RE: [Dev-C++] (no subject)

[Ioannis V. <no...@ya...>]

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From: dev...@li...
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Sent: Tuesday, March 05, 2002 11:19 PM
To: Dev...@li...
Subject: Re: [Dev-C++] (no subject)



As you said "C++ provides all the paradigms and facilities both high
level and low level,..." which I think is actualy a reason for not
learning C++ straight off. Also is the fact that C++ is a hybrid
language in that it can operate as both a structured language and an OOP
language, or a bit of both. When learning an approach it's important
that the learner is not confused by the features of a language, and is
kept on a 'tight leash' so to say.
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  Another thing that C and C++ does is to expose pointers and references
more than most languages, as it is a middle level language. It would be
better to start with high level language which doesn't confuse complete
newbies with such things. I think pointers are one of the harder
concepts that most learning programmers have to get thier heads around
at some point, but not right at the beginning.
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In C++ there is no need to use pointers or references. For simple tasks
you can use the provided facilities without bothering for low level
stuff: vectors, strings, cin, cout, e.t.c.. If you need to use pointers
then you are dealing with advanced concepts not being able to implement
them with a simpler language anyway. Also there is no need to learn C!

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As for C++ being the *best* language, it's a matter of point of view,
but I wouldn't say that any language is the best, much the same that any
spoken language is the best. When approaching a development you choose
the one that is right at the time. An additional benefit of learning
Pascal (or some other language) is that you can write on your CV
(Resume) that you can program in Pascal (or whatever). I believe that
Cobol programmers are very much in demand these days.
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Knowing C i bought a Pascal book and learned it in 2 days. And this
because C's abilities are a superset of Pascal abilities (after all the
most Pascal compilers are written in C). After finishing with C++ i
think i can learn any programming language of any of C++'s supported
paradigms in the same time frame.
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C++ is not the "best language". It is the "best general purpose
programming language". Or if you do not like this, it is the dominant
general purpose programming language. :)  According to IDC, in 2001 the
1st in use programming language was C++ & C (mainly C++), 2nd was Visual
Basic and then the others.
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I do not underestimate the other languages and their followers but i am
just saying the facts. After all if C++ wasn't the best i would not
study it in the first place. I wasn't forced to learn C++, i chose to
learn it after checking the facts.
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Ioannis
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* Ioannis Vranos
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