Where do I go from here? (Learning C++)

[James]

I'm looking for some advice in teaching myself how to program.

I just finished reading O'Reilly's Practical C++ Programing. I can do
anything that was convered in the book very comfortably without
referring to the back. This is something I'm very interested in so I
spent several hours each night going through the exercise programs.

I'm curious where I should go from here. I'm interested in learning
how to create useful programs w/ GUIs on various platforms (Windows,
Mac OS, Linux). Ideally, I'd like to create a new email client and
address book for both Windows & Linux.

I'm currently using a Powerbook w/ XCode to develop these programs but
I have access to Windows. Is there any books you could suggest that
would be a continuation of what I already know and lead me towards
creating useful applications?

Thanks

James

 

[Wei Zhang]

Try Qt, which is a GUI library run on Linux, Windows and Mac OS

visit www.trolltech.com for more information

 

[JKop]

James posted:

I'm looking for some advice in teaching myself how to program.

I just finished reading O'Reilly's Practical C++ Programing. I can do
anything that was convered in the book very comfortably without
referring to the back. This is something I'm very interested in so I
spent several hours each night going through the exercise programs.

I'm curious where I should go from here. I'm interested in learning
how to create useful programs w/ GUIs on various platforms (Windows,
Mac OS, Linux). Ideally, I'd like to create a new email client and
address book for both Windows & Linux.

I'm currently using a Powerbook w/ XCode to develop these programs but
I have access to Windows. Is there any books you could suggest that
would be a continuation of what I already know and lead me towards
creating useful applications?

Thanks

James

Be very very very weary of Win32 programming with C++.

If you open up MS Visual C++ and let the wizard create the skeleton of a
Win32 GUI program for you, then you get provided with the most disgusting
code known to man. For instance, there are macros everywhere throughout the
windows header files. You also cannot include one particular windows header
file in a source file. For instance:

//blah.cpp

#include <winnt.h>

This won't compile. There's unrecognized words in "winnt.h". What in actual
fact is happening is that "winnt.h" is referring to stuff which was defined
in "windows.h". So shouldn't "winnt.h" include "windows.h"... ?

Another thing, you won't see:

static_cast
reinterpret_cast

in windows code, you'll see:

(BRUSH)5;

which is pretty disgusting in my own opinion.

I'm actually working on something at the moment... I created the Win32 GUI
project with the wizard, but now I'm re-organizing it. I'm not finished yet
though. It's starting to look nice, I've made use of namespaces, exceptions,
the new-style casts. Pretty much turning horrid C code into beautiful C++
code. If you'd like to compare the before and after, then I'll post it here.

As far as becoming very proficient in C++... well I would recommend posting
and reading here as often as you can. I've read ~4 C++ books, must I've
learned most and attained most clarity in this newsgroup.


-JKop

 

[JKop]

I've read ~4 C++ books, must I've learned most and attained most

clarity in this newsgroup.

That's the weirdes typo I've ever made!


I've read ~4 C++ books, but I've learned most and attained most clarity in
this newsgroup.


-JKop

 

[JKop]

weirdes


And again!


weirdest


-JKop

 

[Lionel B]

Be very very very weary of Win32 programming with C++.

I presume you meant "wary" - but that sentence works quite nicely if
you prepend "You will ".

;-)

 

[Ioannis Vranos]

I'm looking for some advice in teaching myself how to program.

I just finished reading O'Reilly's Practical C++ Programing. I can do
anything that was convered in the book very comfortably without
referring to the back. This is something I'm very interested in so I
spent several hours each night going through the exercise programs.

I'm curious where I should go from here. I'm interested in learning how
to create useful programs w/ GUIs on various platforms (Windows, Mac OS,
Linux). Ideally, I'd like to create a new email client and address book
for both Windows & Linux.

I'm currently using a Powerbook w/ XCode to develop these programs but
I have access to Windows. Is there any books you could suggest that
would be a continuation of what I already know and lead me towards
creating useful applications?

You have two options, either continue with system specific stuff like
Windows etc GUI applications (that is learn a system-specific library),
or continue to master ISO C++.


1) In the case you want to move to system-specific stuff, and you are
interested in the MS Windows world, the definite way to go is .NET. Do
not waste brain cells to learn deprecated stuff like Win32.


Good books for .NET are

"Visual C++ .NET" Step by Step by Microsoft, but which contains many
technical C++ inaccuracies (that is, it says many erroneous/crap stuff
regarding ISO C++, like it performs many unneeded casts, like
dynamic_cast, while no cast is needed in most times or static_cast<>
would suffice).


"Visual C++ .NET How to Program" by Deitel, which is the book I am
currently reading, and I am recommending to you for learning .NET. It is
of high quality, highly ISO C++ precise and it covers much material (it
makes you intermediate level .NET programmer).


2) In the case you want to continue mastering ISO C++, even after having
learned .NET, the definite way to go is "The C++ Programming Language"
3rd Edition or Special Edition by Bjarne Stroustrup, the creator of C++.

Keep in mind that reading (and understanding what you read) this book
will take few years.