Win32 .net programming

[9600baud]

Hi anywhere I can learn how to do VB/C/C++ development for a Win32 enviroment? Working with GUIs, talking to ports, dbs, etc... I need basics and such... thanks a lot.

[GSXdan]

Lots of places to learn, but the basics wont exactly include working with GUIs, ports, etc...(with the exception of VB, you can dive right into GUIs if you have a ok foundation) The basics will teach you the building blocks of the language.

What are your intentions? VB would be an easier language to learn, and is a good language to learn if this is your first time programming. C++ is harder, but also more capable in the right hands.

Just google "VB tutorials" and it will bring up tons of tutorials, or if you are like me, go grab a book from the library or bookstore. Find one that incorporates a useful casestudy. Once you have the basics down then you can get into the more advanced stuff.

[doctorgonzo]

I'd stay away from Visual Basic as an introductory language. Visual Basic works well enough in a RAD (Rapid Application Development) environment, since it is very easy to get a GUI up and running by dragging and dropping just a few things, but it teaches some bad programming habits.

Are you completely new to programming? If so, then it's a good idea to get a book on C++ or Java. You will be doing simple "Hello world" console applications to start with, but that is where you should start. Once you can grasp some good programming techniques, you can move onto something else.

If you are interested in .NET technology, there is a free beta from M$ for a Visual C# IDE at http://lab.msdn.microsoft.com/expres...p/default.aspx. C# is a language that attempts to be as good for RAD as Visual Basic, without some of the drawbacks of VB. I am using it right now and I find it to be very nice.

[9600baud]

Hi, oh no i've plenty of knowledge on programming and the fundamentals of. I'm a total newbie as far as working with Windows API and such tho. I've worked with VB before but I heard the .NET version's different. I'd probably need to get up and running quickly in order to interact with ethernet and serial/usb...

[doctorgonzo]

Yes, VB.NET is quite different from previous versions of VB; in fact, it is so different it can probably be described as a different language. If you are looking to program software that interacts with peripherals like your network card and serial lines at a low level, you may have to go with C/C++. I'm not sure how good VB.NET is at dealing with these low-level devices.

[9600baud]

thanks for the quick reply gonzo. i didnt mean talk w/ the card but more thru the card. like have two instances of the app talk w/ each other through ethernet/serial/usb... ?

[doctorgonzo]

VB.NET is "Internet-aware" insofar as it can use TCP/IP connections to enable services over the Internet. However, this takes place at a high level of abstraction in terms of the networking stack. I guess that you could probably code something that uses TCP/IP to send messages between different webservices (this is where things like SOAP and RPC come into play, and I know not a thing about that stuff). If you want to communicate using USB or serial ports, though, you are going to be twiddling bits directly, and that will take a pretty powerful language.

[9600baud]

hey doctor, thanks for the info, pretty helpful. I guess ill have to do a lotta studying heh.