[NCLUG] 32 / 64 bit computers

[Anthony Foiani]

Bob Proulx <bob at proulx.com> writes:

> However if you were to learn C++ then I would learn C first and get
> a good grip of the fundamentals there before moving on to C++.

*grump*

This is true to a point, but learning C first can actually ingrain
habits that lead to clunky C++.  Consider the following short list:

  * casts
  * macros v. inline functions
  * type safety
  * STL
  * strXXX functions
  * std::string v. "char *"
  * _alloc/free vs. new/delete

If someone is dead set on learning C++, it is strongly recommended
that they simply go straight there:

  http://www2.research.att.com/~bs/learn.html
  http://www.parashift.com/c++-faq-lite/how-to-learn-cpp.html#faq-28.2

(For whatever it's worth, this is coming from someone who went from
Apple II BASIC, to UCSD P-System Pascal (?), to Modula-2, to C, to
early C++, to late Perl4 / early Perl5, then ARM-era C++, then Java,
now back to modern C++, with a healthy dose of assembler (x86, 68k,
ppc), prolog, lisp, SQL, VB, VBA, sh, awk, fortran, and who knows what
else along the way...)

Having said that, I agree that scripting languages are probably a
better fit for a rank novice.  It sounds like the original poster
isn't quite in that situation; they sound technical but without much
experience / focus in modern computer programming languages.

t.