C++ Programming book first step

My book has finally arrived and I'll start reading it in a few moments.  It's a little larger in size than I imagined, almost intimidating but hopefully if I can get through a few pages a day, I'll be well in to it enough to keep me going.  Just a note if you've stumbled across this post, I'll be learning C++ programming using a book called Programming Principles and Practice Using C++ written by the original creator Bjarne Stroustrup.  Okay, lets crack on.

Wow, the table of contents stretches through 18 pages and the last page numbered is page 1118... brilliant, what have I let myself in for?  If I don't post any more sentences from this point on you can assume I'm still reading the contents.

I'm about half way through reading the contents pages and one thing I have to say is this book seems to be very in depth.  Do you ever find when you read anything technical you start reading the words without understanding the meaning?  This is me right now.  I know I can read the words but the way they're formed means nothing to me right now like, growing a vector or composite consignment operators.  What are these terms supposed to mean?  I find it a little discouraging not understanding these terms but I know if I carry on I'll discover what they mean so back to reading.

I've finished reading the contents pages and it may as well been in a foreign language.  Funnily enough, some parts seemed to make sense so I have a good feeling that I will pick it up quite well.  I can see why some people may be put off learning C++ as it would appear to be rocket science but as with most skills, they're learnt from the beginning and worked on until they become second nature.

Time for brew before I dive in any further.

Found a jar of Ovaltine in the cupboard thought it would be more fitting as I certainly need the energy as it's not long after I've finished work.  Lets hope the extra stated 103 calories per mug gives me a boost in brain power!

Well the beginning of the Preface starts with the Quote "Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead" - Admiral Farragut.  I'm not aware of this quote and not sure where it's come from but I'm sure it's been put in the book for a reason.  At the moment I'm interpreting ithe meaning as don't be a hero by rushing into situations.  I guess I'll find out by reading on.

What I've gathered so far is that programming is an art, it's a way of coming up with solutions to problems.  I suppose if you think in game design terms you have problems which need to be solved like how to make a character jump or do an action, how does it interact with objects or how to code artificial intelligence etc.  I'm sure there's even deeper problems which need to be resolved but it's still a problem and programming is the solution.

To the point, he states the book is not the easiest to learn for beginner programming but it is designed to be the easiest to learn programming with the view of using what you've learn't to use in the real world ( I gather he means commercially).  Quite interesting he separates beginner learning to real world learning.  I'm certainly up for some real world learning but I'm not quite sure what the difference is at the moment.  Does it mean I'll be learning from real world examples rather than theory?

Another nice bit of info, programming is learned by writing programs, basically learn by doing.  I know some people learn differently but it would make sense in this situation.

I've noticed that I'm going off tangent sometimes so I'll try and stick to what the book is teaching me about C++ rather than concentrating on trivial parts you do not need to know of as I'm sure  it'll get really boring really fast.  In fact, this post is getting rather long so I'll end it here.  My future programming posts will focus strictly on what I learn and find interesting about C++ and anything else programming related.

Til the next time.

Posting Frequency

Just an update to say I haven't given up already.  In fact I'm working in the background to figure out ways to improve my posting and what I'll be posting on.  I'm also in the process of creating a time sheet to assist me on knowing what to do on a particular day rather than leaving it to what I feel like doing.  This may sound odd as surely I should be working on what I feel like but I'm doing this so I don't fall into the habit of doing the same thing over and over again because it's comfortable.

I'd like to ask anyone who is reading this to come up with suggestions where possible for things I should try or do.  This would be a great help and a motivator as I can try something which I may not have thought of doing.  This will also help me by getting into the habit of solving a problem or issue someone else has brought up.

All the best.