SKBT Needs to Learn C

[SKBT]

This is mostly directed at at Serge and the guys who actually know what they are talking about.

As the topic says I need to learn C and have a couple of questions about it.

What are the best free tutorials or guides to learn from?

Whats the learning curve for it? I already know some basic stuff in labview but I know C is real coding not connecting flow charts together and seeing it work.

What do I need to program in it? Do I need special software to write the code in or can it be done in Notepad++

[Pwnator]

Notepad's good enough for making C code, but Notepad++ is recommended for ease of viewing (syntax highlighting).

Also, make sure you have a C compiler (I used Cygwin, but you can get Codeblocks as a text editor with a built-in compiler).

As for guides, pretty much the first sites you encounter on Google will do.

The learning curve probably starts to get hairy once you learn pointers and pointer-to-pointers.

[Serge]

When it comes to a programming environment, you can either chose between Microsoft's integrated Visual C++ (The Express version is free) or Cygwin / MingW. The first is a bit easier to start with as you don't have to learn the command line, but the C compiler it uses has its quirks (mainly doesn't really support C99), so you have to compile your source code with the C++ compiler (not really a big deal, just save you files as .cpp). Cygwin / MingW are two collections of GNU utilities, including a C/C++ compiler called GCC (GNU Compiler Collection). I find the latter option more powerful, but it may be a pain to get working for someone with no prior Linux command line experience. Oh, and if you do it that way you'll also need a good text editor, Notepad++ is just fine.

When it comes to tutorials, stay away from "for dummies" books. I recommend Carl H's excellent series of C (and general programming) tutorials, available for free at http://www.highercomputingforeveryone.com/ .

C's learning curve may be a bit steeper than other languages, but you'll manage.