I'm just putting this here in the hope some other coder sees it and posts something.

I like C++.

It is the best langauge in the world.

Have you tried Java?

Why do you say its the best???



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work to LIVE...don't live to WORK.

Hi all,

How about someone give us illiterates a quick run down on what C++ or Java is exactly. I know they are programing lingos but that's about all I know. Any pointers on where to go to get basic step by step instructions etc?

Thanks

Tony H2o

Try http://www.javasoft.com

Thanks Lettica

For those of you who don't know.

C++ and Java are programming langauges.
A programming langauge, once compiled creates EXE files.

You can make your own program to do whatever you want.

I am a big fan of C++, I have never tryed java so i can't comment on it. But c++ is great. I just love the structure and how everything fits together so nicely.

Its the only langauge you should consider for programming games.

Here is an example of a C program to print some thing on the screen:

#include <stdio.h>

int main(void) {

printf("Hello\n");
return 0;
}

If you wish to learn c++ i reccomend http://chris.marino.net

Krusher,
Ever used Borland Compiler for C++, or Visual C++???? I thought I liked it at first (Same for all delphi stuff too) until I attemtped a project on it. When I got sick of it and tried to uninstall, Windows DIED. Anyone else had that happen?

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work to LIVE...don't live to WORK.

Yeah, i use VC++, rambler - if you've got icq would you like to tell me it?

I'm on at the smae time you are at the moment

I have icq but I'm at work behind a firewall which I administer and in all honesty haven't set up properly -- can't config socks proxy just yet I'll do it tonight.....maybe if I have time. So try tomorrow if you want.

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work to LIVE...don't live to WORK.

yeah, alright.

Anyway, windows died?

bad

How good are you at C++

It was a staple for us at UNI (engineering), but to be honest I haven't done too much since I've graduated. I have every intention in getting into Java though...Have you got any Java experience?

If I had to say good or bad at it I'd say I'm fair.

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work to LIVE...don't live to WORK.

the windows thing: (sorry)
Yup when I uninstalled, as soon as it finished I got Fatal exceptions, then after reboot I got about 15 missing VXD's...I didn't bother looking into it I'm just used to formating and reinstalling regularly....I've said it before and I'll say it again Windows is nothing more then an elaborate Virus.

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work to LIVE...don't live to WORK.

Java and C++ are quite similar, as far as programming languages go. Some may argue that they are too similar, and that Java will very quickly be replaced by some new emerging language. I'm not sure about this, but for the moment Java is exceedingly elegant.

This similarity works well, as Java and C++ are very similar syntactically. A C++ programmer should have little difficulty reading and understanding a piece of Java code.

The prime selling point of Java is that it is totally object-oriented. While C++ is really just a hack of C to add OOP, Java was designed from the ground-up to be OO. It's hard to describe the benefits of OOP in a paragraph. You really need to be down in the trenches to appreciate it.

Beyond that, Java is quite a bit easier to program. A C++ programmer needs to spend a great deal of time (if he is doing anything complex) dealing with pointers and dynamic memory allocation and destruction. Java (thank God!) does away with pointers and handles memory cleanup automatically via it's garbage collector.

Even more, Java has a very good built-in library of classes. Network code is excellent, of course. Important features such as threading (normally OS-dependant) are also built in.

Indeed, Java is slower than C++, but as Java compilers begin to emerge, the gap will disappear. If you're writing a high-performance app, like a game, then C++ is really the only choice. However, for less-demanding apps (and especially for distributed / network apps), Java offers a great deal of convenience that most programmers will appreciate.

DaveW,
What Compiler would you suggest.

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work to LIVE...don't live to WORK.

Thanks all,

I'm starting to get the picture that this is way beyond my basic skills of click and drag.
Although this old horse is always open to learn new tricks and he may even dig a bit deeper for a clearer understanding.

All care

Tony H2o

Rambler,

For C++, I use VisualC++.
For Java, I use JBuilder3.

However, I've heard that Metrowerks Codewarrior is very good for both C and Java. It's also more performance-oriented than the others. I've used it briefly, but haven't really had the time to learn it. Also, Codewarrior works on both Macs and PCs (and Linux??).

Also, for those just getting into programming/Java, there's an excellent, easy to read, tutorial published by Sun at:
http://web2.java.sun.com/docs/books/tutorial/

[This message has been edited by DaveW (edited March 15, 2000).]

I'm checking out java now.
I just bought a new C++ book!
Teach yourself Visual C++ 6 in 24 hours.

I'm happy that i started such a popular topic.

I'm thinking about setting up a programming network. Like MSDN but not based on any paticular platform.

Would you join if I did?

I feel there is a sea out there of information and it is incredibly hard to find what you want to find. The netwrok would help people out like that.

i use windows 95 and 98 and well my little brother loaded all of his little magic school bus games on to the c drive, and crashed this computer, but thanx to my divine comnputeing skills i fixed the problem, then my father kicked me off the computer for looking up porn, i have such a hard life as a child...

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when christianity ruled the world, it was called the dark ages.

-dexter (nimrod242 :aol sn)

<img src = "http://users.esc.net.au/~nitro/BBoard_member_gifs/bowser_anim.gif">Well, this is cool. All of this talk about C/C++ is really interesting. When are you guys going to start posting some code? I need something new to hack<img src = "http://www.exosci.com/ubb/icons/icon12.gif">

I've been using the Symatec C++ IDE for the last few years and have worked with The Visual C++ IDE for the last few months.

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[This message has been edited by Bowser (edited March 26, 2000).]

bowser,
(that wouldn't be any referance to the nintendo character would it)

What kind of code do you want posted.

How about someone give me a small challenge that I have to figure out how to code.

I love a bit of a puzzle.


Krusher

Oh yeah, I looked at a little bit of java and i have great respect for it.

2 things that could be improved though.

Pointers - OMG where did they go. I love working with pointers.

Platform independance - The way I understand it a java proggy does not need to be recompiled for other OSes.
Its a good idea, but the speed greatly suffers.
Is there and option to turn this off.


Krusher
========
Quake - its not a game - its away of life :)

"Platform independance - The way I understand it a java proggy does not need to be recompiled for other OSes."


<img src = "http://users.esc.net.au/~nitro/BBoard_member_gifs/bowser_anim.gif"> I think that was the idea while it was being developed, but what I understand is that MS changed the rules. Go figure.

Post anything that's interesting. I've been playing with code which loads and saves bitmaps (written in C). I probably could have used an API call like LoadImage(), but that doesn't teach me anything about the bitmap file.

Write me a C++ class which does the same thing. It must also use the common dlg Open and Save boxes.


[This message has been edited by Bowser (edited March 27, 2000).]

You love working with pointers!??!? :)

In actuality, everything in Java is a pointer. So if you mean that you like the features of pointers, ie. dynamic memory, dynamic binding etc., then Java is functionally equivalent. So a simple statement like:
String s = new String();

..is actually using pointers and dynamic memory.

The nice thing about Java pointers is that you avoid the danger of C++ pointers, since any attempt to access unallocated memory (by accident) will throw an exception and end the program. This is better than C++ where you will simply get random resuls and perhaps memory corruption of your entire system.

As for platform independance, I there are Java compilers that will produce executable code if told to.

MS tried to subvert the platform independance of Java by introducing Windows-specific classes to its J++ visual editor software. This didn't go over well with Sun, who revoked MS's Java certification.

Since then, MS has basically given up on Java. J++ probably will never be upgraded. Also, a while back MS issued a ban on all Java applets in use on their websites. Very typical anticompetitive behavior by MS.

<img src = "http://users.esc.net.au/~nitro/BBoard_member_gifs/bowser_anim.gif">That's pretty much what I remember. Thank you. <img src = "http://www.exosci.com/ubb/icons/icon7.gif">

Even though I believe MS is the spawn of all computer based evil and must be destroyed :)

I feel that if MS stop the development of there Java compiler then this will greatly impead the development of the language.

MS maybe bad but whatever way you look at it they are a vital part of the software world today.

Clearly anything that microsoft does not endorse has a hard time in the computer industry.

Just as Alpha sever prices dropped for the soul reason microsoft stopped support for them in winNT.

I will try and write a proggy like you said.

Krusher

Java, per se, doesn't really need any support from Microsoft. Windows can support any computer language which can be compiled for the x86 hardware. Microsoft can stop supporting Java (as they have done), but they cannot ban it. Java support on the Windows platform is far from lacking. Many companies have Java environments for Windows, including Sun. This environment is all one needs to run non-compiled Java programs. And, of course, compiled programs will run fine regardless.

Microsoft's J++ editor was never very good, and there are many other excellent products for development on Windows.

Being a student, I know that university compsci departments are endorsing Java. If compsci majors are brought up on Java, you can bet that the entire industry will soon have to follow.

Yeah, your right but I was just trying to say loosing out with microsoft isn't the best thing.

Krusher

<img src = "http://users.esc.net.au/~nitro/BBoard_member_gifs/bowser_anim.gif"> Certainly, MS has provided a standard OS (used by many) which has encourage growth of both the software and PC industries. I have to give them credit for that. They did provide us with a ruler which was used by most pc users.

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It's all very large.

Fortunatly now you have a choice with your OS.

At one point most home PC couldn't run anything but microsoft software.

<img src = "http://users.esc.net.au/~nitro/BBoard_member_gifs/bowser_anim.gif">That's true, K; however, MS was an impotant catalyst during the revolution of personal computers, while the industry was still young. It became a common platform which everyone was familiar. It played an important role. Having a single, more popular OS was both an advantage to the consumer and the industry.

It is time to move beyond MS and to explore other platforms. I feel that the consumers and indutry have matured beyond MS and are ready for other options.

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It's all very large.

Yes, thats true.

I feel that microsoft must step down a notch now though.
Windows is very un-user friendly to install with another OS.

Alright then. Who wants to help me code a game.
Most of you would be as good if not better than me(most probably the later of the two :))

I want to start of with a simple 320x200 platformmer.

I think I'll use djgpp but I don't paticularly want to use allegro.

I want to write my own graphics library.
but I need to know a couple of things.

First off, how can I access the Vertical Syncronization for double buffering and how do I create bitmaps in memory.
I could do the bitmaps in some form of class but i have a feeling theres a better way.

Krusher

<img src = "http://users.esc.net.au/~nitro/BBoard_member_gifs/bowser_anim.gif"> Hey! I just finished my code for loading and saving bitmaps on disk. I started this project just so I could better understand bitmap files, so I could write games using DirectX. I still need to get a better grasp of the files and their uses. But I have made a functional program. If you have MSDN library on CD, you have a great resource for sample code on bitmap files and their use.

Let me know how it goes. I'm so involved with my current project that my DirectX books are getting dusty <img src = "http://www.exosci.com/ubb/icons/icon7.gif">

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[This message has been edited by Bowser (edited April 08, 2000).]

I've got MSVC++ 5 and I am totally confused by most of it.
Can anyone help me out?

I can do some simple dialog box apps and stuff with win32 and MFC but how does all this direct x stuff work, i have no idea where to start.

Does anyone have a copy of TASM32

I NNNNEEEEEEEEDDDD it badly.

I'm writing my own graphics library and I need that for it to work.

Even TASM would work.

PLEASE

Krusher,

<img src = "http://users.esc.net.au/~nitro/BBoard_member_gifs/bowser_anim.gif"> Go to ebay and search DirectX. You can find books on the subject and get 'em for near $10.00--as well as c/c++ books. I'll never buy my books retail again ($40.00 or more).

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It's all very large.

Direct X is cool, i found a really good tutorial on it and to my disbelief understood most of it straight away.

Its pretty straight forward. Pretty cool to.

What I need is a copy of VC++ 6 and the direct X 7 sdk.

Any volentres(how the hell do you spell that :))

I have been toying with the idea of making a virtual town where everything in the world revolves around your actions.

Sort of like a game with no goal, just possibilitys.

Tell me if you want to help

<img src = "http://users.esc.net.au/~nitro/BBoard_member_gifs/bowser_anim.gif"> That does sound like an interesting idea. When I'm ready, I'm going to write something simple. My one idea for a game is something I call "Kitty Shoot." The objective is to blast all of the cats that enter my backyard. Of course, these felines are rabid, and you must shoot them before they reach you; otherwise, they win.

Pretty silly, but I need to start with something simple.

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