i start with. i wanted to make efficient use of my innovative n creative skills. I know its quite a lame question to ask but i really need help..... asap !!!

ajuneja (10)

i am doing engineering in computers . college studies includes only thoeritical knowledge of c++ no practical implementation is taught...
i know what
classes
objects
constructors
inheritance is.
i have basic knowlegde about all these but i dun know how to practically implement on these . i dont know from where to start and i searched these forum but its al very high level for me. what should i do.... what IDE i should install and work with as a beginner and what should be my approach in the start ???

Computergeek01 (5613)

Almost any IDE will work, I would avoid MS anything as it seems to make people lazy when it comes to including libs. Play with these for a while http://www.cplusplus.com/doc/tutorial/ and you should be ok, let us know if you run into any bumps.

firedraco (6243)

I would avoid MS anything as it seems to make people lazy when it comes to including libs.

Huh?

I use VC++ 2008, and some others that I've heard of are Code::Blocks, wxDev-C++, and Eclipse. But like Computergeek01 said, almost any IDE will work if you are a beginner.

Albatross (4553)

*cough* Netbeans *cough*

-Albatross

Computergeek01 (5613)

@ firedraco: I've just noticed that it assumes you mean to include certain things and auto links certain libs, this is fine as long as you keep using MS compilers but if at anytime you want to switch it's going to present a learning curve.

Disch (13742)

I would avoid MS anything as it seems to make people lazy when it comes to including libs.

"makes people lazy" almost always seems to translate to "easy to use".

Why knock an IDE for being easy to use? Isn't that kind of the point?

Doesn't using any IDE at all "make you lazy"?

helios (17530)

Writing in a very high level language/a high level language/Assembly/hex/punch cards makes you lazy. Back in the day, we had to manage our own memory/use CPU registers/memorize opcodes/spend all the bleeping day making holes into cards/walk ten miles in the snow carrying vacuum tubes the size of your cat and fish moths out of relays.

I've just noticed that it assumes you mean to include certain things and auto links certain libs

What are you talking about, man? I've never seen VC++ do anything even remotely similar. I wish it did, though.

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mgupta (103)

Just continue with TurboC++ for now and learn as much C++ as you can. It compiles everything for a beginning purpose. It is a good IDE which allows you to learn C++ program writing and compiling.
Look into its options to understand the linking options.
Dont be worried by complex looking IDEs, they are needed for complex things which may not fulfill your need of basic learning.

You can continue with it comfortably till you complete more than what you will need for your engg. syllabus.

For a complete and thorough knowledge of linking and including, I would suggest you to use gcc on a linux machine.

ajuneja (10)

Thanks a lot guys..... a gr8 forum n its members.... now wil b in contact .... thnks guys once again

helios (17530)

For a complete and thorough knowledge of linking and including, I would suggest you to use gcc on a linux machine.

I just rolled my eyes so hard, they went inside my head.

mgupta (103)

oops... may be i am wrong about gcc for understanding about linking and including... but thats where i got to actually know about them first... when i got to use linux systems and had to compile from the command line giving path of other files to be included and libraries to be linked...

as i can imagine from where he is doing engineering, most of his teachers wont have much idea abt linking apart from theoretical knowledge abt compilation... and the only IDE installed on the computers in the college labs may be Turbo C++... they wont even tell the class about using its debugging features...

please roll back your eyes to a better position... you are scaring me...!!!

helios (17530)

may be i am wrong about gcc for understanding about linking and including... but thats where i got to actually know about them first...

That's something very different from the statement that it's only possible to truly learn how to link and include things under the very specific environment of Linux+GCC. So... What, programmers before the 90s had no idea what they were doing? BSD programmers, Windows programmers, MacOS programmers... They all got it wrong?
No, they did, and no, they don't. GCC doesn't offer any kind of superior insights into the compilation process, and you won't reach satori by using Linux (if you do, it probably has nothing to do with the OS).

as i can imagine from where he is doing engineering, most of his teachers wont have much idea abt linking apart from theoretical knowledge abt compilation... and the only IDE installed on the computers in the college labs may be Turbo C++... they wont even tell the class about using its debugging features...

And? What conclusion are you drawing from that?

mgupta (103)

Hah.. you are scaring me even more....

... the statement that it's only possible to..

I never STATED that its the ONLY possible method... If you would go and read again, I just suggested... It was my opinion...
You should have given your suggestion to the asker if you could have.... that would have been more helpful to him... but instead of that, you are just hitting others who are giving their own opinion according to the best of their knowledge... finally, its upon the asker to decide what is best for him.

And perhaps you didn't read further about the use of gcc in linux for compiling from command line which would prompt him to probe more about compilation options and methods.... this may just be a method and the best which could be available to him... he may never get to see any Solaris or Mac machine because mac is just too costly to be provided by an average college from where he is perhaps studying... (i]No offences intended to the institute[/i])

I did not advocate in favor of gcc providing any kind of superior insights into the compilation process, but it does give some insight, and that is what he would need after and other than learning the basics of computer programming.

You are welcome to suggest him another path you think may be good for him, rather than questioning others.

What conclusion are you drawing from that?

Conclusion will be drawn by the asker, not by me or you... Without intending to offend anybody, I said that even his teachers would not make him look into linking and including... and wont perhaps be able to answer his questions about it.

The asker just wanted help to know the basic programming concepts and what IDE would help him do so. I tried my best to suggest him to first concentrate on basic programming concepts and then go deeper into libraries etc.

And? What conclusion are you drawing from that?

helios (17530)

but instead of that, you are just hitting others who are giving their own opinion according to the best of their knowledge

If I consider your opinion to be contrary to mine, I can opt to challenge it. What, I can transmit my opinion about X, but not my opinion about your opinion about X?

I never STATED that its the ONLY possible method... [...] It was my opinion...

That's true in the sense that you didn't explicitly say "the only way you can ...", but it's implied by your phrasing, so you might as well have.
See, the thing is, something doesn't become opinion until you define it as such. If I say, "the Sun orbits the Earth", what a rational person would do is ask me for evidence of my claim. He can also add "you're full of ****". Now, I can either try to back up my claim with hard evidence, or say "**** you, it's my opinion". This has a name in debate, but I can't remember it ATM. Basically, I'd be trying to win by refusing to debate with him (since opinions are unfalsifiable, any debate on whether the Sun indeed orbits the Earth is pointless).
Now, if I say "I think the Sun orbits the Earth", that starts out as an opinion, and someone else could either ignore me, or try to share their own thoughts.

And perhaps you didn't read further about the use of gcc in linux for compiling from command line which would prompt him to probe more about compilation options and methods

You may be right about that. However, many if not all other compilers offer a command line to compile from.

I did not advocate in favor of gcc providing any kind of superior insights into the compilation process, but it does give some insight

Same as any other compiler.

You are welcome to suggest him another path you think may be good for him,

There's paths not to take, but there's no reason to pick any single of the other ones.

rather than questioning others.

See, there you go again. When you make any kind of statement, you leave yourself open to being questioned. If you don't like that, all you have to do is not say anything. Easy, right?

And? What conclusion are you drawing from that?

Well, that's not really the same. For one,

wasn't intended to be taken seriously. It was an ironic way of showing how things in CS have gotten more abstract and ~~simpler~~ easier over the years, and how there's always people who like the old ways better.
Now,

seemed to me like it was an incomplete thought. Sure, it doesn't have to be. Maybe I read it wrong and you weren't trying to reach any conclusion, but that's what it seemed to me, which is why I asked.

ajuneja (10)

@mgupta- thnku so much fr ur suggestions.... u are right bout my college n teachers .... they only hav theoritical knowledge and no practicle viewpoint. moreover i started with basic concepts n i do hav a macbook.... but i m not gettin bout the gcc u mentioned above can u temme how would i use my mac fr gcc.....

ajuneja (10)

he may never get to see any Solaris or Mac machine because mac is just too costly to be provided by an average college from where he is perhaps studying... (i]No offences intended to the institute[/i])

about this statement u made..... i hav a mac can u help me out how would i start with c++ in mac

mgupta (103)

Its really great you have a macbook...
I never had access to a mac machine so i have no more idea than to google for it...

GCC is a compiler collection with support for many languages and platforms.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GNU_Compiler_Collection

I could find this link to install gcc on mac:
http://www.tech-recipes.com/rx/726/mac-os-x-install-gcc-compiler/
Although some forums say that gcc is built-in in Xcode.

There must be other compilers for mac which I am not aware of.

I know about the condition of colleges and the education standards around. My school C++ teacher was better than the one who took C++ classes in college. Though there was another person having GREAT knowledge of C++, but he was just too lazy to teach anybody.

So everybody who excelled mostly did it on their own.

mgupta (103)

@helios
I have always respected people who still know and care about the old ways... there are ways which would operate in any condition... u see ham radios are still operable...

Although carrying vaccum tubes is nowhere necessary now, but knowing about it is still worthy. We lost the greatest CS professor who ever came to teach us because of in-class mockery of his teaching methods. Nobody was interested in knowing about opcodes in a C class being taught by him.

Now, :) this is just my opinion that using any IDE makes one lazy enough to not care about the semicolon at the end of a class definiton.
I came to better appreciate the abilities of a C/C++ when i had to read ADD and MOV for 8086 in a further class.

Using IDEs would in my opinion be usefull when you need not spend time on compilation tasks and language syntax and instead concentrate on application design.

ajuneja (10)

# include<stdio.h>
#include <string.h>
#include <iostream.h>
#include <conio.h>

int main()
{
clrscr();
char *str;
cout<<"enter the name"<<endl;
getline(cin,str);
cout<<str;
return 0;
}

it is giving me errors.... its says that getline should have a prototype
moreover if i use

# include<stdio.h>
#include <string.h>
#include <iostream.h>
#include <conio.h>

int main()
{
clrscr();
string str;
cout<<"enter the name"<<endl;
getline(cin,str);
cout<<str;
return 0;
}

it is sayin that

1. str is undefined
2. ; expected after string

n my compiler is not showing the keyword string as white

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