DaWei

You seem to be a fast learner. You dumped the crappy orange text right away .

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Abstraction doesn't make it impossible to write bad code; it makes it possible to write superior code.
Contributor's Corner: Grumpy on C++ Exceptions DaWei on Pointers

Gunman

haha..just was trying it out ..=)

Mjordan2nd

I haven't done much with Python, but most people say Python's a great language to start with. Java is good too; if you want to learn C++, Java's syntax is pretty similar to that of C++s, but it's a bit more simplified.

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"Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, from those who are cold and are not clothed. The world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children." - Dwight D. Eisenhower

nnxion

A lot of people seem to be asking which programming language is best to learn first. Python, Java or C# are good choices to learn first. Then you can go for any other language after that.

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"Employ your time in improving yourself by other men's writings, so that you shall gain easily what others have labored hard for."
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aznluvsmc

I found learning C first really helps in learning C++ later on since it's built on the language. Learning C helps build very good programming habits and many other languages (ie: Perl) resemble C syntax so it will make syntax learning come quickly.

DaWei

I could question the previous post. Instead I'll just challenge you to write some small program in C that can't be written as simply, and with the same level of knowledge, in C++.

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Abstraction doesn't make it impossible to write bad code; it makes it possible to write superior code.
Contributor's Corner: Grumpy on C++ Exceptions DaWei on Pointers

aznluvsmc

I'm only speaking from my personal experience. C was the first language I learned indepth and it helped me approach programming problems in a more structured manner in other languages I'm learning such as Perl and CLLE (iSeries development) because I got into the habit of modularizing my programs. If this is not a good thing, then I don't know what is. I'm currently learning C++ right now and feel the knowledge of C really helped the transition to object oriented programming. If you guys learned to program using other languages first and found that to be good then by all means give that suggestion. I'm not here to knock anyone because of what language they think is the best to learn first. Everybody has an opinion.

Silvanus

I'll second (or third, or whatever) the python recommendations. It rocks, plain and simple. Learn it.

DaWei

This question comes up a LOT, so I want to pursue this one aspect of it (C vs C++). Please don't presume that it's picking on you. You have put forth a position I fail to understand, so it's your job to explain a bit.

It's easy to understand why people recommend Python or PHP or something else. The languages are different. I also realize that you think your learning of C, first, was beneficial.

Instead of challenging you, I'll attempt to get an answer in a different way. What did you learn in C, that was so beneficial, that you couldn't have learned in C++, with the same effort?

That's a germane question, and addresses the OP's concerns. Obviously, I personally didn't learn C++ first. It didn't exist. I can't be saying, "I did it, and it worked for me." I'm saying what you need to learn is as easily learned in C++ as it is in C. One of my reasons for saying that is that C++ is very nearly (not quite) a superset of C. What you learned in C is mostly available for learning in C++, in exactly the same way. I'm trying to get you to explain, for everyone's benefit, why that isn't so.

__________________
Abstraction doesn't make it impossible to write bad code; it makes it possible to write superior code.
Contributor's Corner: Grumpy on C++ Exceptions DaWei on Pointers

nnxion

Haha David, you can't even say you learned C first because it didn't exist. Did FORTRAN exist when you began?

To get back to the point, I don't see the benefit of learning C first either. Learn Python, Java or C# for good programming habits. You must understand that C is not even OO, which you will find very handy when developing large programs. Most programming languages are designed for a purpose, find out what your needs are or what you want, and go for the language that meets those needs.

__________________
"Employ your time in improving yourself by other men's writings, so that you shall gain easily what others have labored hard for."
-- Socrates