I want to learn C++.

[Jmmsbnd007]

I have a very little amount of programming experience (basic apps in Visual Basic 6). I need a good, easy book(s) to teach me. How long will it take me to learn? What do I need? Tell me some stuff about C++.

 

[FOBSIDE]

i like the Deitel/Deitel books. they have lots of examples.

 

[Jmmsbnd007]

Originally posted by: FOBSIDE
i like the Deitel/Deitel books. they have lots of examples.

How long did it take you to learn C++?

 

[Chooco]

read C++ For Dummies and Learn C++ In 21 Days at the same time. it gives 2 different perspectives about C++ because they explain the same thing in different ways. if you have a class at school then take that first though, being in an environment of other people who want to learn makes it all that much easier.

 

[Jmmsbnd007]

Originally posted by: Chooco
read C++ For Dummies and Learn C++ In 21 Days at the same time. it gives 2 different perspectives about C++ because they explain the same thing in different ways. if you have a class at school then take that first though, being in an environment of other people who want to learn makes it all that much easier.

Are those good primer/beginner books? The last thing I want is to spend $40 on an intermediate C++ book and not know jack about what they're talking about. No classes available.

 

[Chooco]

C++ for dummies is easy, C++ in 21 days is not as easy but it gets harder at a slow rate

C++ in 21 days is about 900 pages
C++ for dummies is about 400 pages

 

[thornc]

"Thinking in C++" by Bruce Eckell

Edit: Forgot to say, that you can get a digital copy for free from his site....if you like it, you can buy it later!!

 

[Jmmsbnd007]

Originally posted by: Chooco
C++ for dummies is easy, C++ in 21 days is not as easy but it gets harder at a slow rate

C++ in 21 days is about 900 pages
C++ for dummies is about 400 pages

Ok. Do I really only need one book to learn it all?

 

[Chooco]

well you CAN but if you read 2 books you get to learn different angles of doing things. the learn C++ in 21 days one always uses std::cout or std::cin but C++ for dummies always has #include <iostream.h> at the top and use cout and cin

the books compliment each other but you can always just learn with 1 book.....

 

[EmperorRob]

C++ in 21 days is a very good book. But you will not be able to read it all in 21 days and understand it. I haven't read any other C/C++ book that would help a beginner.

 

[EmperorRob]

C++ in 21 days is a very good book. But you will not be able to read it all in 21 days and understand it. I haven't read any other C/C++ book that would help a beginner.

 

[Chooco]

21 days lol....laughable man

43 pages per day..... lol

dude get C++ in 21 days for Linux, we need more Linux guys

 

[Armitage]

These guys are all suggesting really big books with tutorials and all that.
I would sugest a much thinner book (no examples come to mind) that gets through the basics & concepts quickly.

Then start writing your own code. This is key. You can run all the tutorial examples you like, and still be clueless when it's time to start off on your own. Pick some interesting project, and just start in on it. Expect to start over from scratch a few times as you figure out better ways to do things. Maybe pick up a language reference at this point (The C++ Programming Language by Strousup is my choice) and look up concepts & syntax as you need them.

Once you have some code under your belt, and are getting a feel for the higher level concepts, pick up Effective C++ by Scott Meyer. Lots of goods suggestions to help avoid design & architecture pitfalls.

 

[thornc]

Ok,
I didn't want to get to this but the Association of C & C++ Users has a very good book
review section, and in their Begginer's C++ section
you can find a lot of book reviews, just check the Highly Recommended ones...

"Thinking in C++" is there, and for a short book my suggestion would be "Accelerated C++" which is also there and it's
a good book, I don't like their style much but the book teachs the stuff that ones needs to get the hands dirty quickly!!!

 

[Alex]

*subsribing to a useful thread*

 

[Jmmsbnd007]

Looks like I'll be picking up Dummie's C++ guide soon... how much does it cover? I'm a total n00b at programming, I hope it's good for me.
EDIT: I looked at a sample chapter (chapter one), and it looks excellent. It doesn't assume that I'm some stupid idiot AOL user, but it also assumes that I know somewhat about computers and maybe even a little background on C++. BTW, what's the difference between MS Visual C++ 6 and Visual C++ .net? The language is the same, right? I currently have visual studio 6 installed, will that suffice or should I "find" a .net copy?

 

[Chooco]

dummies C++ costs 60 Canadian because it comes with a compiler on a CD which sucks, you will have to download a new compiler off the internet

C++ in 21 Days only costs 40 Canadian and it's more example based with more and deeper explanation of the examples. C++ fo dummies covers stuff fairly fast but all the information is there. the examples can be a bit hard to follow because it doesn't exactly explain them good.

 

[QueHuong]

Amazon reviewers didn't give all that many good reviews about C++ for Dummies. Personally, I think For Dummies books are worthless when it comes to teaching something complex like C++ while it's pretty good for basic things like how to use Windows. I heard a lot of good things about Eckel's book addressed earlier in this thread. Download the electronic version for free to use as a 2nd opinion (since it's a pain trying to concentrate and learn from reading from the computer; buy an actual book as your primary source). I recommend Object-Oriened Programming in C++ by Robert Lafore.

 

[Nothinman]

There's no substitute for a good teacher. Learning a language is easy, learning to program is hard. Honestly, if you can get access to some sort of class (or even just someone you know that programs so you can ask them questions) do it.

 

[Jmmsbnd007]

I went ahead and bought C++ for Dummies, 4th edition, $25 including some GNU compiler crap. I'll just use MS Visual C++ 6. I did notice that some examples were kind of unexplained (such as how to use "and" and "xor", etc...). Other than that, the book appears great. Once I finish this, will there be anything else I need to learn? I woulden't say that all "dummies" books suck, considering that they all have different authors...

 

[Nothinman]

I went ahead and bought C++ for Dummies, 4th edition, $25 including some GNU compiler crap. I'll just use MS Visual C++ 6.

Good luck, VC6 is about as un-standards compliant with C++ as you can get without using another language.

gcc has it's issues, but it does its job good enough for everyone developing on Linux.

 

[Jmmsbnd007]

Originally posted by: Nothinman

I went ahead and bought C++ for Dummies, 4th edition, $25 including some GNU compiler crap. I'll just use MS Visual C++ 6.

Good luck, VC6 is about as un-standards compliant with C++ as you can get without using another language.

gcc has it's issues, but it does its job good enough for everyone developing on Linux.

Hmm... so would you recommend I just use the included compiler? Or something else?
What book would you guys recommend me to read after I finish this...

 

[Chooco]

then what's the best ANSI (am i missing a letter in there?) compliant compiler for windows then?

 

[Nothinman]

Hmm... so would you recommend I just use the included compiler? Or something else?
What book would you guys recommend me to read after I finish this...

I would say use what came with the book, why add in more unnecessary variables?

then what's the best ANSI (am i missing a letter in there?) compliant compiler for windows then?

I'm not sure, maybe Borland's compiler, maybe VC.NET. g++ 3.x is considerably better at C++ than 2.X is but I can't really say where it stands for completeness of the standard. If you look around on their site you can read the docs on what's new, what's not done yet, etc. But if the book you buy comes with a compiler why not use that one? All you do by using a different one is increase the chances of the book not agreeing with the compiler.

 

[manly]

I believe Comeau C++ is a very standards-compliant compiler for Winblows. They also have a Linux version (and probably others).

It was actually a Slashdot news item a couple months ago that a company called Edison was the first to fully implement a full C++ compiler front-end. In other words, C++ is a huge, nasty language that to date hadn't had a fully standard compiler.

FWIW Edison's front end apparently is very popular with the major compiler providers (across many platforms). Edison themselves doesn't produce a full compiler. Comeau is one of their customers.

Using the compiler that came with the book is a right choice if that is the same compiler the author used. With a language such as C++ (for various reasons) any smart author would explicitly state what platform and compiler version was used.