I want to begin programming?

[Peanut24]

I have been wanting to learn how to program computers for the longest time but just have not had the money to go out and buy the program/learning guide. I took a Computer Science class previously yet it was in Visual Basic 6.0, and I hear that is a withering program constructor.So, I want a good program that will still be used in the future, yet also a program that is friendly and fun to work with, and from what I hear C++ is the best for me. Through this I want to learn how to create games(not necessarily MMO's or anything big but you get the picture) and also learn programs just in general. Is C++ right for me and is it a good program? and if so where do I purchase it at?

[drakengodx]

i downloaded vb.net express from microsoft. its intuitive and i am producing great programs and i havnt had to buy anything.the internet is your book

[Dragoonthex]

C++ is the best for *something*, and games are often that thing. Visual Studio is very expensive, but you might be able to get one on the cheap on eBay. I hear Dev C++ is free. But if you want all free, install Linux. KDevelop is a very good IDE for that.

[blade683]

As stated, Visual Basic Studio Express is a very good free program. C++ isn't a "Program" persay. It's a language. You use programs to write and compile it. You can get compilers for free online. Dev C++ comes to mind. Be warned that C++ is pretty dang hard to learn. You may want to start with C# or VB, unless you can master those, you'll have no business using C++

[rocksteady386]

Express Visual C++ from Microsoft Rocks!But seriously, yeah, C++ is a nice language to learn, because several of its formailities apply to most every other language you find.

[aleaia123]

C++ is a language not a program, but I'll forgive you. C++ is the most popular language and is very good for writing games; however, writing games is not necessarily easy. Make sure you start small like a breakout or tetris like game. There are a bunch of C++ compilers out there. The two most popular are GCC and Visual C++ compiler. You can both for free. If you are running Windows, you can get a modified version of GCC either by downloading mingw or Dev-C++. Visual C++ can be obtained free with Visual C++ 2008 Express Edition. I would suggest you get the Visual C++ 2008 because you can also get the Dark GDK for free, but you should first learn the language. You may also want to consider Java or C#. They are both capable of game development.http://www.microsoft.com/expresshttp://www.bloodshed.net/devcpp.html

[clueg]

Here's a step by step video tutorial on how to get Visual C++ 2008 for free:http://xoax.net/comp/cpp/console/Lesson0.phpHere a some video tutorials to get you started with some simple game examples and downloadable code, if you want:http://xoax.net/comp/cpp/console/index.php