Advice please...
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As a relative newcomer to the world of programming (approx. 18 months) I have managed to gain a good grasp of the following: ASP, SQL, VB, javascript... However, I really want to get into programming C++. I have played around with things like creating simple DLLs to reference in VB projects. I have read about the concepts behind it such as (multiple) inheritance, classes etc. but can anyone suggest ways of really getting to grips with the syntax etc. Any good tutorials, books people have used or techniques that you have found make it easier to understand? Answers on a post card...... Cheers, Brian:)
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As a relative newcomer to the world of programming (approx. 18 months) I have managed to gain a good grasp of the following: ASP, SQL, VB, javascript... However, I really want to get into programming C++. I have played around with things like creating simple DLLs to reference in VB projects. I have read about the concepts behind it such as (multiple) inheritance, classes etc. but can anyone suggest ways of really getting to grips with the syntax etc. Any good tutorials, books people have used or techniques that you have found make it easier to understand? Answers on a post card...... Cheers, Brian:)
Get your hands dirty and code, code, code. Chris Maunder has compiled a list of good reference books. It's under the Scrapbook section of this website. Good luck, Jon Sagara "Ninety percent of baseball is mental, the other half is physical." -- Yogi Bera
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As a relative newcomer to the world of programming (approx. 18 months) I have managed to gain a good grasp of the following: ASP, SQL, VB, javascript... However, I really want to get into programming C++. I have played around with things like creating simple DLLs to reference in VB projects. I have read about the concepts behind it such as (multiple) inheritance, classes etc. but can anyone suggest ways of really getting to grips with the syntax etc. Any good tutorials, books people have used or techniques that you have found make it easier to understand? Answers on a post card...... Cheers, Brian:)
Brian, In all my years of software development (20+), I have found that there is so much more to it than just the syntax. Loops, if/then/else, subroutines are just the details, and they are all pretty much the same. Basic, FORTRAN, COBOL, C, Pascal, etc, are the "algorithmic" languages, where you think of the step-by-step process of changing data as it flows through the program. Forth, LISP, APL, Postscript, etc, are the "function" languages, where the processing is handled by functions executing on the results of other functions, and also by putting arguments on a stack and calling functions that alter the stack. The strategy for processing data on a stack is vastly different than the step-by-step nature of VB or C. The object-oriented languages like C++, Smalltalk, Scheme, etc, again have a different strategy, in order to make good use of encapsulation, inheritance, and those features that are not available in the algorithmic languages. There are workarounds, of course, but not as part of the language itself. While the syntaxes are similar, the strategy of solving the problems is different. And, when you add in things like ASP, SQL, javascript, you must consider more than just the syntax. You have a vast toolkit available, and the job is easier if you use the right tools. Many problems can be solved with almost any tools, but it's always easier to use the right tools, and to know how to use them well. Unfortunately, I can't point you to a book that explains all of this. Most of it comes through experience. But also through understanding what you are doing. If you think of each language as a tool that can help do things in a certain way (using a "strategy" for addressing the solutions), then you will create better solutions. Dave