[Ask HN]Good book/tutorial on learning C++

4 points·raptrex··5 comments

So I just started learning programming and have only taken two classes of Java in school. My next class will be more Java or C++ (not sure which yet since all the Computer Science classes are full so I might not get into either) so I thought I would spend my summer learning something. Anyone know of a good C++ book or tutorial for noobs?

View on HN

It is probably best to think of C++ as an expert language; even if you learn parts of it well enough, you can easily be burned by what you don't know. There is really no such thing as a tutorial for C++ when a statement as simple as "a += b" could have dozens of different meanings in a program.

You are better off honing your skills in some powerful scripting languages such as Python or Perl, or even by starting with C itself, and perfecting that before tackling C++.

Thinking in C++ by Bruce Eckels is good, and freely available online http://www.mindviewinc.com/Books/

The Stroustroup book is a good reference.

I agree that you should start by learning Python, and then C (read K&R) and then worry about C++

Learning C++ made me a better programmer overall. I suggest "Accelerated C++". It is the one book I most enjoyed. It gets you up and running with the STL quickly. I also like Bjarne Stroustrup reference books. C++ is my favorite language next to Python. I use them both daily. When you must have fast, native code, C++ is hard to beat.

You seem young so let me offer some advice: pick an interesting language that will either (a) get you an interesting job, or (b) allow you to develop what is in your brain. C++, Java, C#, Python, Scala, Ruby - it doesn't matter. What is useless is learning a language that you then cannot use to get employment.

I would recommend learning Python then Scala instead.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com