My 14 year old son wants to start learning C++ and OpenGL.

What would be the best way to go about it?

-- 
-Nekar Xenos-

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Nekar Xenos <nek### [at] gmailcom> wrote:
> My 14 year old son wants to start learning C++ and OpenGL.

> What would be the best way to go about it?

  I don't know, but I suppose one obvious way would be to buy him a
couple of books.

  I have read some positive things about the latest book of the man himself
(ie. Stroustrup), "Programming -- Principles and Practice Using C++".

  I'd also recommend "Effective C++", "More effective C++" and
"Effective STL" by Scott Meyers.

-- 
                                                          - Warp

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Le 24/09/2011 19:58, Warp nous fit lire :
> Nekar Xenos <nek### [at] gmailcom> wrote:
>> My 14 year old son wants to start learning C++ and OpenGL.
> 
>> What would be the best way to go about it?
> 
>   I don't know, but I suppose one obvious way would be to buy him a
> couple of books.
> 
>   I have read some positive things about the latest book of the man himself
> (ie. Stroustrup), "Programming -- Principles and Practice Using C++".
> 
>   I'd also recommend "Effective C++", "More effective C++" and
> "Effective STL" by Scott Meyers.
> 
All good books, I presume, but they are probably more a kind of toolbox
that a tutorial. (at least, they would expect some experience in
programming, even if only something like C)

Before learning C++, have him dig a bit in object-oriented conception
first. Probably better with some human interface
(school/formation/stage/whatever) than a book.
(well, you can write C++ like any other language: if you have no clue,
the result might be a very strong and potent fertilizer. And sometime
you can even have valid reasons to do it with such bad practices. Yet it
is not something that should be made a model for the unwary)

At least C++ is a bit more strict than C about the details. But even a
very strict language would still fails if the conception is bogus.

For OpenGL, he can probably try to observe and understand the code from
any OpenGL & opensource game (that he like). It might give some clues
about how it works (my question would be: why bother with OpenGL ? any
short-term purposes ?)

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DON'T DO IT! SAVE YOURSELVES!

Wait, what was the question...? ;-)

-- 
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*

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On Sat, 24 Sep 2011 21:25:59 +0200, Le_Forgeron <jgr### [at] freefr> wrote:

> Le 24/09/2011 19:58, Warp nous fit lire :
>> Nekar Xenos <nek### [at] gmailcom> wrote:
>>> My 14 year old son wants to start learning C++ and OpenGL.
>>
>>> What would be the best way to go about it?
>>
>>   I don't know, but I suppose one obvious way would be to buy him a
>> couple of books.
>>
>>   I have read some positive things about the latest book of the man  
>> himself
>> (ie. Stroustrup), "Programming -- Principles and Practice Using C++".
>>
>>   I'd also recommend "Effective C++", "More effective C++" and
>> "Effective STL" by Scott Meyers.
>>
> All good books, I presume, but they are probably more a kind of toolbox
> that a tutorial. (at least, they would expect some experience in
> programming, even if only something like C)
>
> Before learning C++, have him dig a bit in object-oriented conception
> first. Probably better with some human interface
> (school/formation/stage/whatever) than a book.
> (well, you can write C++ like any other language: if you have no clue,
> the result might be a very strong and potent fertilizer. And sometime
> you can even have valid reasons to do it with such bad practices. Yet it
> is not something that should be made a model for the unwary)
>
> At least C++ is a bit more strict than C about the details. But even a
> very strict language would still fails if the conception is bogus.
>
> For OpenGL, he can probably try to observe and understand the code from
> any OpenGL & opensource game (that he like). It might give some clues
> about how it works (my question would be: why bother with OpenGL ? any
> short-term purposes ?)

I should have said at first that he wants to get into game programming.  
Ultimately he wants to make games for the Nintendo Wii. It's going to be a  
long road....

-- 
-Nekar Xenos-

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On 9/25/2011 10:18, Nekar Xenos wrote:
> I should have said at first that he wants to get into game programming.

You might want to start with something a little easier, with more libraries, 
etc, that will nevertheless give the basics. Such as XNA.

-- 
Darren New, San Diego CA, USA (PST)
   How come I never get only one kudo?

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Le_Forgeron <jgr### [at] freefr> wrote:
> For OpenGL, he can probably try to observe and understand the code from
> any OpenGL & opensource game

  I have always wondered why this is such a common suggestion, even though
it's one of the hardest ways of learning anything.

  You don't learn driving a car by examining the inside of a combustion
engine. You don't learn to use a computer by examining the circuit board
inside it. You don't learn to build a bridge by examining the bolts and
nuts used in it.

  The easiest way of learning OpenGL is, obviously, to read some online
tutorials. What exactly is wrong with suggesting that? Why suggest the
absolutely hardest way?

-- 
                                                          - Warp

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On 9/25/2011 10:54, Warp wrote:
>    I have always wondered why this is such a common suggestion,

Because it validates the perception that open source is a vitally important 
resource to everyone? :-)

> it's one of the hardest ways of learning anything.

Especially something like computer programming. At best you get cargo cult 
programming, where you copy what someone else did and make changes, but you 
don't really understand exactly why it is it works that way.

-- 
Darren New, San Diego CA, USA (PST)
   How come I never get only one kudo?

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On Sun, 25 Sep 2011 11:37:53 +0200, Orchid XP v8 <voi### [at] devnull> wrote:

> DON'T DO IT! SAVE YOURSELVES!
>
> Wait, what was the question...? ;-)
>

Do you want to encourage my son to program games in Haskel? :P

-- 
-Nekar Xenos-

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On 26/09/2011 06:26 AM, Nekar Xenos wrote:
> On Sun, 25 Sep 2011 11:37:53 +0200, Orchid XP v8 <voi### [at] devnull> wrote:
>
>> DON'T DO IT! SAVE YOURSELVES!
>>
>> Wait, what was the question...? ;-)
>>
>
> Do you want to encourage my son to program games in Haskel? :P

I gather doing OpenGL in Haskell is quite pleasant. (I haven't 
personally tried it.)

I also know from personal experience that unless you're on Linux, 
getting any sort of GUI library to work is quite hard. And doing 
low-level stuff like getting keypresses and mouse events is hellishly 
difficult. I don't think it's even *possible* to do sound. (There are 
libraries for this, but IME they don't actually compile.)

So, uh... no. Don't try to write games in Haskell.

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