Help a Visual C++ .NET beginner?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Zatts
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Zatts

I just recently got my hands on a copy of Visual Studio .NET 2003. I have
been learning VB.NET for a few months now, but I want to move on from that
and start C++.NET.

More to the point, does anyone know any good online tutorials that I could
take or am I gonna have to buy a book?

Help would be _greatly_ appreciated.

-Zatts
 
Zatts said:
I just recently got my hands on a copy of Visual Studio .NET 2003. I have
been learning VB.NET for a few months now, but I want to move on from that
and start C++.NET.

More to the point, does anyone know any good online tutorials that I could
take or am I gonna have to buy a book?

Help would be _greatly_ appreciated.
Click to expand...


At first you have to learn the C++ language. I have heard good words for
the book "You Can Do It! : A Beginners Introduction to Computer
Programming" by Francis Glassborow. It is a C++ introductory book.


C++ is defined by the ISO/IEC 14882:1998 (and 2003) standard and it can
be used in every system available on the planet.


..NET framework is a system-specific API which you can learn easily after
having learned the basics of C++. By the way, I am a .NET programmer
myself too. :-)






Regards,

Ioannis Vranos
 
Zatts said:
I just recently got my hands on a copy of Visual Studio .NET 2003. I have
been learning VB.NET for a few months now, but I want to move on from that
and start C++.NET.

More to the point, does anyone know any good online tutorials that I could
take or am I gonna have to buy a book?

Help would be _greatly_ appreciated.

-Zatts
Click to expand...

Ioannis has given you good advice about learning the language first. There
are numerous good books you could look at. Two of my favorites are:

Starting Out With C++, Tony Gaddis, Scott-Jones Publishers
(http://www.scottjonespub.com)

for an introduction to the C++ language, and

Visual C++ .NET Step by Step, Templeman & Olsen, Microsoft Press
(http://www.microsoft.com/MSPress/books/6701.asp)

for a beginning treatment of C++ in the .NET environment.

FWIW, this isn't an either-or list. Getting both certainly wouldn't hurt.

This link isn't directly to beginning tutorials, but you'll find lots of
info here as you learn:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/visualc/
 
Zatts said:
I just recently got my hands on a copy of Visual Studio .NET 2003. I have
been learning VB.NET for a few months now, but I want to move on from that
and start C++.NET.

More to the point, does anyone know any good online tutorials that I could
take or am I gonna have to buy a book?

Help would be _greatly_ appreciated.

-Zatts
Click to expand...

Hi Zatts,

I'm a little bit confused by the way you are trying to learn programming.
It's not a bad idea to learn VB.NET since it uses the framework
almost the same way all the other languages do but based on this
fact, it doesn't really makes sense to learn now C++.NET (managed C++).

The idea of manged code is to write your code in your favorite language
(c++, vb, c#...) that is only compiled into an intermediate language instead
of
being translated into mashine code (like generic c++ would do).

There are more then 30 languages (dialects) supporting the framework and
they
are all doing the same thing: translate into intermediate language.
Wouldn't it be better to concentrate on one major language?
The only issue making the learning process for c++ reasonable
would be to get into generic C++ with all the libraries (ATL, STL, MFC...)
because they are really doing different to managed languages.
Even using C++.NET (managed C++) results in intermediate code,
using the same technology by having a kind of ugly language (which is being
improved for VS 2005).
And by the way: there are a couple of ugly bugs in the managed C++ compiler
and the VS designer for c++.

My honest advice would be to dig deep into C# if you are interested in
managed
code or to learn C++ from scratch if you prefer writing performance
applications.
C# is comperatively easy to learn (especially if you are already familar
with vb.net).
C++ is the most powerfull but also most complicated language I got to knew.

Hopefully helpful, Sebastian
 
SpclFX said:
Hi Zatts,

I'm a little bit confused by the way you are trying to learn programming.
It's not a bad idea to learn VB.NET since it uses the framework
almost the same way all the other languages do but based on this
fact, it doesn't really makes sense to learn now C++.NET (managed C++).
Click to expand...



C++ is not only .net. After all, he may want to work for MS some day,
and contribute to the development of C# compiler, which is written in
C++. :-)


The idea of manged code is to write your code in your favorite language
(c++, vb, c#...) that is only compiled into an intermediate language instead
of
being translated into mashine code (like generic c++ would do).

There are more then 30 languages (dialects) supporting the framework and
they
are all doing the same thing: translate into intermediate language.
Click to expand...



C++ on the other hand is more than a dialect, and he can use managed and
unmanaged code combined.



And by the way: there are a couple of ugly bugs in the managed C++ compiler
and the VS designer for c++.
Click to expand...




I haven't seen the bugs you are mentioning.


My honest advice would be to dig deep into C# if you are interested in
managed
code or to learn C++ from scratch if you prefer writing performance
applications.
C# is comperatively easy to learn (especially if you are already familar
with vb.net).
Click to expand...



I suggest C# for you, definitely.






C++ is the most powerfull but also most complicated language I got to knew.
Click to expand...



Yes it is powerful, and to be that it must be more expressive and not
"complicated".






Regards,

Ioannis Vranos
 
Well for starters thanks for everybody's help! As for the way I am learning
programming... I have literally no knowledge of C++ or C# at all. I just
thought I should learn all the languages in Visual Studio .NET. I only
started learning VB.NET at the start of this year because I do Software
Design and Development at school. Prior to that, the only knowledge of
programming I had was HTML, some Javascript and some Basic. I didn't know
that there was any difference between C++.NET and regular C++. So, after
all your advice I think I'll take a look at C#.NET to start with, and also
learn more about VB.NET. But yeah thanks again everyone for your advice!

- Zatts
 
Zatts said:
Well for starters thanks for everybody's help! As for the way I am learning
programming... I have literally no knowledge of C++ or C# at all. I just
thought I should learn all the languages in Visual Studio .NET. I only
started learning VB.NET at the start of this year because I do Software
Design and Development at school. Prior to that, the only knowledge of
programming I had was HTML, some Javascript and some Basic. I didn't know
that there was any difference between C++.NET and regular C++. So, after
all your advice I think I'll take a look at C#.NET to start with, and also
learn more about VB.NET. But yeah thanks again everyone for your advice!
Click to expand...


There is not such a thing called C++ .NET. However C++ is not only .NET.
With C++ you can do .NET applications, but also Linux applications,
Unix Applications, Mac OS applications, Palm OS applications, operating
systems (Windows is written in C++), compilers (C# compiler is written
in C++), etc.

C++ is the dominant general purpose programming language, and is used
from small embedded devices to large mainframes and super computers,
that is it exists in all computer systems.


Some references:

http://www.research.att.com/~bs/esc99.html
http://www.biltek.ieee.metu.edu.tr/sayi/mayis01/bs_eng.html
http://www.itworld.com/AppDev/710/lw-02-stroustrup
http://www.research.att.com/~bs/nantes-interview-english.html






Regards,

Ioannis Vranos
 
Ioannis said:
There is not such a thing called C++ .NET. However C++ is not only .NET.
With C++ you can do .NET applications, but also Linux applications,
Unix Applications, Mac OS applications, Palm OS applications, operating
systems (Windows is written in C++), compilers (C# compiler is written
in C++), etc.

C++ is the dominant general purpose programming language, and is used
from small embedded devices to large mainframes and super computers,
that is it exists in all computer systems.


Some references:

http://www.research.att.com/~bs/esc99.html
http://www.biltek.ieee.metu.edu.tr/sayi/mayis01/bs_eng.html
http://www.itworld.com/AppDev/710/lw-02-stroustrup
http://www.research.att.com/~bs/nantes-interview-english.html
Click to expand...



That said, I use C++ mainly to create .NET applications. :-)






Regards,

Ioannis Vranos
 
Hello All,
I'm MCSD6.0 on VC++6.0 and SQL Server2000. for year or so i lost touch
with VC++, because i was working for different job, now i need to get back
to my career track, problem is...since then lot of changes in programming
world i feel kinda lost and another problem is i lost touch with VC++ and i
can't even do simple programs now....i need a restart...I guess i have to
start practising it from scratch. in the mean time is it worth practising
for VC++6.0 or start practising in VC++.et or put that time in learning new
VC#.net? can anyone help me in this?! Suggestions appreciated!

Raja
 
Hi,
You should start learning the .NET Framework. It's very powerfull!
Visual C++ suports .NET through Managed Extensions for C++. This
expansion of the language makes it very flexible, but sometimes hard
to understand. In C++ .Net you can mix managed code with unmanaged
code in the same assembly. A very usefull feature.
C# simplifies some problems from C++, and resembles Java.
The choice is yours, but you should be aware that all .NET languages
share the same underlying framework.

CeZaR
 
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