Thread: Where do I start? Learning computer language

Originally Posted by Ynot

probably the most difficult concept to get to grips with (coming from Basic), is the separate header files
make sure you have a good understanding of why & how code is split into header and source files
and if in doubt, ask

Basic has separate header files. It's not as imperative with C, I've done small projects (1000 LOC) all in one big files, but it's not good practice. Learn how to do a top down design and modulate your program. Headers are much more imperative in C++ than C, but it's good to have then for both.

Originally Posted by ninja9578

Basic has separate header files.

oh, ok

well, sinclair basic didn't....

Originally Posted by Ynot

oh, ok

well, sinclair basic didn't....

Neither does ti-basic, which is the language he's coming from. But headers are simple to understand and they're logical, I can't see how someone could have trouble with C just because of headers.

No, C headers are simple. I think that Ynot was referring to C++ headers. They're a little bit different because there are a few kinds. There are skeleton headers, abstract headers, interface headers, headers with inline methods. Don't yell at me, I don't remember the exact terminology for each kind, but you know what I'm talking about.

Originally Posted by M-Cat

Neither does ti-basic, which is the language he's coming from. But headers are simple to understand and they're logical, I can't see how someone could have trouble with C just because of headers.

just recounting my own troubles, really

I came from sinclair basic
one program = one source file

hitting C++ head on,
and wondering why one program had half a dozen files

It was my biggest hurdle with C++
I just did what other people did, with regards to splitting up the file
and for the longest time, not knowing why I did it or what it's purpose was

I'm hideously out of date with modern forms of Basic (save for the occasional dabble with Word Basic)
so I had no idea basic had adopted headers...

Yeah, there is a powerful semi OOP language called FreeBasic that can be modulated very well. I've written some large programs with 50 individual files. My favourite part about that is that compiling the main one automatically compiles all of them, no makefiles

Oh, for Abra, read up on makefiles, unless you are using an IDE, those are pretty important.

avoid assembly unless you want to go into really hardcore hacking, device drivers, os creation or intense game engines. while assembly is easy to learn it takes a lot more code than any other language.
for example
this C code

Code:

aFunction((a*b/c),c*c);

would look like this in assembly

Code:

mul $c, $c
push $c
mul $a, $b
mov $a, %eax
idiv %eax, $c
push %eax
call aFunction

I would suggest java. It's widely used (not for gaming) and is basically an easier version of C and C++. I don't think anyone really uses C anymore, C++ is the norm since it has OOP.

My bro and I made a Final Fantasy-esque game in Visual Basic 6. We made 20 classes (as in mage, warrior, not as in OOP classes) instead of just a few. It was a lot of fun.

Originally Posted by Pyrofan1

avoid assembly unless you want to go into really hardcore hacking, device drivers, os creation or intense game engines. while assembly is easy to learn it takes a lot more code than any other language.
for example
this C code

Code:

aFunction((a*b/c),c*c);

would look like this in assembly

Code:

mul $c, $c
push $c
mul $a, $b
mov $a, %eax
idiv %eax, $c
push %eax
call aFunction

Assembly is one of the best languages you can learn. Even if you dont program in it, you learn more from assembly than any other language.

Originally Posted by Seismosaur

Interpreted languages are known for their slowness. Just look at BASIC. Python is only different in that it can be used for large projects, but is still highly inferior to it's lower-level ancestors.

Actually speed is rarely an issue today except in the most intensive programs. Most applications are a breeze for modern processors to run. That's why languages like Python, which are easy to use, are becoming more favourable.