Which version of C?

[TinDragon]

I went along the route, C to C++ and now I am looking at C#. But the one thing I have found is the basic language syntax is similar in all of them, of course C++ adds OOP stuff to C and I am probably still more a C coder than C++ as I still dont use classes enough. With all of them its more about the libs,includes and api access and how they handle it, C/C++ are more direct but also more complex were as from my understanding due to the .net framework C# provides alot more without resorting to loads of other libs etc. making it easier to get stuff going leading to more productivity.

But strange as it may seem I like to code in Blitzmax more than anything else, it offers alot of the OOP features of C languages (can even use C if you want), I can get down an dirty with winapi calls just like in C/C++ or I can stay up high in the pre-coded and simpler to use modules it comes with. Infact using blitzmax types and methods helped me grasp the class concept in C++ better than anything I read for C++ 

I would say if your up for it learn all of them, but if you want a quick route into coding apps, as that seems to be your current interest then probably go for C# to start with. The visual designer alone will save you hours making the GUI's

[Dark_Coder]

go and download a copy of Code::Blocks  IDE. this comes with the MingW32 Compiler included.

then learn C.   with C you learn lots of low level stuff
then learn C++, (if you feel you need to),

then you can forget about C#  (scripting)...

[ferris]

then you can forget about C#  (scripting)...

Hehe, I find this funny . I think C# is a wonderful language. Sure, it's bigger, slower, not-as-hardcore, etc., but when you actually need to get something done quickly it's a wonderful tool to have. And I certainly wouldn't call it a scripting language, if that's what you're implying .

[Shockwave]

I like C# as a work tool too.. Even more than VB, it's much more concise, and as Ferris says, very rapid to develop applications with which means more time to surf the internet.

[Dark_Coder]

dont get me wrong,

I've nothing against c# as a language, but its not C or C++ and shouldnt be compared as such.

i'm sure its a fine language and yeh as a Rapid dev tool its great
like VB was great, but i feel for serious stuffs you need complete control ( C / C++ & asm).

my nephew plays around with C# & xna but hasnt a clue on how the computer actually draws a pixel onto the screen.

these languages shield you from the down and dirty and ultimately
stunt learning.

sorry, its just my opinion and i totally support others, its a free world

[ferris]

No worries, man. And yeah, they DO shield alot of that stuff, because it's often not stuff one wants to be thinking of when implementing large-scale projects or more often, "trash projects" - one-time-use programs made for a specific purpose in a hurry.

Back to the original post, each should be learned, I think. Not only do the concepts exposed in each language make you a better coder, but you learn what you can use in different situations.

And of course, coding in the lower-level environments gives you an opportunity to learn the nitty-gritty stuff, as Dark_Coder mentioned.

[Shockwave]

sorry, its just my opinion and i totally support others, its a free world

No need to apologise for having an opinion

For what it's worth I agree with you that the practice of low level coding is becomming a lost art.

Arguably, as languages with a high level of abstraction become more and more important and the older generations of programmers retire, programmers who understand old technologies will become more and more in demand because of the masses of legacy code that is still in use.

I saw an advert for an RPG programmer on a job site a few weeks ago that commanded a salary of £400 per day... Most C# .Net jobs I see advertised are usually in the £120 per day bracket.

[relsoft]

You kidding man! 400 Pounds is more than what I earn in a month! LOL

[Dark_Coder]

yeh, the rewards are there if you can do it.

when i first started coding way back on the zx spectrum it was all in basic for the first two years. There was one person who stopped me learning machine code and the hardware in that time (myself).. i look back and think wasted two years hehe   .

so i say. dont be shy , dive in,  use other peoples source code to help you understand.
if you do you wont look back nor would you want to.

there isnt any wrong way to program something, just different ways (wrong is when it just doesnt work)

oh going off on a tangent now, will stop