Re: [Dev-C++] Help/? Im New A begginner dev c++ 4.9.8.1

[Yeoh H. <ye...@ye...>]

----- Original Message -----
From: Eric Churches
To: dev...@li...
Sent: Saturday, August 23, 2003 8:35 AM
Subject: [Dev-C++] Help/? Im New A begginner dev c++ 4.9.8.1

I like this program and it looks real good.

My problem is I=92ve never programmed before

So I need a lot of help to understand c++

So where do I go from here?

Eric

Hi Eric,

Yes, Dev-C++ is a real good program.

If you have not programmed before, you will have more than one problem or
challenges.

Rather than giving you a list of books to read, IMHO I think it is better=
 to
explain what is needed to be a computer programmer.  I'm talking about
writing Win32 programs here. I'm not a professor in CS or in a CS teachin=
g
job so what's stated here is based on my personal experience. :-)

IMHO, this is a list of challenges you have to tackle. :-)

0. This is the real beginning. Get inside a computer programmer's mind.
Learn the mindset of computer programmers.
Be bold and experiment. Remember to use the reset/on-off button on your p=
c.
PC hangs are very normal, especially when you're trying out some new code.
If you have a second pc for development work, so much the better.


1. Learn how a computer executes a program.
You'll need to know how Windows runs and manages programs.
A key question, you need to examine is this:
What does an operating system do?

2. Learn how computer programs work.
Closely related to 1. above, by this I mean how your program runs and how=
 it
interact with Windows.

3. Learn how to write a computer program using pseudo code.
You'll need to learn how a compiler works. The how programs are written..
The basic contructs or building blocks of a computer program: variables,
loops, etc.
In the case of OOP, the idea of classes, objects and the rest.

4. Learn about C and C++ compilers, IDE and the C and C++ language
There are three things here:

4.1 Learn how to use the C and C++ compiler. In this case MinGW.

4.2 Also, learn how to effectively use the Dev-C++ IDE.

4.3  As for learning C and C++, this is a very big area and the particula=
r
rules and syntax can be quite difficult for novices.
But if you have a very good background in 3. above, you should be able to
learn and master any programming language.
You can find many good books that teach you the language.


5. Learn the Win32 API
This is platform specific information which can be easily found from vari=
ous
sources. The main source is MSDN. Also, if you have problems trying to us=
e a
particular Win32 API,  google.com is a good starting point.
Another useful resource is groups.google.com.
Also for C and C++, there are many free sample codes from sites such as
codeguru, code project.


6. Learn the domain requirements
This is a very personal area. If you like to write computer games, you'll
find the key areas you need to know, for example OpenGL, DirectX, 2D and =
3D
graphics programming, sound and music and others perhaps AI. It is easy t=
o
get information on all these. Try SourceForge.net for gaming libraries an=
d
other sites that offer free tutorials and source codes on game developmen=
t.


7. Write many programs in the domain that you are interested in
This is the one thing which you should do, ideally, every day. Start smal=
l,
then move on to bigger projects.
Use the technique of step-wise refinement. Learn how to ask smart questio=
ns
and post them to mailing lists. Remember, you are not alone. Someone else
probably had the same problem and found a solution. If the mailing list h=
as
a Search facility, it is very handy. Most questions I see are posted
frequently and also already answered.

The main thing is that you should enjoy programming computers, otherwise =
it
will all feel like very hard work. :-)

Best Regards,
Yeoh
--
P.S. To all you very experienced programmers, sorry for this long e-mail.
:-)