where to start?

[MSIuser]

I'm looking to start learning to program. I have done a bit of php in my past and feel quite ok that if asked to could do most things. I'm looking to move into software programming now though. I had a look at cprogramming.com and their tutorial is ok, but c++ seems quite deep. What would you advise? Would I be best just getting stuck in with C++ and maybe get a book on it or is there anything easier that might be a nice lead in?

[aym]

Learning C++ is a great idea, a wide range of software is programmed in C++, operating systems, drivers, desktop applications, games...

I suggest you continue learning it, CProgramming.com tutorials are good for starting, if you find yourself comfortable with C++ after reading the tutorials, and need to continue learning, then you may consider buying a book.

Another option is Java, Java is very similar to C++ in concepts, but without some difficult to understand / use things like operator overloading, if you still find C++ difficult to learn after a while, you may give Java a try.

As I said, C++ and Java are very similar, learning one after master the other is just a matter of time.

Good luck.

[MSIuser]

Thanks AYM, I just gave it another shot there at the tutorial, got a few console things going. Also found a few helpful things that are similar to the php versions, the if/else statements. One question, is there any way to make the file sizes a little smaller? When I compile a simple program to show a thing at the console it is about 400-500kb?!

[doctorgonzo]

Originally posted by MSIuser One question, is there any way to make the file sizes a little smaller? When I compile a simple program to show a thing at the console it is about 400-500kb?!

The size of the final compiled binary depends on a lot of things. Two reasons it is so huge could be because the compiler is set to generate debugging information, or because of the #includes you used.

I have taught myself Visual Basic, C++, and rudimentary Java. They all have their strong and weak points. Overall, though, C++ is a good place to start.

[aym]

Originally posted by MSIuser Thanks AYM, I just gave it another shot there at the tutorial, got a few console things going. Also found a few helpful things that are similar to the php versions, the if/else statements. One question, is there any way to make the file sizes a little smaller? When I compile a simple program to show a thing at the console it is about 400-500kb?!

What compiler are you using? Most likely it's the debugging info as doctorgonzo said.

[MSIuser]

I'm using Dev-C++??

[MSIuser]

I had a little nosey with the compiler and i have an option to enable debugging information, so im guessing it isnt on. the only include i have is should it be this big?

[aym]

I've installed Dev-C++, create a hello world program, and got a 70KB exe, Why kind of project did you create? Console or what?
Are you linking any special libs?
If you can copy and paste the compile log here, so we can see compiler options.

[MSIuser]

It was a console project. Nothing special, only one include . Here's the log:

Compiler: Default compiler
Building Makefile: "D:\My Documents\C++ Programming\lesson 1\Makefile.win"
Executing make...
make.exe -f "D:\My Documents\C++ Programming\lesson 1\Makefile.win" all
g++.exe main.o -o "Project1.exe" -L"C:/Dev-Cpp/lib"

Execution terminated
Compilation successful



Just as a test, I enabled debugging information and it now became 1.21mb. Could it be the include?

[aym]

couldn't find anything wrong with your log.

What include are you using?

I suggest you uninstall Dev-C++ and install it again, also try to delete old registry entries, and then create a console application, that's all I can think of right now.