[buddhistgrandma]

Originally posted by ryno
Trick question. You never stop learning.

Yup. There is always something more to learn.

[neuterman]

Well, I just started on a SAMS book for learning beginner's programming in 24 hours. It says it shows how to program in Visual BASIC, C++, and Javascript. So I guess the answer to your question would be somewhere in hour seven .

[blackhawk13]

Originally posted by neuterman
Well, I just started on a SAMS book for learning beginner's programming in 24 hours. It says it shows how to program in Visual BASIC, C++, and Javascript. So I guess the answer to your question would be somewhere in hour seven .

SAMS will be the death of me this semester at school . I had to buy a SAMS book for UML coding (dumbest thing ever). And it comes with a program called Poseidon. Apparently UML is some sort of object-oriented language or something, I don't know. It's stupid in my opinion.

edit: p.s. I'm learning C++ this semester also, and so far it's easy enough. If you understand the structure of coding, every language just kind of flows and you just get it.

[ryno]

Originally posted by blackhawk13
SAMS will be the death of me this semester at school . I had to buy a SAMS book for UML coding (dumbest thing ever). And it comes with a program called Poseidon. Apparently UML is some sort of object-oriented language or something, I don't know. It's stupid in my opinion.

edit: p.s. I'm learning C++ this semester also, and so far it's easy enough. If you understand the structure of coding, every language just kind of flows and you just get it.

Unified Modeling Language (UML) is used in the design of programs and databases. It is not a programming language in itself. By creating a design in UML you can discover flaws in your logic before you write a single line of code.

Think of it this way. When an architect/contractor wants to build a house, what does he have to do? He first has to ask his client what exactly he/she wants the house to look like and have. Does the client want one story or two? Two bathrooms or three? How many bedrooms? Does the client want a fireplace? Etc, etc, etc. This is called the planning stage where you find out exactly what you are going to have to build.

The next stage is the design stage. This is the stage that pertains to UML. The architect/contractor now has to take the specifications and write up a blueprint. So he writes up a blueprint and then discovers, by looking at that blueprint, that if he puts the fireplace on the west side of the room the structural integrity of that wall may be compromised and weakened. So he moves the fireplace to the north wall instead.

A UML diagram for software developers is no different than a blueprint for contractors. It allows you to find mistakes and inefficiencies in your applications before you start actually writing them. Sure, you might be a talented software developer. Sure, you might think you know exactly how to make this application. However, if you find that your design is not going to work half way through writing the application, you are going to have to spend a LONG LONG time fixing that problem. If you find that mistake during the design phase... you've lost about 15 minutes.

Design is the most important aspect of software development. You could know the STL like you know the back of your hand, but if you don't know how to design an object oriented application, your knowledge means absolutely nothing.

[Stormdev]

Very well said ryno!

[williamwu]

I have learned c++ since 2003, but I still don't understand it deeply today.

[forrestcupp]

You can learn basic c++ syntax in no time, especially if you have any programming background. The problem is that there are countless libraries, and frameworks that you add to the basic syntax, and you'll never finish learning all of that. Early on, you might want to mess with strings, so you might include the String library. Sometime, you might want to make a GUI program, so then you'll have to find some framework like wxWidgets or something, and then you're opening a whole new world of programming that still uses basic c++. But it's a new world of things to learn. C++ is the easy part. It's what comes after that that gets harder. And like other people have said, logic is the most important thing. You can know every programming language, but if you can't work things out logically, you'll be stuck just copying other people's tutorials the rest of your life.

[revenge2]

there is a book called 'learn c++ in 21 days' that i have for uni, that is pretty useful.. would be pretty intensive to go through it in 21 days, but possible... i use it as more of a referance

i just bought that book, lol im in the process of learning c++, i do understand some of it if i tried hard enough and im only 16. But since im a absolute beginner the best advice i could give any newbie is go learn python because that is easier than c++.

...plus: when you look at the difference in code between the two python looks simple. ( thats simply judging by appearance)