Gavin Denby wrote:
I basically need to program PC's to set up/ colect data/ process data and probably via a graphical interface.
so my question ... in 2 parts:
1. Is C still a viable language to learn to write programs for PC/MAC Ideally in Win MacOSX (cocoa looks nice) and Linux or should I be looking at C# / Mono / QT / ??
If you are looking to make the transition from ASM to higher level languages, I highly recommend C as a stepping stone. "The C Programming Language - Second Edition (ANSI C)" by Kernighan and Richie is the one true C "bible". Being an ASM programmer you will pick C up quickly once you're used to the syntax and adjust to the debugging methods.
It seems that all later programming languages seem to be adding to C (extend .. embrace ??) so Would C be a good start place ?
All opinions welcome.... and crystal ball gazing will be entertained.
C++ is a massive language, but as Orion pointed out, once you learn C++ you will have dealt with >90% of the concepts that exist both in procedural and object orientated languages. For doing data capture, I would recommend C or C++ for the backend and C++ or C# (mono appears to work really well) for a front-end; obviously if you're going to write a monolithic application, then C++ is your best choice.
2. Does anyone have experience with a good course / course provider that they would recommend to provide such training.
I would probably recommend COMP209 at the uni if it was still a C++ based course, but I believe it's Java based now. James