New in programming need advice

[anta]

Hello everyone...I have a problem and it would be very helpful if you could give me any advice...I am rather new in programming. I had one or two lessons in the past (C/Java) but I am not very into it..Recently I have been asked i to make a program in which I should give certain material types, dimensions etc in order to have the valued price..I am very intrigued and I would like to give it a try..The problem is that i don't know where to start...What language should I use/GUI/databases etc..

Can anybody give me any general outline?It would be very helpful for me

Thank u in advance

 

[srizbf]

since you have an exposure in c and java , you can use anyone to write your application.

if you want a gui in your application , use java or visualbasic.

 

[horace1]

you can download Visual Express C++ free from
Microsoft Express Home - Visual Studio Express and SQL Server Express are free tools

you can create console programs or build GUIs

an alternative if you don't want to get tied to Windows is Code::Blocks
Code::Blocks

it is open source and cross platform. There is a GUI builder call wxWidgets.

 

[pastageek]

I personally think that C# is the best language to do GUI stuff in, but Visual Basic can do as much and the forms designer is good for those two .NET languages. One can use some of the older tech like windows foundation classes in C++. Java.sucks();

 

[horace1]

a major problem with both C# and VB is they tie one to Microsoft platforms - this is Ok if you accept your skills will not be transferable to none Microsoft systems.

It is worth noting that Java is cross platform to the extent that source code does not even have to be recompiled. So long as the target system has a Java virtual machine one can transfer the compiled class files and run them. I tend to write TCP/IP client/servers in Java so the resulatant systems are cross platform.

 

[pastageek]

a major problem with both C# and VB is they tie one to Microsoft platforms - this is Ok if you accept your skills will not be transferable to none Microsoft systems.

It is worth noting that Java is cross platform to the extent that source code does not even have to be recompiled. So long as the target system has a Java virtual machine one can transfer the compiled class files and run them. I tend to write TCP/IP client/servers in Java so the resulatant systems are cross platform.

That is a partial misconception. One can use monodevelop to write C# programs. It doesn't have all the technologies that the windows one have, but using something that compromises in all platform by leaving out a bunch of stuff is not a good solution.

C# also allows you to write low level stuff if you so choose, and it has linq which allows one to access database stuff, xml, and collections with similar syntax instead of the old way. C# pwns. plain and simple.

Java GUI development sucks. Also, the IDEs for development in the .NET, both monodevelop and VS pwn the Java IDEs that aren't much better than notepad++.

 

[horace1]

I am aware of open source compilers for C# but potential users should perhaps read the following comments on the FSF's news website
Why free software shouldn't depend on Mono or C# — Free Software Foundation — working together for free software

if one is looking for a Java development environment there are several good IDEs including NetBeans and Eclipse both of which are open source, cross platform and can be used for development of code in a number of languages

 

[pastageek]

I get their point on the FSF, but I don't think ppl should discourage ppl from writing in C# since it is a wonderful language, and considering that Microsoft has free versions of its dot NET languages, I think the article just might be hype. Even the express versions of VS are nicer than Eclipse. NetBeans comes in as second to favorite IDEs personally. I keep as many IDEs around as possible. And Java's swing library is bloatware.