NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #31/NN_1992_31.iso/spool/alt/msdos/programm/3017

Internet Message Format | 1992-12-26 | 1.9 KB

Path: sparky!uunet!van-bc!tradent!lord
From: [e-mail] (Jason Cooper)
Newsgroups: alt.msdos.programmer
Subject: Newbie wants advice on C-programming
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Date: Fri, 25 Dec 92 18:43:37 PST
Organization: TradeNET International Trade Corp.
Lines: 25

Okay, I am _SURE_ I'm going to get flamed on this one, but be assured it
is not my intention to do so.  Some of the guys here, it would seem, want
you to buy what amounts to a couple of thousand dollars of books and
programs, and to invest YEARS.  Let me tell you this:  I went STRAIGHT
from QuickBasic to Borland C++, a step which took me about a week, as I
vowed to myself never to touch QB again (a step, as another poster said,
which was probably one of my best).  I bought ONE book (Teach Yourself C,
I told you about it in my mail-reply to you), and ONE program (Borland
C++, Proffessional version, w/ Application Frameworks ($800, but worth it
to me, and if you don't want that much power the price drops like a
rock)).  I am now (less than 2 or 3 months later) VERY ready to go
full-out into Object-Oriented programming, and appreciate ALL of C's
functions.  I programmed in Basic/Quick Basic for 8 years (which gave me
the ideas of structure, etc, but I'm sure you can pick it up elsewhere),
but I'm sure any reasonably intelligent person could pick up the same in
a year or less, and programmed in Assembler only in passing for fun (not
much at that, got my name outputted, that's about it).

The point of this WHOLE MESSAGE is this:  Though some may try to convince
you that the only way you're going to learn C (or C++) is through
thousands of dollars and a decade of hard work, what'll get you through
twice as quickly, and with your wallet still intact, is a little
determination and will power.

                                                Jason Cooper