Hi:

I am a newbie learning C++ by going through "Accelerated C++" by
Koenig and Moo.
I am a little overwhelmed by the complexity and breadth of C++ and
don't know
how I can learn it effectively.
I wanted to get your advice on how you learned C++. If you did a
project that particularly
ed, please suggest one. Are there IDEs for the Mac that you
recommend that
might ?

Thanks,
duli.

On Jul 2, 8:44am, duli <dulipi...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I am a newbie learning C++ by going through "Accelerated C++" by
> Koenig and Moo.
> I am a little overwhelmed by the complexity and breadth of C++ and
> don't know
> how I can learn it effectively.
> I wanted to get your advice on how you learned C++. If you did a
> project that particularly
> ed, please suggest one. Are there IDEs for the Mac that you
> recommend that
> might ?

A project couldn't hurt. But don't think reading one book,
even a book as good as Koenig and Moo, will make you a
good software developer. Nobody masters it in a week,
though you may be productive in a well structured shop
after a few months of learning.

Check out the book reviews at www.accu.org. Pick a topic
that interests you and dig in.

Night classes or "continuing education" classes at your
local college are often good. Check google for your local
area and see what local colleges are offering.
Socks

duli <dulipishi@gmail.com> writes:

> I am a newbie learning C++ by going through "Accelerated C++" by
> Koenig and Moo.
> I am a little overwhelmed by the complexity and breadth of C++ and
> don't know
> how I can learn it effectively.
> I wanted to get your advice on how you learned C++. If you did a
> project that particularly
> ed, please suggest one.

I'm reminded of the joke about the tourist visiting New York, who
stops and asks a street musician "how do I get to Carnegie Hall?"
"Practice," says the musician.

In my opinion, programming, like music, is best learned through
practice. Start with simple exercises like "hello world" and move to
more complexity as you learn more - I'm not familiar with the
particular book you're using, but surely it has exercises?

I find that old-school games like Hunt the Wumpus, Rogue, or even
Lemonade Stand are both fun to play and fun to write. Their simple
interfaces allow me to focus on learning how a language expresses data
structures and algorithms, without distracting me too much with a new
GUI interface library as well.

> Are there IDEs for the Mac that you recommend that might ?

Xcode is by far the most widely used IDE for the Mac. It's included
with new Macs as an optional install, and it's a free download from
<http://connect.apple.com>.

sherm--

--
My blog: http://shermspace.blogspot.com
Cocoa programming in Perl: http://camelbones.sourceforge.net

"duli" wrote:

> I am a newbie learning C++ by going through "Accelerated C++" by
> Koenig and Moo.
> I am a little overwhelmed by the complexity and breadth of C++ and
> don't know
> how I can learn it effectively.
> I wanted to get your advice on how you learned C++. If you did a
> project that particularly
> ed, please suggest one.

I'm assuming you are kind of competent in *some* procedure oriented
language.
I would break it down into major groups, try to focus on one group at a
time, in this order.

o OOP fundamentals
o templates
o STL
o inheritance
o virtual functions
o exceptions

That's from the top of my head and may have some shortcomings. If you can
write your own string class you have a good handle on the fundamentals.

I have the book you mentioned and don't like it, despite it's wild
popularity. I view it as a book in how to use the STL. Josuttis is far
better, it not only teaches you how to use it but also can be used as a
reference manual later.

I like the following authors: Robert Lafore, Stephen Prata, Josuttis, and
Stroustrup (third edition or better, only). I believe Lippman is good but
have no personal knowledge.

Two exercise I found ful were writing a string class and writing a game
of roulette. The latter was good from a practical standpoint, how to write
programs that aren't monolithic.

Spend at least a couple hours exploring the nook and crannies of
Stroustrup's home page. Also the FAQ for this group.

http://www.research.att.com/~bs/
http://www.parashift.com/c++-faq-lite/

If you can find a course with a good instructor, it is by far the best way
to *start* learning something so hideously complex.

On Jul 2, 8:44pm, duli <dulipi...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi:
>
> I am a newbie learning C++ by going through "Accelerated C++" by
> Koenig and Moo.
> I am a little overwhelmed by the complexity and breadth of C++ and
> don't know
> how I can learn it effectively.
> I wanted to get your advice on how you learned C++. If you did a
> project that particularly
> ed, please suggest one. Are there IDEs for the Mac that you
> recommend that
> might ?
>
> Thanks,
> duli.

I think Accelerated C++ is a good first step.
Try to complete all the exercises. When I do it,
I encountered a lot of questions and solved a lot of questions as
well.
Then I read the book carefully again and post questions here.
Reading book with questions is effective.