Coding under Linux, getting started

[MarkP]

I have ZERO knowledge about Linux, I don´t even plan on using it at all, except of one thing.
I have a server rented at some provider and I find the Windows license way too expensive, so I would like to develop my server application for Linux and save my money.

So far I´m using Code::Blocks/MinGW/GCC under Windows, where I´m still a beginner, but the IDE saves me a lot of work and knowledge, for my basic needs I don´t have to bother with compiling from the command line and things like that, I click "Project - Build" and the IDE does the rest.

Under Linux that appears all pretty complicated, all tutorials I could find so far look like chinese to me, obviously because I don´t even know the basics of Linux itself.

In short: Is there a website or tutorial where I could learn the basics of Linux, in order to setup an IDE (or whatever else one would use under Linux), so I could get started coding for Linux?

[Bazzy]

Code::Blocks works on Linux as well. How to install it depends on the distro, on those with a simple graphical package manager it's just a few clicks

[MarkP]

Well, I´m entirely free to choose whatever distro is the easiest for me.
My provider offers several different ones and for my development at home I´ll use VirtualBox where I can again install whatever I like.
So if you could tell me which distro is the best for me?

But then I guess it´s not done there.
Where Windows has a ton of functions available by
#include <windows.h>
where MinGW brings me a ton of libraries such as
libwininet.a
under Linux I will have to find all that stuff elsewhere.

Let alone I don´t know where to look, I don´t even know what all I would need.

[Bazzy]

The most user friendly distros are Ubuntu and Mandriva.
I suggest Ubuntu.

There are tons of portable libraries that can be used to replace WinAPI. Exactly which to use depends on what you need to do
( Such cross-platform libraries work on Linux as well as on Windows )
You can also use system-specific libraries as POSIX API to replace WinAPI but I suggest for the cross-platform wa.y

[MarkP]

Thanks for the answer,

meanwhile I´ve done some reading and got to Ubuntu myself.

What I need to do isn´t much

1) I need access to a PHP script on a remote website and retrieve data from there, so I´ll need a library like wininet or winhttp
2) I need a socket library where I can forward the data from the website to connected clients.

But first of all I need a real good explanation, how to install an IDE under Linux.
I´ve been reading on the Code::Blocks website about incompatible versions of wxwidgets, but the instructions of how to solve that are way too much for my zero knowledge in Linux.
I found a nice tutorial about getting started programming in C under Linux, but that one begins with
You need a compiler, a debugger, a text editor and some tools.
Let´s assume those are all installed ... if not check your Linux manual.

[Bazzy]

For a networking library you can check boost Asio: http://www.boost.org/doc/libs/1_46_1/doc/html/boost_asio.html

In Ubuntu installing software via GUI is very easy.
To install C::B use "Ubuntu Software Center" or "Synaptic" type "codeblocks" and click the package, everything else is done automatically.
If that doesn't install GCC, install the package build-essential from synaptic.
Libraries can be installed the same way, you'll need development packages ( which usually have the -dev suffix )

[MarkP]

Thank you very much Bazzy,
you´re right, once I got the VirtualMachine setup, installing C::B was a piece of cake.
I´ve just written my "Hello World" and it seems all working fine.
Getting the libraries shouldn´t be a problem either.

Thanks again, great help.