C++ (1 Viewer)

[MAICHI]

Is there any C++ subject offered in UNSW at all? All I heard is that first year computing teaches haskell and C, and the later years subject look more like building a computer than computer programming.

 

[sunny]

Is there any C++ subject offered in UNSW at all? All I heard is that first year computing teaches haskell and C, and the later years subject look more like building a computer than computer programming.

That depends what subjects you take, and what degree you're doing. If you're doing Computer Engineering, building a computer would be the right one.

At UNSW the computing courses don't focus on teaching you how to use any particular language or programming tool. Rather they teach the fundamentals that you can apply to all sorts of programming languages.

They teach Haskell mainly as an introduction to programming and to teach recursion, then they teach C in second session to introduce more other concepts like memory management and control structures. Second year data organisation use C and Java to teach data structures.

So no....CSE doesn't have a subject "COMPxxxx: C++ Programming"

 

[MAICHI]

That's not really convenient for me though, I need a deep C++ knowledge for financial math, but UNSW don't even teach any.

 

[sunny]

I'm not quite sure why financial math would specifically need C++...if you have a good enough understanding of C and Java (or any OO programming language) learning C++ is not an issue. I've never actually "learnt" C++, all I do with C++ has been through what I know from C and Java.

 

[MAICHI]

It's the most powerful language? I don't know, but it's the standard language used in finance, to be competent at financial math, C++ skills are more important than finance knowledge.

But isn't C++ the most popular computer language anyways?

Yeah most of C++ should just be JAVA + C, but that would be taking the long road to learning C++ though. Why does UNSW only teach in JAVA and C? I see other unis with C++ based courses.

 

[sunny]

But isn't C++ the most popular computer language anyways?

That depends on who you ask. C++ wouldn't be popular when a person with not a lot of time needs to write a piece of Windows software with a pretty front end.

Yeah most of C++ should just be JAVA + C, but that would be taking the long road to learning C++ though. Why does UNSW only teach in JAVA and C? I see other unis with C++ based courses.

I think its just part of the teaching process. A student learns straight C, doesn't have to worry about OO concepts but just learns the underlying complexities associated with memory management and program compilation amongst other things. Once they're done with that in first year, they can move on to languages like Java and learn OO and other higher level programming techniques without having to worry about the nasties that C has.

If you're only interested in learning C++ for finance/mathematical problems, and need to be as good as it as you say, I don't think a computing course from a computing faculty is going to help you very much. You would be better off spending $30 on a teach yourself book and practising yourself.

 

[MAICHI]

Okay then I think I will get myself a programming book and teach myself. Thanks for the advice.

 

[gman03]

Sudent tends to careless about memory usage and that having to mind memory leaks among other problems like segmentation faults (another memory problem) would be overwhelming to lower year's student. They choose to teach JAva because it has garbage collecting features. C++ on the other hand doesn't.

Also C++ is not that platform independent compare with Java (like programming in Windows is somehow different to programming in Unix).. Perhaps UNSW's computing commitee doesn'tr want student to stree too much about their program (where most student uses Windows anyway and Uni marks student assignments in Linux environment dot dot dot etc. They try to avoid forthcoming headaches when student's stuff doesn't work)

That's my guess why they don't teach C++. As sunny suggest if you know C + other OO languae than programming in C++ should be managable?

 

[§eraphim]

You can probably pick up C++ at work.

 

[chris_c28]

With the advent of COMP1911, is it the end of the Haskell legacy as we know it for first years at UNSW? Haskell was a lot of fun.

 

[sunny]

With the advent of COMP1911, is it the end of the Haskell legacy as we know it for first years at UNSW? Haskell was a lot of fun.

Yep............

 

[chris_c28]

Not fun, not fun at all. By doing away with Haskell, I suppose UNSW intends to go mainstream with its first year computing.
Guess I'm part of the last batch of students.

 

[ace]

COMP4001: Object Oriented Programming

That's the C++ course. However if you alreadly know C, Java, etc. you should easily figure out how to learn C++ by yourself, no need to take out a course for it.

Also some subjects even assume you know C++, even if you weren't (exclusively) taught it earlier.

 

[sunny]

Yeah, but neither would Java or Haskell or C or Python or any of the other languages we are taught at UNSW.

Because none of the courses, probably not even HCI, were meant to be teaching how to make pretty front ends for Windows.

 

[Affinity]

But isn't C++ the most popular computer language anyways?

if you are talking about 10 years ago....

 

[Cyph]

If you focus on learning object orientated programming.... it won't matter what you use - Java, C++, it's just a matter of learning the syntax of the language which is pretty easy when you have a compiler to check things for you.

 

[MAICHI]

How Ivor Horton's Beginning C++? I'm thinking of using that one. Can someone recommend me a good website that teaches C++?