What is Borland C++?

[Juggernaut]

Hi
At my college some IT students were giving away free older computer books. I
got a book called Borland C++ a programmers guide.

So I was really just wondering what this Borland C++ is? I know C++ is a
programming language, but Borland? And is this book, thats from 1992 still
valid, or is it outdated?

I hope someone can answer me, or point me to the right place.

Thanks
-

 

[Victor Bazarov]

At my college some IT students were giving away free older computer books. I
got a book called Borland C++ a programmers guide.

So I was really just wondering what this Borland C++ is?

A product. Visit http://www.borland.com

I know C++ is a
programming language, but Borland?

It's a company that makes a compiler.

And is this book, thats from 1992 still
valid, or is it outdated?

Most likely outdated.

V

 

[Abecedarian]

Hi
At my college some IT students were giving away free older computer books. I
got a book called Borland C++ a programmers guide.

by Al Stevens?

 

[Mike Wahler]

Hi
At my college some IT students were giving away free older computer books.
I
got a book called Borland C++ a programmers guide.

So I was really just wondering what this Borland C++ is?

It's the Borland Corporation's implementation of the C++
language (for PC platforms). IOW Borland is a competitor
of Microsoft and other companies.

I know C++ is a
programming language,
Yes.

but Borland?

A software vendor.

And is this book, thats from 1992 still
valid, or is it outdated?

The C++ language was first standardized in 1998, and the
standard was revised in 2003, so if you're asking about
standard C++, yes it's quite out of date.

But note that Borland has been keeping up with developments
and does provide up-to-date C++ implementations (and there
are also up-to-date books about them).

I hope someone can answer me, or point me to the right place.

I think these links will help:
FAQ for comp.lang.c++ :
http://www.parashift.com/c++-faq-lite/

FAQ for alt.comp.lang.learn.c-c++ (the C and C++ 'learners group'):
http://ma.rtij.nl/acllc-c++.FAQ.html

Info about Borland Corp. and its products:
www.borland.com

-Mike

 

[Juggernaut]

It's the Borland Corporation's implementation of the C++

language (for PC platforms). IOW Borland is a competitor
of Microsoft and other companies.

A software vendor.

So basically this book is a book about programming in c++ using the Borland
C++ compiler?

But its outdated? Ok, well it was free so I didnt loose any money on it =P

Thanks for the info.

 

[Howard]

So basically this book is a book about programming in c++ using the
Borland
C++ compiler?

But its outdated? Ok, well it was free so I didnt loose any money on it =P

Yes, it's outdated, and really only useful if you have one of their old
compilers and want to know how to write software that compiles with it. (It
most likely says which Borland compiler version it refers to.) It's not
going to help you program in C++ at all, if you're going to compile with any
modern compiler... not even theirs.

-Howard

 

[Ioannis Vranos]

So basically this book is a book about programming in c++ using the Borland
C++ compiler?

But its outdated? Ok, well it was free so I didnt loose any money on it =P

Thanks for the info.

The latest complete Borland C++ development environment is Borland C++ Builder 6. Check
google to find books for it.


Also Borland provides the C++ compiler for free (command line). Check their web site if
you want to download it.

Also it provides a trial edition of C++ Builder 6 Enterprise Edition to download it for
free. You can download it to see how it looks like.

http://www.borland.com/products/downloads/download_cbuilder.html

 

[Mike Wahler]

So basically this book is a book about programming in c++ using the
Borland
C++ compiler?

Yes, but about a compiler written in or before 1992. It most likely
contains information about 'extensions' supplied by that compiler which
are useful with the target platform. There's nothing wrong with using
them, but one should be aware that they're not standard, and can't expect
them to exist on other implementations; or if other implementations
provide function(s) with the same name(s), they won't necessarily
have the same behavior.

The form of C++ dicussed in this newsgroup is "ISO Standard C++"
which is by definition platform-neutral. (IOW it contains a minimum
set of features for working with those computer components that may
be reasonably expected to exist on a broad range of platforms. E.g.
it has flow control statements, mechanisms for defining data structures,
its standard library has support for file handling and miscellaneous
algorithms; but it does not directly support things like graphics,
networking, threading, etc. (but those features can be easily included
in an application by using third party libraries and/or implementation
extensions.)

But its outdated?

If you use it to work with whatever version of Borland C++
it was written for, then no it's not 'outdated'. But with
regard to the ISO standard for C++ or any later versions of
Borland's compilers (standard or not), yes, it's outdated.

Ok, well it was free so I didnt loose any money on it

Thank goodness for that. BTW you can read peer reviews of
books on C++ (and C, and a few other topics), at www.accu.org
I suggest it might be worthwhile to use them as a 'filter'
before you do spend any money. Of course which book(s) are
best for you will depend upon your current level of knowledge
and your specific learning goals.

-Mike