Mail Archives: djgpp/1997/11/02/01:34:47
Tim wrote:
>
> As the subject line implies, I am very new to DJGPP and the C style
> languages altogether and would like to hear some comments/suggestions on
> wich language would be best for an avid MS Visual Basic programmer to
> begin learning.
Given your choices, I'd recommend going for C first. It's said that you
can learn C++ without first learning C, and while it's true that C++ is
different from C in many fundamentals, C syntax is so much simpler that
it's a lot easier to learn.
Visual Basic (or indeed, any sort of Basic) is not exactly my choice for
a structured programming language; if you've picked up any Pascal over
the years it'll come in handy. But there's nothing wrong with learning
C from scratch.
As for assembler, that's highly machine-specific, and extremely
intricate. Usually, programmers use assembler only when they need
absolutely precise control over the code that is produced. These days,
optimizers are good enough that most of their code is as fast or nearly
as fast as handwritten assembly.
> I've also found a few C and C++ tutorials on the web wich I'm studying
> religously, but have gone through a few and found myself craving a
> Language Reference with all of C's or C++'s operators, built-in
> functions and the like. Maybe someone can point me in the direction of
> something like this ?
>
> One more thing..Are there any books on the market that teaches
> programming in C for DOS
> with DJGPP ?
I don't know of any dedicated C or C++ tutorial on the net; you're more
likely to find isolated pieces of advice on specific subjects than a
general instruction manual. For this sort of thing, the best resource
is usually books, or even a college course if you have the time and
money. There are no books currently devoted to programming specifically
in DJGPP, but since it is a fully ANSI-compliant compiler, any book that
teaches strict ANSI C will work fine with DJGPP. One such book is the
Waite Group's _New C Primer Plus, 2nd edition_. This book (that I got
for a college course) sits on my desk almost constantly, and I refer to
it quite often for questions about ANSI-compliant programming.
I would stay away from any books that promise to teach you about Borland
C, or MS Visual C, or indeed about any specific compiler, because they
often use and exploit features that are specific to those compilers.
hth
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