Re: General Beginner Advice

"Alex" <Alex@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:0EE92CD1-EF42-4E93-AD69-A12174B41B54@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Mr DePalo

We are all on a first name basis here.

> Thanks for your response.

You are welcome.

> A few more questions if that is ok.

Questions are what drives these groups.

> (1) Presumably I do not need to pay for a beta version of software

Correct. That's why I suggested it.

> and there are no strings attached?

Apart from installing the pre-requisites, e.g. the .Net framwork, that is
correct, there are no strings. Betas tend to expire (stop working) at some
point in the future. I don't know what that date is.

> (2) On the subject of programming, I read a pro develepor ( I am just a
> hobbyist) say that it is bext to start with C as this would give the
> greatest
> scope to progress to other languages e.g. C++, C#, Java. Is that fair? Or
> can
> one easily migrate to other languages once one is learnt?

There is not unanimous agreement on this point. But, among the people whose
judgement I trust, teaching a novice C before C++ is generally considered to
be the wrong thing to do. On the other hand, there is pretty general
consensus that one should start with generic C++ and not introduce the extra
complexity of learning to program Windows or Linux or whatever flavor of
Unix it is that the Mac runs.

> (3) My impression has always been that C# was developed to overcome the
> shortfalls of C and C++. This seems to imply that of the three C based
> languages that C# is the best?

It is a really nice, neat language, whose goal is, IMO, to reduce complexity
and improve productivity. But it is only an option on machines on which the
..Net framework is already installed.

> For example, I hear things like C++ does not
> have efficient 'garbage collection' whereas that is a forte of Java.

C++, like C, leaves all of the details -including memory management - to the
programmer. It is _no_ garbage collection. If you don't take out the trash,
no one will.

> I don't profess to understand all this and am not even sure at my level of
> programming it even matters.

There is no easy answer. The switch from _anything_ else to C++ is likely to
leave you feeling like Dorothy when she was whisked out of Kansas for Oz.
:-)

> Still, as an MVP could you comment

Sure, MVPs always have something to say about everything. <g>

I don't want to dissuade you from learning C++.

I don't want you to think it will necessarily be as much fun, say, as VB or
VBA, either.

It is for lots of us. But it will take time and effort. In general, C++ it
is _not_ a hobby, rather it is a vocation.

> (4) My first introduction was with VBA and I thoroughly enjoyed it and was
> enthused by the ability to create my own applications to streamline
> day-to-day work. I am looking to expand so that I can create standalone
> apps
> on the Windows platform as well as have the ability to create some web
> based
> stuff too. I did a search on the most sort after computer skills and C++
> and
> Java figure highly, more so than VB. So I figured that C++ must be a good
> starting point and have many worthwhile uses.

C++ imposes the least restrictions on the developer. But if your focus is
getting something done _soon_, IMO C++ is the wrong choice. I hope you get
advice from others as well, but I don't see you writing a windowed
application in C++ for 6 months to a year. On the other hand, using C# and
WinForms you'd probably be loooking at a learning curve less than half as
steep.

> (5) Finally, a dummies question. What do I need to create an application
> on
> Windows that can sit as a desktop icon and run without any other
> environemnt
> open?

What you need is an enviornment that allows you to call the shell functions
in the Windows Application Programming Interface (aka Win32 API). Trying to
pick up the API at the same time you pick up a new language is a huge
undertaking.

> Can I do this with Visual Studio or do I always have to have it running
> in the background?

Yes.

> In general I am trying to find the best way to go. Given the effort I will
> put in to learning a new language I would like to make the right choice
> from
> the start.

I wish I had an easy answer for you. I don't. That's why I suggested the
empirical approach of downloading the express editions to find out which
language suits you best.

> I hope that you can find time to comment. I'd enjoy listening to your
> opinions.

Done. My pleasure.

Regards.
Will


.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: [SLE] Developing a Real Time Data System
    ... The KBasic License is valid for both operating systems: Windows and Linux. ... Modern BASIC language ... chapters learning about the programming language. ...
    (SuSE)
  • Re: Assembly Language Step By Step, Third Edition
    ... assembly language for x86 Linux. ... bit Windows for specific hardware. ... why would you choose to focus on Linux? ... programming market, isn't that where some future profits from programming is ...
    (alt.lang.asm)
  • Re: Reverse engineering != piracy (was Re: RosAsm disassembler output vs. IDA Pro)
    ... OOPL or fancy "class" keywords to be programming "OOP"...that stuff is ... Rene...one of your RosAsm newbies has just ... under the BASIC language, typing "?" ... surface that works within Windows...but then all "child" windows can ...
    (alt.lang.asm)
  • RE: C# book for 16 yo?
    ... First I would suggest first learning Visual Studio.NET. ... Then I suggest 2 books to actually learn C# - Microsoft has a book called ... important to quality programming. ... language that combines all the best features of previous languages and is ...
    (microsoft.public.dotnet.languages.csharp)
  • Re: Lisp Ruby Scheme
    ... :> pure functional programming in Haskell and learning it in Scheme ... prototypical language to incorporate it, so if I wanted to really grok ... I would find me a compiler for Eiffel and start feeding it ...
    (comp.lang.scheme)
Loading