Everyone has been telling me to learn C++. Without bashing languages right and left, can someone please state some relevant reasons as to why I should learn C++ today?
Note that in no way am I saying anything harsh about C++. I just want to know why I should master it as a programmer instead of the other powerful languages out there.
Many of the newer languages such as Java and C# have roots in C++. By learning C++ you will get some hands on experience with many concepts that are abstracted in the newer languages. It will make you appreciate the newer languages much more. Things such as memory management are very trivial in Java/C#, but take a lot of thought and patience to correctly implement in C++.
For one reason, it's in extremely wide use in the programming world. For another, it is the intellectual predecessor of two other major languages out there, Java and C#. As such, C++ and techniques directly derived from C++ are in use in a very high proportion of professional projects in the Software Engineering world (I don't have exact nubmers, but I'd say higher than 50%).
This has to be a duplicate of something...
You should learn C++ because it's very commonly used, it's efficient, it's the basis of many other languages in common use, and because half-knowing C++ is dangerous.
Answers to this question contain a lot of reasons: Which sector of software industry uses c++
It depends on what your'e planning on doing with it.
Languages are tools in a tool box. Pick the right one for the job.
In the end it's a judgement call. I'm sure someone will dispute the preceding list. It's an opinion, not gospel.
:)
Learn C first. Then learn C++ to appreciate the power. Then learn a higher level language. You may even want to learn a very small amount of assembler before you start with C. Yes, this sounds like a lot of work, but... well it is a lot of work. Fortunately, it's enjoyable work. :) The point is not to become an expert in assembly, C, and C++. The point is to understand how the nice shiny languages do things internally, which will definitely make you a better developer.
Also see http://stackoverflow.com/questions/296/should-i-learn-c
Should I learn diving or Chinese?
It depends. What do you need? Do you work in a company that uses C++? Do you work in an industry where C++ is prevalent? Do you plan to work in such a place? Are you a programmer? Do you want to do programming?
The vast majority of people on this planet do not learn C++, and they manage to live quite well despite it. Most people don't learn any programming language. They don't need it.
Do you need it? If so, learn it.
If you're going to do any C++ programming, learning C++ will be a very good idea. If not, other languages may be more relevant.
But learning new languages will always be a good thing and make you a better programmer. If you have the option, you should always learn new languages.
I think you need to define "learn it." Does that mean a tutorial and you're done? Does it mean build an application (what kind?)? Those same people telling you you must learn C++ use it in different applications. The next step is "You must learn to make this kind of application..."
I think you may just feel incomplete without it and are giving into hype about "real" programmers.
By learning a lower-level language such as C++ you will learn basic concepts such as:
Once you have solid experience with a lower level language, you will have a better understanding of how higher-level platforms work "under-the-hood". Over the long term this will help make you a better developer in Ruby, Python, Java, etc...
I think there are several reasons to get at least passingly familiar with C++ even if you plan to use higher level languages as your tool of choice. Here are a few:
It's like learning Latin to understand English better. A lot of languages were modeled on the syntax and constructs, for example C#, Java, JavaScript, etc. Picking up C++ or at least C will give you a head start by teaching you the common denominator between all those languages.
Understanding the things that are abstracted away from you in other languages (pointers, basic data structures, garbage collection) theoretically makes you a better programmer even if you don't directly tinker in the details.
It doesn't happen every day, but one day you are going to need to connect directly to a C++ program API from your high level language. It will help if you have at least a passable knowledge of C++ when this happens.
C++ on your resume can often lead to Salary++. It is just respected as more of a hardcore language.
I often see C++ used as a common language between programmers who work in different languages, and in programming books that are trying to be language agnostic (Code Complete). Knowing C++ opens access to a lot more learning material.
BTW: I wrote a quick blog article in response to this question that goes into a little more detail.
Some other reasons here:
If you want to be a competent programmer you should not only learn C++, but also take a look at some other languages that will extend your horizons: python, lisp, prolog, assembly, etc.
I'll take a contrary position. Don't learn C++, it's a waste of time. Unless you have an immediate and pressing need for it, your time would be better spent elsewhere. Better language choices for long range career plans may include Hindi, Urdu, Chinese, or Russian.
The sorry fact is that there is more in the world to learn than you can learn and soon or later you will need to choose your areas of ignorance. At this point C++ can be safely ignored (again, depending on immediate needs). Instead of building up your tool set why not build something with it? That's an education in itself.
The reason most people say C++ is because that's whats generally been the most common in colleges. The best advice I can give is not to learn one language but learn multiple languages at once. If you are doing really beginner stuff C++ is fine but essentially not very different conceptually from other languages out there. I am by no means a "master programmer", but I would think a master wouldn't pigeon-hole themselves by limitting their knowledge to one language.
You should learn it if you are interested in real-time, high-performance computing. C++ is much more expressive than C, and still more effective than all the other languages. It's the right language if you want to maximize the use of available resources.
Given the task, I also think it's a lot more fun than e.g. Java or Objective-C :) It takes a lot to get good at it, but the reward is great. It's an expressive language, and the programmer is given great control over what happens.
Another reason to learn it is to understand why so many people love / hate it. Rather than take their word for it, learn it yourself to better understand the values and issues these folks have with the language. It certainly has its fans and naysayers.
Personally, having used it, it has some really nice aspects for the work I do, but having left it behind, I don't miss it.
I'd say learn C++ because "it's a better C". C is the language of systems programming, so if you plan to do it you'll want to know C/C++.
Peter Norvig's brilliant "Teach Yourself Programming In Ten Years" is pertinent regardless of which way you decide to go.
On second thought, maybe the best reason to learn it is to persuade those people to stop telling you what to do. 8)
It depends on how you define "learning a language".
Learning C++ syntax is a basic matter of writing a handful of practice applications and reading blogs and forums (and definitely Stack Overflow (: ).
Then you get to learn other structures like pointers, classes... writing them is a step forward from basic syntax.
Then comes the data structures and I believe that is where the hardcoreness of C++ comes in: the implementation in code is usually similar to how you'd write an algorithm in common pseudocode. The thing is, YOU will usually have to implement them, making it a must for you to know almost every detail of an abstract data structure - contrary to how things work in languages with the structures like hashtables, linkedlists etc. built in.
Being proficient in a high level language may make you a programmer, but "knowing" C++ in that aspect will make you conscious of what you have been doing in all the programs you have been coding. There may be people who will put forward the argument "if you want to know what you are doing, learn assembly" - I don't know assembly (yet), so I won't be able to reply, but I'd still say that C++ is somewhat more "learnable".
And then there are different libraries, all with their pros and cons, all being constantly developed further... so "learning C++" is not really a process you can ever reach the end of :)
Because that would would raise your quality as a programmer (in case that bothers you).
Another thing to mention - more recent languages are more abstract. Older languages talks closer to language CPU uses (for me C++ seems like a history (no offense to anyone)).
For example - i started to code in ASP.NET. Learning about HTTP and HTML gave me an insight what ASP.NET does behind the scenes, therefore - i`m able to control it better.
Conclusion - you need to understand abstraction from what everything is made from.
And don`t forget that C++ is abstraction, built from something else too.
For any reasonably experienced software developer, learning a new statically typed object-oriented language should be a piece of cake. The main difficulty in learning a new language is learning the main API of the programming environment that you're in. For C++ that is really easy, the STL is pretty small, and as far as I know C++ doesn't really involve any other standard libraries.
Some of the most important reasons to learn C++ are:
I think that last one is particularly important. No other language (at least the languages that I've used) does generic programming quite like C++. Alexandrescu is definitely a worthwhile book to pick up if you want to really understand the power of C++.
You should not care about C++. Try something newer such as C#, ruby, python and best, care about design pattern and work methodology. That's take you to the sky!!
I would say the primary benefit is learning memory management and pointers. Keep in mind there are many advantages to knowing how memory is handled, no matter what language (even GC equipped languages). You simply don't get that experience with most other mainstream languages.
If you have a serious intention of becoming a high quality professional developer, rather than just being a hobbyist, web or junior developer, then I would suggest learning C++.
An analogy: if you build a house without good, strong foundations, it may stand for a year, or two years, but at some point it will fall over. If, however, you build a house with decent foundations, even though you may never look at those foundations again in your lifetime, you can guarantee your house is structurally sound and can go about your business without worrying about it falling down around you. Developers who start out with a high level language like C# or Java are building their house without foundations.
Opinion: You don't have to know C++ to be a programmer.
However, if you do not understand basic concepts and design considerations of C++, you should not be programming.
Examples are pointers, how highlevel and low level abstractions link, memory management, stack, temporaries, etc. Without these, you will not be able to understand what really happens under the hood in a complex program, regardless of the language.
Likewise, you don't have to know trigonometry to do database design. But you will never find a good database designer who cannot prove cos(b-a)=cosb*cosa-sinb*sina in 10 minutes. Be sure that Dennis Ritchie knew complex calculus when he designed C, and every good optometrist knows what's light polarization, even if he doesn't exactly use it.