Creating computer software (applications)

[therealwesfoster]

Whats up?

 

I'm interested (and have been for a long time) in creating computer applications. I'm just asking here to get some more info on where to start and what sites I should read up on.

 

I've learned a little bit of c++ a while back when I tried creating apps before, but I've never had a good tutorial on making a full application. I always end up making hangman in a DOS window

 

So some tips and links would be greatly appreciated. Also, is c++ the best language for building a simple/professional computer app?

 

Thanks

[bilis_money]

yes exactly c++ is the mother of OOP.

and it's good for making desktop application.

 

Actually there are many of them Visual C++, C# and etc...

 

I suggest C# because it's related with .NET if you change your mind for it later.

 

 

[KevinM1]

yes exactly c++ is the mother of OOP.

 

Actually, Simula was the 'mother' of OOP: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Object_oriented

 

and it's good for making desktop application.

 

Actually there are many of them Visual C++, C# and etc...

 

I suggest C# because it's related with .NET if you change your mind for it later.

 

Remember, though, that C# is not C++.  There are important differences between the two.

 

To the original poster, since you have some background with C++, I recommend the "Thinking in C++" books.  They'll teach you the C++ Standard.

[bilis_money]

Actually, Simula was the 'mother' of OOP: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Object_oriented

 

I was talking about the C family.

 

Is simula also part of the C family?

 

nevermind i don't want to argue with you.

or i think you misunderstood.

 

 

 

[The Little Guy]

Another easy language is "Visual Basic" its almost just drag and drop for the most part, and you can get it free "visual (C,XNA,C++,Visual Basic) Express" from Microsoft.

 

If you are a student, you can get any one of these professional versions from DreamSpark: https://downloads.channel8.msdn.com/

[therealwesfoster]

Thanks for the replies. I've tried visual c++ before, but I kinda felt like I was cheating lol. I like to hard code because thats not the easy way to do it.. never take the easy way

 

I appreciate the replies and any more are welcome

 

Wes

[KevinM1]

Actually, Simula was the 'mother' of OOP: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Object_oriented

 

I was talking about the C family.

 

Is simula also part of the C family?

 

nevermind i don't want to argue with you.

or i think you misunderstood.

 

Easy, killer....

 

You merely stated that 'c++ is the mother of oop,' which is false.  Given that a newcomer was asking fundamental questions about programming languages, I felt it was appropriate to correct your erroneous statement.

 

In other words, there's a fundamental difference between saying "C++ is the mother of OOP," which implies that C++ was the first programming language ever to support OOP, and "C++ was the first within the C family of languages to support OOP," which is correct, with the added bonus of being explicitly clear in its meaning.

 

Not a huge issue, in the long run, but I figure it's best not to potentially confuse someone if it can be avoided.

[therealwesfoster]

this thread is turning into nothing but a pride-fest "hey i know more than you".

 

Please try and stick to the subject There is a PM feature for those who like to chat directly to the other.

 

Wes

[The Little Guy]

http://www.bluesfear.com/tutorials/C++window_p1.php

http://www.functionx.com/bcb/topics/wndfunds.htm

 

Google It

[therealwesfoster]

http://www.bluesfear.com/tutorials/C++window_p1.php

http://www.functionx.com/bcb/topics/wndfunds.htm

 

Google It

 

Those links are great! Especially the first one.. thanks

[revraz]

I like VB, but I guess it would depend on what type of app you want to code and if you have a certain development company in mind that you want to work for, find out what they use.

[roopurt18]

In today's world, I'd suggest learning how to make applications in C# using .NET with Microsoft's free Visual C# Express.  Then I'd spend a bit of time learning how to make platform-independent applications with Java.

 

I've tried visual c++ before, but I kinda felt like I was cheating lol. I like to hard code because thats not the easy way to do it.. never take the easy way

Then maybe you should try and write a windows program in assembly.  After a few hundred lines of code you can get a blank window to appear. 

 

There's no harm in hard-coding a few times through to get the hang of how things work under the hood, but once you understand it there's no sense in wasting countless hours on mundane tasks.

 

On a side note, I'd recommend not learning Visual Basic for two main reasons:

1) The language is unnecessarily verbose, which is an annoyance to me

2) Basic style languages are not as common IMO as c-style languages, so having solid roots in c-style syntax gives you a head start in moving from one language to another

[revraz]

And yet a large software firm right next door to us (Quest software) is hiring VB Programmers.

[trq]

Deciding which language to use really depends on the kind of application you plan on building. To be honest, with today's computers being so powerful you can nearly always get away with using a simpler language that doesn't need to be compiled to execute, if at very least for prototyping. Take a look at python, its simple to learn, has many useful libraries available and is truly cross platform.