----------------------------------- y4y Fri Jan 29, 2010 10:01 pm Need some directions. ----------------------------------- Ok guys I have been reading around compsci for a while and found it very helpful, so I decided to register. So here is my situation. I just finished the grade ICS2UI course , which was all turing. I am about to begin a game design course (it's basically drag and drop for the first month then VB coding) but i'm not really interested in game designing , I just want the experience. What i really wanted to do is take the C++ course and a robotics course, but i can't till next year. From what I've read it seems Jumping from turing to C++ isn't a good choice but i have a few month before i begin C++. So i am thinking i could learn a new language in between any suggestions for a good language? Also i do want to do some networking should i go for C# or VB.net? I want a few tips on where to go from "experts".Any feedback is welcome. Thanks. ----------------------------------- wtd Fri Jan 29, 2010 10:32 pm RE:Need some directions. ----------------------------------- Ruby. ----------------------------------- y4y Fri Jan 29, 2010 10:41 pm Re: Need some directions. ----------------------------------- could you tell me the reasons behind that? would python be equally as good? ----------------------------------- rdrake Fri Jan 29, 2010 11:21 pm RE:Need some directions. ----------------------------------- Games? Python has [url=http://www.pygame.org/news.html]PyGame. Ruby is great for beginners as it has less annoyances compared to Python. ----------------------------------- y4y Sat Jan 30, 2010 12:15 am Re: Need some directions. ----------------------------------- Thank you for the info you two. ----------------------------------- wtd Sat Jan 30, 2010 2:00 am RE:Need some directions. ----------------------------------- The single biggest basic concept I've seen missing in samples of code from students who've used Turing has been code organization: a basic understanding of how to use functions and object-oriented programming to break code down into smaller more manageable pieces. Take the opportunity to get better at this. ----------------------------------- y4y Thu Feb 04, 2010 5:12 pm Re: Need some directions. ----------------------------------- thanks again. i am now looking for the best compiler for windows (vista) any suggestions? (I'll also be looking in the ruby section) ----------------------------------- DtY Thu Feb 04, 2010 6:51 pm RE:Need some directions. ----------------------------------- Compiler for what language? Python and Ruby are both interpreted, and both have a few implementations, but both have an official one available on the respective website. For c++, you can install gcc/g++ in cygwin on Windows (cygwin basically creates a Unix environment inside of Windows, imo, you'll miss out on a lot programming on Windows, but cygwin will give you most of that). I think the most popular native Windows compilers are MingW32 and M$ Visual C++, but I'm not too sure. ----------------------------------- y4y Thu Feb 04, 2010 9:31 pm Re: RE:Need some directions. ----------------------------------- Compiler for what language? Python and Ruby are both interpreted, and both have a few implementations, but both have an official one available on the respective website. For c++, you can install gcc/g++ in cygwin on Windows (cygwin basically creates a Unix environment inside of Windows, imo, you'll miss out on a lot programming on Windows, but cygwin will give you most of that). I think the most popular native Windows compilers are MingW32 and M$ Visual C++, but I'm not too sure. thanks actually i meant and IDE+compiler for ruby.Downloading the one click installer for ruby from their site right now thanks. BTW I am not sure what you mean by "Python and Ruby are both interpreted".does it mean i need and interpreter and not a compiler?sorry for the noob question i only somewhat understand the term interpreted language. about the C++ I Already have the gcc/g++ comiler and MingW32 installed (did some basic c++ prgramming for the psp) it came with code:blocks (and bloodshed dev c++ which i uninstalled) i'm thinking of switching to visual studio because i need vb and visual c++ looks good. any feedback is welcome ----------------------------------- TerranceN Thu Feb 04, 2010 9:53 pm Re: Need some directions. ----------------------------------- "BTW I am not sure what you mean by "Python and Ruby are both interpreted".does it mean i need and interpreter and not a compiler?sorry for the noob question i only somewhat understand the term interpreted language." [url=http://lmgtfy.com/?q=interpreted+programming+language]Interpreted Language, read up ----------------------------------- y4y Thu Feb 04, 2010 10:01 pm Re: Need some directions. ----------------------------------- "BTW I am not sure what you mean by "Python and Ruby are both interpreted".does it mean i need and interpreter and not a compiler?sorry for the noob question i only somewhat understand the term interpreted language." LOL i did google it. I know what it is but i am still a bit confused by it. it doesn't matter, i know what to do next thank to everyone who helped. ----------------------------------- chrisbrown Thu Feb 04, 2010 10:13 pm RE:Need some directions. ----------------------------------- To use a literal interpretation analogy, consider you're translating from a language you understand (Python, etc...) to a language the cpu understands ("binary"). Compiled languages like C++ take the entire program and translate it all at once, like translating a book. These run much faster because the cpu already understands the instructions. Interpreted languages are translated line by line, like a human interpreter does for politicians. These run slower because each line has to be translated as the program runs, but the writing and testing phases are usually faster because compiling many times to fix errors becomes tedious. ----------------------------------- y4y Thu Feb 04, 2010 10:24 pm Re: RE:Need some directions. ----------------------------------- To use a literal interpretation analogy, consider you're translating from a language you understand (Python, etc...) to a language the cpu understands ("binary"). Compiled languages like C++ take the entire program and translate it all at once, like translating a book. These run much faster because the cpu already understands the instructions. Interpreted languages are translated line by line, like a human interpreter does for politicians. These run slower because each line has to be translated as the program runs, but the writing and testing phases are usually faster because compiling many times to fix errors becomes tedious. thanks i understood that from the wiki article i read, i just confused myself with something else. i gave you some bits for taking your time and posting that (nice comparisons btw) i'll try to give everyone who helped some bits when i get more ----------------------------------- DtY Thu Feb 04, 2010 10:47 pm RE:Need some directions. ----------------------------------- This isn't important to know, but there actually isn't a real distinction between interpreted and compiled languages, you could write an interpreter for any language, or write a compiler for any language. When I say that python and ruby are interpreted, and c++ is compiled, that's what they generally are (and afaik, there is no python/ruby compiler, and no c++ interpreter). On the other hand, some languages tend to have a lot of both, for example Basic and Haskell.