Did i go wrong?

[deryni21]

I was wondering if i went wrong learning c++. I honestly don't want to code games and am hoping for a software engineering career. Would C# be a better idea then c++ for my time. I'm only a freshmen so i am not going to need this anytime soon give me your opinion.

[trufun202]

I was wondering if i went wrong learning c++. I honestly don't want to code games and am hoping for a software engineering career. Would C# be a better idea then c++ for my time. I'm only a freshmen so i am not going to need this anytime soon give me your opinion.

No, definitely stick with C++. Once you understand programming concepts and design patterns, you can apply that to any language. At that point it just boils down to syntax. I didn't pick up C# until my Junior year of college and I now use it at my job as a software engineer.

[wtetzner]

I agree, you can never go wrong by learning a programming language. The more languages you know, the better programmer you'll be.

At that point it just boils down to syntax.

That's not entirely true. Knowing C++ will help with imperative languages, but I would also recommend learning a functional language (Lisp, Haskell, O'Caml, etc.). It's a much different approach to programming, and it will make you a better programmer, even if you don't use those languages for work. Also, C# is starting to incorporate functional elements, like lambda functions. And as multi-core programming becomes more important, functional languages will start to play a larger role in software development.

Anyway, all I'm saying is that learning C++ is definitely a good thing, and the more languages you know, the more competent you'll be.

[deryni21]

alright thank you for your opinions. I am going to stick with c++ (been really enjoying it anyway)

[programmerinprogress]

I love the flexibility of C++, it doesn't push you in any specific direction, and that's the main reason why I find the language enjoyable to use.

I think if you use C++, in a sense you can generalise now, and then use other lanaguages to specialise later

You also have to remember that C++ is a fully standardised language, there are people from all different sectors and commitees who have came together to decide how C++ should work, and it is very much accepted that everyone must use compilers which meet certain standards.

C# is a proprietry lanaguage, made by microsoft, and although that's fine, in my opinion, I would imagine it would be better to start with a language which is standardised and tried and tested, as opposed to starting off with a language which MAY NOT be written in a more general style that most people agree on (afterall microsoft decide the syntax).

But who knows, my suspicions may be unfounded, I guess the techniques in programming are generally standardised (most lanaguages will carry the same variations of key words, such as FOR and more essentially,IF), and since C# is derived from the C++ syntax, it probably allows a smooth transition either way.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do

[avansc]

I agree, you can never go wrong by learning a programming language. The more languages you know, the better programmer you'll be.

At that point it just boils down to syntax.

That's not entirely true. Knowing C++ will help with imperative languages, but I would also recommend learning a functional language (Lisp, Haskell, O'Caml, etc.). It's a much different approach to programming, and it will make you a better programmer, even if you don't use those languages for work. Also, C# is starting to incorporate functional elements, like lambda functions. And as multi-core programming becomes more important, functional languages will start to play a larger role in software development.

Anyway, all I'm saying is that learning C++ is definitely a good thing, and the more languages you know, the more competent you'll be.

just a little info that might be interesting. multi core and multi threaded programming is going to die out. especially considering how fast linear processing has become. i mean they make graphics cards without outputs purly because they are faster at doing computations than any multicore processor. all if its computation is linear. (i just added that so that because i know gfx cards have like 216 "cores" but its not the same thing as a multi core processor)

trufun202, and i agree with you. dont learn syntax as the main thing about programming, rather the concepts. because if you learn that a for loop looks like

for(int i = 0;i < 100;a++)
{
}

and think thats the only way, you are going to struggle. just learn concepts. how the loop works, what exactly happens with structure. how its formed in memory. anyways. thats my $0.02

[deryni21]

I agree, you can never go wrong by learning a programming language. The more languages you know, the better programmer you'll be.

At that point it just boils down to syntax.

That's not entirely true. Knowing C++ will help with imperative languages, but I would also recommend learning a functional language (Lisp, Haskell, O'Caml, etc.). It's a much different approach to programming, and it will make you a better programmer, even if you don't use those languages for work. Also, C# is starting to incorporate functional elements, like lambda functions. And as multi-core programming becomes more important, functional languages will start to play a larger role in software development.

Anyway, all I'm saying is that learning C++ is definitely a good thing, and the more languages you know, the more competent you'll be.

just a little info that might be interesting. multi core and multi threaded programming is going to die out. especially considering how fast linear processing has become. i mean they make graphics cards without outputs purly because they are faster at doing computations than any multicore processor. all if its computation is linear. (i just added that so that because i know gfx cards have like 216 "cores" but its not the same thing as a multi core processor)

trufun202, and i agree with you. dont learn syntax as the main thing about programming, rather the concepts. because if you learn that a for loop looks like

for(int i = 0;i < 100;a++)
{
}

and think thats the only way, you are going to struggle. just learn concepts. how the loop works, what exactly happens with structure. how its formed in memory. anyways. thats my $0.02

thank you for that also. That is primarily what i have been trying to do learn how it works and how it to use it effectively not just how to make it do what i want.

[programmerinprogress]

That is primarily what i have been trying to do learn how it works and how it to use it effectively not just how to make it do what i want.

Then you're set for good things my friend, if you know not only how to use your lnguage, but use your language effectively, you're going to save yourself a lot of heartache down the line.

Programming isn't all about knowing a syntax, it is about knowing which method is best at solving a problem.