Computer Science

[Gjc856]

I'm going off to college next year and am planning on majoring in Computer Science. I realize that this is a tough major, and have decided to try and get started ahead of time. The university suggests learning either C, C++, or Java. I'm thinking C++, is this the wisest choice? I saw a C++ for dummies that got good reviews, but will this really teach me what I need to know? Thanks

[homer15]

i'm not a big fan of learning programming solely from a book. there's nobody there to ask when something goes wrong, and you only do exactly what the book tells you.

if you have a community college nearby that is offering classes during the summer, i'd suggest you'd look into their c++ class.

[doctorgonzo]

Learning from a book will teach you a lot about syntax, flow, and so forth. What it might not teach you is good programming technique, how to translate an idea into code, how to write efficient algorithms, and so on. You may get that from a classroom, because (presumably) the instructor has this experience and can help, but you can go online and access that experience too.

I haven't taken a single programming class in my life (except for one Access programming class that was supposed to be "advanced" but had me helping the instructor a lot), but I have been programming since I was five and I think I can hold my own when it comes to certain areas. I do think, though, that the lack of classroom experience does hobble me in certain respects. I have thought about going to school to get some kind of degree or certification, but for now nothing seems to jump out at me.

[bonzai]

-- "The university suggests learning either C, C++, or Java. I'm thinking C++, is this the wisest choice?"

Well, let's take my college for example. At my school, the computer science major absolutely focuses on Java as the core. By the time you graduate you become pretty dam good at Java. In other words, at my school, REQUIRED courses that were considered core in order to satisfy my major were Java courses. If I wanted to touch C or C++, they were all electives. The only class that I was able to touch C++ was a computer graphics elective to develop graphics in OpenGL.

I would say that you should find out what is going to be the core language that they are going to teach at your computer science major. If you really are concerned with getting a head start past ur fellow mates, then you should pick the language that is considered core in the program and start on that. It wouldn't make sense to start on C++ to try to get a head start if your school will make you live with Java for the next 4 years.

While the principles of object oriented programming are the same, the principles of the language when you start coding is still pretty different.

[LoveJones]

homer has a good suggestion. Take a class. There are a lot of issues with C++ that you will take you for a loop without someone there to guide you.

I was programming for one of my final projects yesterday. I was passing in a value to a function, but once inside that function it changed value. I mean, the second you got into the scope of the function, it was something else. I was not assigning to it.

Those sorts of things would really confuse the heck out of someone with only a book for reference.

And besides that, C, PASCAL, or Java are generally easier languages for first-timers. C++ contains everything you can do in C. The only downfall about learning C first is that programming in C requires a different mindset than programming in C++. The methodology for C++ is more prefered.

The bottom line is that you should take a class, and not buy a book ( unless of course it's required for the class =P ).

[piasabird]

In Functions, in C++, the value of a variable is local. This means when the function closes if you do not pass the function back, whatever you did is gone. You have to pass the value back to use it in main or use some other methods. This is something you need examples in a book to understand. How you learn programming languages is by starting in the beginning of the book and doing all the examples one at a time. This repetition helps you to start to understand what the code will do. Force yourself to take baby steps.

The worst mistake you can make is to pick a program in the middle of a book and try to undersand it without learning the basics from the beginning of the book.

In C++ you can pass A value of a variable. When you do this only the value is passed not the variable itself. There are other methods, like passing the address of a variable.

One of the things I would do, is if you plan on taking C++ at a specific school is find out what Compiler they use to teach their class and then get that compiler and learn on that compiler. Different compilers and versions of C++ vary quite a bit. For instance will they teach C++, or Visual C++? They might be using Microsoft C++ visual .net compiler, or possibly a free GNU Compiler.

I dont beleive people should just jump into C++. A programmer needs to take some kind of basic programming course where you learn Algorithms where they teach programming basic techniques. C++ is rather advanced as a first programming language.

[mattg2k4]

I think Java might be a bit easier for a starting language. But I don't think C++ would be very hard either. Java has a more organized way that it is written, which promotes good programming style from the start, which is a very good thing. So many people out there are able to write decent programs, but then if I take a look at the code, it's just awful.

I learned C++ first and am now learning Java from "Teach Yourself Java 2 in 24 Hours," Rogers Cadenhead. It seems like a good book to me, but then I already know the basics, which are practically identical for C++ and Java.

For the code you will probably be writing for the first few weeks C++ and Java would be all but indistinguishable. It might put you a little ahead to get through C++ first, but unless you have a very good book, you could be very confused. This isn't a beginners book, but "C++ for VB Programmers", Jonathan Morrison was very helpful to me, it did an excellent job of explaining pointers, and has lots of cool stuff like programming your own DLL's. It only has a single chapter which covers the basics, most of it is more advanced programming. And despite the title, I don't think you need to know any VB to get the same amount of benefit from this book.

No matter which of the two you choose, remember that you should always strive to write clean, organized code. It will make your life soooo much easier (voice of experience) and it will prepare you to write code with a group, where the duties are divided. Pseudocode, documentation, and comments are all your friends. Use them.

[Dreamscape]

Java
One word: API

[piasabird]

I kind of liked learning Java in class because we had an instructor who forced us to see how the object orientation works in java. Before that I had a class in Rule Based Programming where we used java and rules to build our own classes for dates and adding and subtracting days. It was very interesting because we made objects of objects. In java you make a class and compile it. Then another class can use that class and build upon it. C++ works much the same way, but does it differently. I found that Java handles variables with ease and that it was designed to be used for web pages. We did some very easy programs to copy files used off of webpages and things like that. Java has a wide range of uses. Java has a tendency to be very dependent on powerful processors and memory, but simple programs will run easily. Sun has the compiler for free which is always nice.

[Sunday Silence]

Been researching this Java 2 alittle and been hearing Learn Java 2 and then your all set for C# which prolly bring about the next antitrust suit against MS.

If I had'nt been up for twenty hours I would actually get the links but the gist of them would say "heres all you need to know to migrate to C# from Java 2." You also see links saying learning both of these will shortly get you more work than want!