by John
Kopp
Welcome to About.com's tutorial on C++ programming. The
lessons of this tutorial will lead you from being a beginning
student of C++ up to being a C++ programmer. Before you jump
right in, here is the single most important piece of advice I
can offer you. To learn C++ and to get the most out of these
lessons, you need to have access to a compiler. The complier
turns the source code files, which are the text you will
write, into a form that can be read and executed by a
computer. As you work through the tutorials I encourage to try
compiling and running the examples I provide. I make every
effort to create working code rather than code snippets that
won't compile or run. Additionally, you should try working on
the assignments and problems given as well. The best and most
enjoyable way to learn to program is to actually write code.
There are several options if you are working on a PC.
First, there are free compilers available such as Cygwin and
Borland's C++ Compiler. Cygwin provides a Unix like
environment on your PC. The Borland compiler will also work
for these lessons. These have the advantage of leaving cash in
your pocket but can be harder to use and lack some of the
features found in commercial products. Please see my tutorial
on Compiling a C++ Program From the Command Line for more
detail. As far as commercial products, I recommend Microsoft's
Visual C++. Microsoft's Visual C++ is an IDE, integrated
development environment, with a compiler, debugger and editor
integrated together. The standard edition is available at a
relatively low cost. Please see my tutorial on Compiling using
Visual C++ for more details on using this product.
Unix and Linux users should see the tutorial on compiling
from the command line for information.
Best wishes for success and fun while using these
tutorials.
As always, feel free to send me your questions. Contact the
Guide