Visual c++ 2008 express or 2010 express?

[xander333]

I'm not sure which one to take. I'll buy a book soon, i heard charles petzold is good. Are there breaking changes in 2010, which make it different to program? Because if the lay-out and everything is different in the book...

Thanks in advance

[jrohde]

It's unlikely that it'll make a difference for you. VS2010 has a much nicer code editor than VS2008, but most of the other upgrades are far beyond the scope of the hobbyist Win32 programmer, especially since you're only using the Express Edition(s). I'd say, just use the one you prefer.

[filipe]

I might be wrong here - I haven't read the book - but I think that book's last edition is more than 10 years old, so he was probably using a different IDE at the time.

Anyway, there are a few differences between VC++ Express 2008 and 2010, but nothing that you can't figure out after a quick Google search. I find the 2010 version much more aesthetically pleasing, and the annoying bits (like red squiggles that show up while you're still typing code) can be turned off.

[Vexer]

One of the main things I like about VS2010 is how it checks your code for errors while you are typing it. This prevents you from having to compile the code to find errors. This is especially great if you have a very large project that takes a few minutes(or longer) to compile.

I'd recommend going with VS2010.

Also, you have read a C++ book right? The Charles Petzold book is for Win32 API programming. You will need to learn C++ first. I'd recommend C++ for Dummies, as it is short(350 pages), yet in depth.

[jrohde]

The Win32 API (and Petzold's book) are purely written in C, not C++.

You can, of course, use C++ in conjunction with the Win32 API, but you don't need it.

[Vexer]

I know, but I was making sure that he does know C/C++ before getting Petzold's book.

[xander333]

Well I'm learning C++ right now. i have the (very very very) basics under the knee. Now I'm at pointers which is giving me a hard time but I'm sure I'll survive it if i keep trying :p

[jrohde]

Yes, you'll definitely survive. Pointers will sink in eventually (I promise!). They are almost always difficult for people at first, and then you'll trip up along the way, but that's how you learn. Good luck!

[jwC5fSEw]

Yeah, for the longest time I just could not understand pointers at all. I kept retrying to learn them to no avail. Eventually, though, it just sorta sunk in, and now they make perfect sense.

[Vexer]

Pointers are definitely one of the more complex features of C++, but they are among the most useful.

Good Luck!!!