5 replies to this topic

[xXAlphaXx]

I am currently taking a few classes in programming and I aspire to take this as a career. However, theses classes is 100% syntax based. Their has got to be more than just syntax.

I have heard about "Source control" I don't have the foggiest clue as to what it is?

Could some one provide me with a little list of things I should take into consideration for this? What is source control, what else should I be looking at, etc.


Oh and on a side note, is it worth it to get VS2010?


Thanks ^^

[WingedPanther]

Source control, sometimes called revision control, is a mechanism for keeping track of changes made to a program, and allowing multiple developers to make changes to a program, and roll back changes if needed.

There are a LOT of things beyond syntax. Once you've learned 3-4 languages, picking up the syntax of new languages becomes much easier. Learning language libraries, on the other hand, can take much longer. Java has a massive library. C++ does too, but it's very different in nature from Java's, so you have somewhat limited transfer of knowledge.

Other things that you'll need to learn are meta-programming (writing programs to write code), learning OOP design principles, learning how to work with databases, learning data structures and algorithms, etc, etc, etc.

Until you have solid skills with syntax, learning some of these more advanced concepts would be very difficult.

[xXAlphaXx]

Well my main focus right now is C++. Where should I focus my study to after the syntax?

[WingedPanther]

After syntax, I would thoroughly explore the standard library and the boost library. I would also start reading on OOP design patterns, as that will help you make sense of how the libraries are built.

[xXAlphaXx]

Do you know of any good books or write ups on these I could research?

[WingedPanther]

If you look at my blog entries, you'll see several such books reviewed.