Learning C++

[safferli]

Hi folks!

For reasons that are not important, my girlfriend will do a computer science bachelor degree while still working (at least at first). Now, there is a first-semester "introduction to C++" course she cannot attend, but she can still do the exam. She'll have to learn the C++ basics by herself, obviously.

Now, I remember Zini(?) posting some good online and book recommendations for a beginner to learn C++. With the forum move, I just can't find it any more. Could anyone post helpful hints/links on how to start learning C++? She's a beginner (no other computer languages), but can manage computers quite well. OS of choice is Linux/Ubuntu.

Thanks for the help!

[werdanith]

You mean this post?
http://openmw.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=4622#p4622

[Star-Demon]

I recommend she takes a C course first.

Good luck, though. Working while going to school in any engineering or applied science field is going to be rough and she'll need your support to take care of things so she can focus and succeed. She'll be steamrolled if she doesn't get her 10000 hours in. They want nothing less - every time.

That being said - the links zini posted are pretty good - I'd also say to check out cprogramming and find released source for old games like Shadow Warrior and study our own source - just to see the complexity in things.

[Zini]

I recommend she takes a C course first.

Sorry, no! Among C++ developers it is pretty much universally frowned upon advising people to learn C first as a steppingstone for learning C++. These languages are very different from each other, despite both having a common ancestor (an earlier version of C). Especially if you have never learned a programming language before, learning C before C++ is a particular bad idea.

I think the arguments for C are mostly based on the assumption that C is a subset of C++ (which isn't totally correct). In theory starting with a smaller language and then expanding it with additional material may sound attractive. But actually you have to unlearn a large chunk of your C knowledge and then learn what methods C++ is using instead (which is typically much easier to learn than the C equivalents).

[K1ll]

Although or maybe because i'm a C programmer i agree with Zini.

The book is a really good read and it doesn't require one to know C. All needed basics of C that are shared with C++ are described in the book not more and not less.

I haven't done it myself but i highly recommend doing the examples, writing your own little programs with what you've just learned and reading code of programs in the language you learn.

[Star-Demon]

C course helped me a lot. Guess it's "different strokes...".

[safferli]

Thanks for the replies so far! The book linked to (Thinking in C++) seems like a good one. Any other tips, what are your favourite books for learning C++?

And learning C is out of the question. It's a required course, and she has to learn C++. Not C, not C first then C++, but C++

[Zini]

Other often recommended books are:

* C++ Primer
* The C++ Programming Language

I assume you only want beginner's books here? No advanced material?

[safferli]

I assume you only want beginner's books here? No advanced material?

Yes, thanks.