*BSD News Article 50336


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From: Erik Naggum <erik@naggum.no>
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Subject: Re: Beginner looking for advice.
Date: 30 Aug 1995 09:38:09 GMT
Organization: Naggum Software; +47 2295 0313
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[John Edwards]

|   I have just started a C programming class.  My plans are to go from
|   that, to a C++ next semester (the college I am attending requires C
|   before you go to C++, oh well, no harm done since they are similar).

I don't want to burst your bubble, but C and C++ are not similar.  you can
compile clean C code with a C++ compiler (subject to some restrictions),
some of the operators are the same, and some of the control structures are
the same, but that's it.  C++ is an entirely new language.  if anything,
any perceived "similarity" between C and C++ will hurt you.  believe me,
you're going to be much better off if you completely forget any C you might
have learned when you start to learn C++.  subtle differences _will_ bite
you if you think you don't have to study them.  also, with C, you develop
an intuition about what the compiler and the computer will do.  this
intuition is not only useless with C++, it is actually wrong, and will hurt
you if you trust it.  not that you won't benefit from knowing both
languages, but do not assume that you know one when you know the other.

#<Erik 3018764289>
-- 
they accepted the results of science, but rejected its methods.