Getting started with C

Post by icedchai » Thu, Dec 17, 2020, 4:51 PM UTC

shadowofneptune wrote: post #68

redprince wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe there aren't any good alternatives to "read this go to book as the first book on the topic". Prove me wrong. (Please)

If an absolute beginner were to use K&R as a start they'd be learning C from 35 or so years ago. It's well written, but not helpful as a reference. Even something as simple as how a function is organized has changed. C Programming: a Modern Approach teaches C89 and C99, pointing out the differences in features when appropriate. Having used it myself this year, I found it much more helpful than K&R

Post by asveikau » Thu, Dec 17, 2020, 5:08 PM UTC

qsort wrote: post #24

pjc50 wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would still suggest that people learn C before attempting C++; while someone with C# or Java experience could probably do well in a "modern C++" codebase, as soon as they go off-piste into memory allocation and pointers they're in for surprises. (Is there anyone who learns Rust who isn't already a proficient but frustrated C++ programmer?)

Completely agree, that was part of the point I was making, for example, I doubt I would ever have understood RAII had I never seen malloc. Parent was suggesting they are already a programmer, so I assumed they already had at least a grasp of how pointers and manual memory management work. If one happens to lack such knowledge, I agree learning C is an excellent first step.

Post by cle » Thu, Dec 17, 2020, 5:23 PM UTC

0x008 wrote: post #5

pjc50 wrote: post #3

Introducing newbies to GTK is a great way to show them a lot of code they don't understand, will take a while to understand, and will break in non-obvious ways.

I would be really interested in a course that actually holds true to the premise in the title here. I know my way around the JVM and python and started learning a little Rust on the side. However, I feel the need to at least dive my toes into C for a couple of weeks for completeness sake. Do you have a recommendation for something that is a little less than a book and a little more than learnCin10minutes?

Post by glouwbug » Thu, Dec 17, 2020, 5:57 PM UTC

coldpie wrote: post #65

qsort wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It kind of depends on what you need out of C. The only real reasons left to use C in the wild are: * Legacy code * Embedded (including drivers, bare metal etc.) * Portability, FFI, etc. Performance used to be another major reason, but in $CURRENT_YEAR, if that's your goal, C++ and Rust are just as performant and there's very little reason not to opt into them. The other major reason to learn C is that it's a great "h…

Strong disagree. Unless you're using it as "C with classes", C++ is a nightmare hell language that you should only use if you're forced to by your environment. Stay far away. C is a fine language, but it is from the 60s and 70s and feels like it. Rust is very nice, although poor for half-assed prototyping (which is actually maybe a good thing). Both are fine choices for systems-level programming.

Post by dezzeus » Thu, Dec 17, 2020, 6:03 PM UTC