New Programmer looking for Ideas

[dylan.ribb]

Hello All,

I just recently started programming with C++, and I have to say it's a
lot of fun. However, I've only ever programmed examples from books or
slight modifications of those examples. So, the point of this post is
to ask:

What kind of things do you program with your knowledge of C++? What is
the most creative C++ program you've ever written? And, what other fun
things can I do with this great language?

Your input is greatly appreciated! I'm excited to have begun the
learning process, and am ready to start doing some interesting things
with it!

Thanks


Dylan

 

[Gianni Mariani]

Hello All,

I just recently started programming with C++, and I have to say it's a
lot of fun. However, I've only ever programmed examples from books or
slight modifications of those examples. So, the point of this post is
to ask:

What kind of things do you program with your knowledge of C++? What is
the most creative C++ program you've ever written? And, what other fun
things can I do with this great language?

What do you think of this question ?

a) Write a template class that counts the number of set bits in a
constant and provides a constant for any integer type.

template <typename T, T val>
struct NumBitsSet
{
enum { m_value = ***** }; //what goes where the ***** is?
};

 

[moschops]

Hello All,

I just recently started programming with C++, and I have to say it's a
lot of fun. However, I've only ever programmed examples from books or
slight modifications of those examples. So, the point of this post is
to ask:

What kind of things do you program with your knowledge of C++? What is
the most creative C++ program you've ever written? And, what other fun
things can I do with this great language?

I've found that creating your own versions of things in the standard
library is instructive and illuminating. Create your own self-managing
vector class, for example, with the functionality of the vector in the
standard template library, and then compare yours to the standard to see
how the standard did things differently and where you chose the same method.

'Chops

 

[Kira Yamato]

Hello All,

I just recently started programming with C++, and I have to say it's a
lot of fun. However, I've only ever programmed examples from books or
slight modifications of those examples. So, the point of this post is
to ask:

What kind of things do you program with your knowledge of C++? What is
the most creative C++ program you've ever written? And, what other fun
things can I do with this great language?

Your input is greatly appreciated! I'm excited to have begun the
learning process, and am ready to start doing some interesting things
with it!

Thanks


Dylan

Someone told me once that not until you've written a C++ compiler (or
at least the parser) yourself, can you say that you've fully mastered
the language.

So, go and write a C++ compiler in C++.

 

[brekehan]

Hello All,

I just recently started programming with C++, and I have to say it's a
lot of fun. However, I've only ever programmed examples from books or
slight modifications of those examples. So, the point of this post is
to ask:

What kind of things do you program with your knowledge of C++? What is
the most creative C++ program you've ever written? And, what other fun
things can I do with this great language?

Your input is greatly appreciated! I'm excited to have begun the
learning process, and am ready to start doing some interesting things
with it!

Thanks

Dylan

C++ is just a tool. What kinds of things you write with it would
depend on your interest. You will find that most commercial
programming requires a mastery of some 3rd party library in addition
to mastery of the language. Not only that, but it requires some
experience in a specific domain, such as networking, databases, 3D
graphics, artificial intelligence, business, etc. So the first step
in, my opinon, is to ask yourself, what field you want to enter using C
++ then start some demo projects in that field.

As for myself, I started off wanting to make games, like any crazy
teenager (at the time). Since then, I found that I would have to
concentrate on specific aspects of games and decided upon 3d graphics,
which led me to using the DirectX API. My hobby projects consisted of
small demos that tested my knowledge of that API, such as displaying
spinning triangles, creating and loading models, object picking, and
finally the beginnings of my own gaphics engine etc.

I branched out some to enhance my resume and started doing little
demos on things such as
writing a C++ app to log and calc my paychecks using a mysql database
writing a C++ app that dynamically produced html from text articles I
wrote
writing a C++ app for an online chat client
writing a C++ app to create and edit 3d terrain
writing a C++ library for networking, including reliable UDP
writing a C++ app to piss off my friend who promised to pay me for
fixing his computer, that ran an endless loop at startup of windows
and displayed "Pay me now asshat!" across his screen in bouncing
letters.
etc.

Then came the intrusion of real life. I lost time to work and only
return to my hobby projects occasionally.
Although I haven't landed a job in 3D graphics and doubt I am
knowledgable enough to do so yet. These little hobby projects really
made a differance in finding jobs, if serving no other purpose than to
demonstrate the ability to write C++ code with readability and
understanding, and to research topics on ones own.

It all boils down to what interests you.