I am new to programming in general and just started learning C++. I was looking for a free to use compiler and found digital mars and D. I was really excited to hear about D and wanted to learn it instead because I already know some Java and D seems similar in a lot of ways but is more feature like C++. I have been looking through website after website on D and most of them have the last update in 2002 or the website is down. There seems to have been a bunch of IDE's started for D but none have really came into useability. Is D a viable langauge? What is happening with the D community? Anyone who has experience with D and developing in it, I would appreciate some advice.. Thank you in advance.

IkeaTheSofa

Hi,

IkeaTheSofa schrieb:
> I am new to programming in general and just started learning C++. I was looking for a free to use compiler and found digital mars and D. I was really excited to hear about D and wanted to learn it instead because I already know some Java and D seems similar in a lot of ways but is more feature like C++. I have been looking through website after website on D and most of them have the last update in 2002 or the website is down. There seems to have been a bunch of IDE's started for D but none have really came into useability. Is D a viable langauge? What is happening with the D community? Anyone who has experience with D and developing in it, I would appreciate some advice.. Thank you in advance.

D, in its current form, is not for the beginner. As you correctly noticed, there is no complete IDE that is anywhere past its beta-phase. Basically, when you're doing anything in D, you're a beta tester - for the compiler, the libraries, the development tools.

You may want to gather some more experience until you feel confident in a "D-like" language like Java, C++, C#... and then come back to D. This will also help you appreciate D's benefits ;)

That said, most of the people here *are* using D productively. And if
you ask a question here, you're likely to get an answer.
(Side note: perhaps one could start a D.beginners newsgroup or something?)
So if you feel like spending a lot of time with D the hard way, sorting
out compiler bugs along with the bugs in your own code, you might still
be in for a lot of education and adventure. :) But this will require
quite some dedication.

That's my opinion, anyways. :)

-Sebastian

In article <cvctjq$30id$1@digitaldaemon.com>, Sebastian Beschke says...

[clip]

>D, in its current form, is not for the beginner.
Not true, my friend.  D is easier to learn than java and c, and c++.  It just does not have the popularity.  I started to do a project on java and I found it completely annoying.  While looking around for c/c++ compilers, found digital mars and saw d.  Downloaded it and now, I am writing this project on d.  It's wonderful. :-)

>You may want to gather some more experience until you feel confident in a "D-like" language like Java, C++, C#... and then come back to D. This will also help you appreciate D's benefits ;)
Nah.  Jump right into it.

>That's my opinion, anyways. :)
true. :-)  And mine... ;-)

jicman schrieb:
> In article <cvctjq$30id$1@digitaldaemon.com>, Sebastian Beschke says...
>>D, in its current form, is not for the beginner.
> 
> Not true, my friend.  D is easier to learn than java and c, and c++.

Those, with the possible exception of Java, aren't beginner languages
either.
I didn't say D wasn't easier than those languages. But D is generally
more buggy, and there are languages (like Python, Ruby, Basic...) which
are a lot easier to learn.

The OP said he was new to programming.

I also said, that with a bit of dedication, D could be used to learn programming. But it definitely isn't the easiest way.

-Sebastian

>I also said, that with a bit of dedication, D could be used to learn programming. But it definitely isn't the easiest way.
>
>-Sebastian

Is there any easy way to learn programming???

Just do it. If one want to learn it, one will find using command line compiler easy. If one really need a GUI to write code one do not want to learn programming but playing. ;-)

I have been using C/C++ for years. Then I stated to learn D (DMD version 0.16)
It was only able to print "Hello world". That was fine.
Later I tried to make some array handling utility. DMD just introduced arrays.
Later I tried to use sockets. Phobos which come with DMD supports them since
version 80-90.
Now it has templates, mixins, etc.

D evolves like a programmers teach yourself book goes step-by-step.

Tamas Nagy

>>D, in its current form, is not for the beginner.
> Not true, my friend.

Mm I'd have to agree with Sebastian here, really only because of the lack of an IDE and the fact that the language keeps changing.  I'd love to teach my friend D as he wants to learn how to program, but that would also mean I'd have to teach him how to compile everything from the commandline and link it and figure out linker errors and etc.. There is no way to make a project, type some code, and have it run.  Though if I finish my IDE once I get some time, that might change.. ;)

"IkeaTheSofa" <ikea_the_sofa@hotmail.com> дÈëÏûÏ¢ÐÂÎÅ:Xns96043C1E0F794ikeathesofaAThotmail@63.105.9.61...
>I am new to programming in general and just started learning C++. I was
> looking for a free to use compiler and found digital mars and D. I was
> really excited to hear about D and wanted to learn it instead because I
> already know some Java and D seems similar in a lot of ways but is more
> feature like C++. I have been looking through website after website on D
> and most of them have the last update in 2002 or the website is down.
> There
> seems to have been a bunch of IDE's started for D but none have really
> came
> into useability. Is D a viable langauge? What is happening with the D
> community? Anyone who has experience with D and developing in it, I would
> appreciate some advice.. Thank you in advance.
>
> IkeaTheSofa
Before i turn to D, i use c/c++, so i have no idea about whether it's a good
beginner language.But i'm sure that it's really a natural choice to a
c/c++(especially c++) programmer.i mean, everything is natural, they're just
there when you need them.
Note: it's really a "IMO" :)

On Mon, 21 Feb 2005 22:42:55 -0500, Jarrett Billingsley wrote:

>>>D, in its current form, is not for the beginner.
>> Not true, my friend.
> 
> Mm I'd have to agree with Sebastian here, really only because of the lack of an IDE and the fact that the language keeps changing.  I'd love to teach my friend D as he wants to learn how to program, but that would also mean I'd have to teach him how to compile everything from the commandline and link it and figure out linker errors and etc.. There is no way to make a project, type some code, and have it run.  Though if I finish my IDE once I get some time, that might change.. ;)

My goodness! What wimps... there was no fancy IDE gizmo when I first learned programming. Just COBOL using punched cards and coding sheets! And we were lucky if we were allowed two compiles per day. ;-)

-- 
Derek
Melbourne, Australia
22/02/2005 3:25:33 PM

MicroWizard <MicroWizard_member@pathlink.com> wrote in news:cvdppa$11ti$1@digitaldaemon.com:

>>I also said, that with a bit of dedication, D could be used to learn programming. But it definitely isn't the easiest way.
>>
>>-Sebastian
> 
> Is there any easy way to learn programming???
> 
> Just do it. If one want to learn it, one will find using command line compiler easy. If one really need a GUI to write code one do not want to learn programming but playing. ;-)
> 
> I have been using C/C++ for years. Then I stated to learn D (DMD
> version 0.16) It was only able to print "Hello world". That was fine.
> Later I tried to make some array handling utility. DMD just introduced
> arrays. Later I tried to use sockets. Phobos which come with DMD
> supports them since version 80-90.
> Now it has templates, mixins, etc.
> 
> D evolves like a programmers teach yourself book goes step-by-step.
> 
> Tamas Nagy
> 
> 

I have to say that I appreciate the posts. I don't quite understand how command line compiling works.(i'm on win XP) I have downloded dmc dmd, cygwin and MinGW. I have been trying to figure out how to work. Since I only have exerince developing PHP and Java both of which use IDE's I feel totally lost here.

I tried to compile an example programm from D spec webpage and this is what I get:

Microsoft Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600]
(C) Copyright 1985-2001 Microsoft Corp.


C:\D\dmd\dmd\bin>dmd
Digital Mars D Compiler v0.113
Copyright (c) 1999-2005 by Digital Mars written by Walter Bright
Documentation: www.digitalmars.com/d/index.html
Usage:
  dmd files.d ... { -switch }

  files.d        D source files
  -c             do not link
  -d             allow deprecated features
  -g             add symbolic debug info
  -gt            add trace profiling hooks
  -v             verbose
  -O             optimize
  -odobjdir      write object files to directory objdir
  -offilename    name output file to filename
  -op            do not strip paths from source file
  -Ipath         where to look for imports
  -Llinkerflag   pass linkerflag to link
  -debug         compile in debug code
  -debug=level   compile in debug code <= level
  -debug=ident   compile in debug code identified by ident
  -inline        do function inlining
  -release       compile release version
  -unittest      compile in unit tests
  -version=level compile in version code >= level
  -version=ident compile in version code identified by ident

C:\D\dmd\dmd\bin>dmd c:\dev\d\dtest.d C:\D\dmd\dmd\bin\..\..\dm\bin\link.exe dtest,,,user32+kernel32/noi; Can't run 'C:\D\dmd\dmd\bin\..\..\dm\bin\link.exe', check PATH

C:\D\dmd\dmd\bin>

... Can anyone decipher this? Any suggestions for a begginer(in general)? I also can not get the ecliseD plugin to work, but thats a different issue.

Thank you again.

In article <cv9g7bk4uaw2.w0ltmbeb826k.dlg@40tude.net>, Derek Parnell says...
>
>On Mon, 21 Feb 2005 22:42:55 -0500, Jarrett Billingsley wrote:
>
>>>>D, in its current form, is not for the beginner.
>>> Not true, my friend.
>> 
>> Mm I'd have to agree with Sebastian here, really only because of the lack of an IDE and the fact that the language keeps changing.  I'd love to teach my friend D as he wants to learn how to program, but that would also mean I'd have to teach him how to compile everything from the commandline and link it and figure out linker errors and etc.. There is no way to make a project, type some code, and have it run.  Though if I finish my IDE once I get some time, that might change.. ;)
>
>My goodness! What wimps... there was no fancy IDE gizmo when I first learned programming. Just COBOL using punched cards and coding sheets! And we were lucky if we were allowed two compiles per day. ;-)

You were lucky! We used t'dream o 'aving a compiler! Had two bits of broken ol' sticks that wer 'ad to knock together t'make our own shift-registers!

Compiler? Huh ~ luxury ...