I want to broaden my programming experience and so figured that learning C (not C++) would be a nice idea – I’ve got a starting project (some simple 2D games using SDL) and given it a go, but I have to admit I’m struggling.
Now I consider myself to be a very a competent C# developer, but C is just a completely different world!
- No namespaces.
- Without classes I don’t know how to structure my code.
- I understand header files & includes, but my use of them doesn’t seem quite right.
- The loss of (for example) the
Stringclass is a bit of a culture shock.
On top of that I’m finding it tricky to separate out the C++ information from the C information (for example is snprintf a C++ only thing?)
This may sound like an odd request, but are there any good guides for learning C if you have experience in other languages?
Don’t try to learn C from C++ books/web sites. Start with something aimed only at C. A great place is The C Programming Language. It’s the original and still one of the best programming language books out there.
Learning C is going to be a struggle because it’s a different kind of language. It’s a procedural language, not an object oriented language. It will be good to stretch your brain in learning it. You’ll likely also learn a lot more about the way your OS works because it’s down much closer to the metal.
Note also that it’s a much less complex language and thus is missing a lot of the niceties of a modern language. There is no BCL/.Net Framework. As you noticed, there is no string class (although there are string functions).