I''m just beginning but I was just wondering how long does you people to master a programming language like C++. I know that you never really stop learning. But I mean to the point of which you can do something useful with your skills such as a simple Game. Thankyou.

Well I can''t really speak from the standpoint of C/C++ because of the situation when I was first learning, but it took me about a week with Pascal before I started a small game with it. Usually, after I do a couple small programs with a language (really small), I make a small game because to me, making a game really helps learn a language, and the end result isn''t some boring program. But in reality, all languages are inherently the same, and it''s just the algorithms and logic that you must learn to develop any kind of program. I can''t really answer how long that takes to learn, because for some people it''s one day while others it could be a couple months to years. But anyways, I hope that helps.

Kevin

Yeah Thanks

Can anyone else tell me their time in learning.

Thanks

Edited by - bully on 1/12/00 10:01:51 PM

Well I working on just learning regular C++ almost a year before I started programming games. (I took 3 months off in there though) after I figured I had a pretty good handle on that I read through a few game books and after about 6 weeks of that I figured I knew enough to get started. I am currently coding my first game (a sidescroller) and although there are some hitches it''s going surprisingly smooth. I would say that it took me a year all told.... but I''m probably slow

Anywhere for a few nights to a few weeks to learn, a lifetime to master. But well worth the futile attempt to master

Seriously though, it takes a while, and way to many variables come in to play to answer your question. Bottom line is, anything that pays off with overnight gratification quickly looses it''s novelty when compared to the test of time. It''s an epic journey, there will be highs, there will be lows...

about 14 years ago, i started programming by reading a book that came with my TRS-80 Color Computer 2. it ran a ROM Basic that used line numbers. After about 2 weeks, i was writing little text games, and shortly after that, graphical ones. (BASIC just isnt all that hard). i also learned 6809E assembly on that machine in later years.

a few years later(1988 i think), i picked up BASICA/GW-BASIC on the Tandy 1000EX that my grandfather had. Both BASICs were developed by MS, so i had little trouble transitioning.

in 1991, i started learning Turbo Pascal 5.5 in a computer class at school(again, took about 2 weeks). the programs we had to write for the class were rather inconsequential, so i spent lots of time with the manuals, and learned about BGI display drivers (this was on the PS2, so i was writing CGA games).

after graduating from HS in 1992, i went back to the TRS-80 Basic and GW-Basic on the Tandy 1000EX.

in 1994, while i was in the navy, i purchased a 486SX33. this was during the era of Windows 3.1, so it came with QBasic, which i picked up almost immediately. in 1994, i got a copy of TP7.0, and learned OOP, and forever shed my functional programming roots.

in 1996, my friend had a p90, and i got WIN95 and VB4.0, and that was my first introduction to anything resembling WIN32 programming. my game programming was still primarily done with Pascal, though.

in 1997, i finally came home, and was programming in Pascal on my mom''s computer.

in june of 1997, i got a job programming VBA in MS Access95.

finally, in october of 1998, i decided it was time to learn VC++ (i learned on version 4.0). i learned DX at the same time. took about a week to get comfortable with it, about a month to feel "at home" in it.

so, to answer the question "how long did it take for me to learn C++", the answer is "13 years" or "1 week", depending on how you look at it. without the 13 years of programming prior to my learning C++, it would have taken much longer. C++ and Pascal are very similar, thankfully.

THanks For your input. Can I hear anybody else''s story''s when they started programming, thanks.

Well the fastest way to learn it is to sit down and do it...simple as that....everyone is different and I for one had no problem at all picking up the basics but while I was in college I knew to many people who for some reason(lack of interest?) just could not pick it up easly....depends on the person

Eric(OME

I learned over summer vacation (those are the days...) but anyway, read books. And make programs. Lots and lots of programs.

altair
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