Learning to Program

[Neuge]

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Don't most programmers kind of hate C++ or am I wrong?

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It's a love-hate kind of thing. More hate than love, I guess.

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I learned C first (well actually I had a college course in Fortran using punch cards (yes, I'm an old fart), but never did any serious programming in it. While there is something to be said for learning an easier language first, if you can program in C, you can program in anything. If you want something to run fast, write it in C or C++. If you want to get the program written fast, use Java, Perl, C#, etc. Compiled executables will always outperform interpreted or run-time compiled languages, so C and C++ are the workhorses for device drivers, OS kernels, word processors, spread sheets, etc., where shaving every nanosecond counts, whereas languages like Jave, C# and perl are used for smaller things like web applications or middleware, where maximizing programmer productivity is more important.

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I work in high-performance computing, specifically parallel computational fluid dynamics. It would mostly be a complete joke to program in anything other than C or fortran and I program almost exclusively in them. Performance hits in any other language are too large and MPI interfaces in those two languages are well built and straight forward. I do a bit of image analysis in python, but only because it's easier to handle image files and it's not computationally expensive anyway. There are certain efforts to use python in HPC, but that mainly works because all the modules are written in C anyway, python is just used for the scripting.

I've never used punch cards, but I still regularly use fortran77. If anyone wants to talk about a pain-in-the-ass language, lol. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[psionic storm]

if your school is part of msdnaa you can score visual studio free. email cs dept.

[TreyWilly]

Just read this whole thread. I had no knowledge of, nor interest in, computer programming. Now I do. Funny how hating one's job makes one interested in other things.

So ... what did OP decide?

[psionic storm]

i think he chose c.

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Funny how hating one's job makes one interested in other things.

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what do you do?

[TreyWilly]

I am a sports writer for a suburban newspaper covering an NFL beat. In the offseason, I have to work desk shifts, which last until 1-2 a.m.

Every newspaper within a 100-mile radius is on a hiring freeze, and many are laying off. My species will be extinct within a matter of years, if not months.

You asked.

[Neko]

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I've never used punch cards, but I still regularly use fortran77. If anyone wants to talk about a pain-in-the-ass language, lol. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

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I have programmed f77 almost every day for the last 3 years...god damn I hate fortran. As you say though, if your code has to be v. fast, fortran and c are still likely the best choices.

If absolute speed is not your goal then there are lots of languages that are easier and more *fun* to program in. Python, ruby, php etc. Perl is also a wonderful tool to have in your arsenal if you work in *nix environment.

[jba]

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software engineering is a field that is ... personally rewarding

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lol

I would recommend java. agree with other people that it is the easiest to really understand EVERYTHING that is going on. I remember when I was learning C++ it seemed like there were huge swaths of my code that I'd just ignore because I didn't understand that part. Not only that but there is a VAST amount of free tools, libraries, tutorials, docs, etc. available.