Getting Back Into Programming

http://www.thefreecountry.com/compilers/cpp.shtml

And since Java is the "New C", also:

http://www.thefreecountry.com/compilers/java.shtml

...since Java is the "New C"...

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA

ROTFFLMFAO!!!!!!!!

But Java is at the center of the OpenSource wars, now that Oracle owns Sun...

Python is actually more prevalent (and, in some opinions, more powerful) than Java in scientific circles...

I was actually referring to the similarity in syntax and structure of the source code, not so much as a product on the market-level.

Java's original intention to replace CPP was initially targeted at C programmers who wanted enhanced webbing capability, while not having to adept to new type of syntax and structure.

Of course, that was a few years ago:

http://www.joystiq.com/2005/11/03/could-java-replace-c-as-game-developers-language-of-choice/

Naturally, some die-hard CPP devotees managed to convince themselves otherwise, just like those vinyl-Album addicts who would still vow to the sound quality supremacy of vinyl records vs digital audio devices.

Total BS of course, in terms of sound fidelity.

Ego is a very fragile thing... especially when having to confront facts.

If you go wayyy back, Java's original intent was to be the new language for embedded systems, with the goal of compact code and platform independence.

But it happened to coincide with the growth of the internet, and was quickly recast as the browser language thanks to java virtual machines and applets!

Deep embedded is still predominantly C and assembler.

(At least for products that don't require power down resets as the primary debugging method)

It's the age-old clash between high and low level programming environments. Low level is fast and compact but nearly impossible to document follow and debug, while high level is comprehensive, clear, but bloated, cumbersome, slow, but easier to debug and maintain.

Since most high level languages were equipped with low level run times inclusion, the were very popular for the last twenty years, especially when the OS function-libraries were open to utilise to complete a seamless user-interface for the Application to be built, but frankly, today, we all must admit that the incredible CPU speed of today's machine is there mainly to compensate for the slow-running, bloated, full of junk apps to be made by high level compilers.

Critical control systems, military and robotics still cling to low level such as Assembly and FORTH, in spite of the obvious difficulty in documentation and maintenance.

One may wonder why...

In this race we all lost speed to convenience and small-minded so-called "Creativity".

If an average PC of twenty years ago was running DOS-Apps at 2 Mhz with an average response-time of 20 ms, and today's PC is running Win 7 at 3 Ghz with an average response-time of 400 ms, we have actually lost the race for speed, in spite of having machines running at thousands of times faster

Microsoft offers free express versions of

visual basic

visual c++

visual c#

http://www.microsoft.com/express/Downloads/

Most distros of Linux come with gcc built in, which generally includes compilers for c, c++, and two flavors of Fortran...gcc has been ported to the Windows environment as MinGW. Other possiblities can be found here.

thanks for the links