Re: [LUG] GCC compilation? Good C++ book

[kevin bailey <kevin_bailey@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

hi there,

practical c++ programming by steve oualline (o'reilly') was the book i 
read when doing my programming study - a bit dry but combined with a 
simple compiler such as tubo c++ (dos version) i had a good grounding - 
he is also keen on programming styles i.e. how to write code which other 
people (and yourself) can maintain.  

if you can program well in c/c++ you should be able to adapt to other 
languages reasonably well.  breaking things down into functions is 
essential - and object orientation principles can apply to many 
languages.  i find that different languages have to be used in different 
circumstances - php, java, ASP, even VB all have their uses - but i've 
only really used c when in an engineering enviroment where low level 
libraries were used to control hardware.  even then it was possible to 
find active-x controls which did all the hard work for you.  these were 
then used directly in the DB programming language,  

its an easy decision for the boss to make - i can spend 4 weeks writing 
code - or buy a component for 40 dolla which allows me to do something 
simply by creating an object and then using a method.

so really my experience is that programming is a case of mix and match - 
but the important point is to never compromise on quality - do not even 
tell your boss you have finished code until you have fully tested it - 
and you are happy with it - try to break it yourself - and check the 
boring results with a calculator - otherwise it will be used before it 
is finished and will be a pain in the arse from then on.  and make sure 
processes which take a while properly report what they are doing in to 
log files.  and make sure error handling is ALWAYS used - what do i do 
if this function fails - every function should return a value which 
should be checked.

whew!!! sorry about that - i think i was getting something off my chest!!!

a good book on SQL is essential too.

i would say that any language which enables data to be manipulated via a 
browser or multi-platform is a good choice of study and for job propects 
so although c (don't call it c++ !!!) has the most respect amongst older 
coders i feel that java is now taking its place.  but because it is 
strictly object orientated that  is probably a good thing.

hope this wasn't too dull :o)

kev


Chris Edwards wrote:

> For a book on C++ with some emphasis on OO I found "Object oriented
> programming with C++" by David Parsons very good. ISBN 1-85805-2327
>
> It tells you about syntax basics but doesnt spend ages telling you what a
> variable is, so it is ground up so to speak, but swiftly gets on to the more
> interesting features.
>
> Also at £11-95 it is quite reasonable. It does not presume any particular
> IDE or OS.
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-list@xxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:owner-list@xxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf
> Of David Johnson
> Sent: 18 January 2002 21:20
> To: list@xxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: Re: [LUG] GCC compilation?
>
>
> lee quick wrote:
>
> > just taking first tentative steps into the strange world of  C
> > does anyone know the answer to the following
> > i write a source file say : Example.c
> > then  GCC Example.c
> > produces an executable called a.out ?
> > sure enough a.out works but why is it not called Example.out
> > of course i could rename a.out ,but why does it do this in the first
> > place.
> > read the man pages for GCC but can't find any explanation.
>
> I am also taking those steps. Or rather re-taking. I briefly played with
> C a few years ago but never got past copying examples from books...
> As a matter of fact I decided that I would like to learn C/C++ only today.
> Do you have a book on C? Would you recommend it? I have an old Borland
> book on Turbo C++ and it is clearly not intended for people like me!
>
> Thanks,
> David Johnson.
>
> --
> Microsoft Tech Support: Windows? Oh it does that sometimes.
>
>
>
>
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