Re: Learning C Programming

[Andrew Plato <intrepid_es -at- YAHOO -dot- COM>]

The key to C is not knowing every last construct and syntax element,
but understanding how Object Oriented Programming works.  If you can
dissect what each object does, the public and private elements of each
object, what the objects respond to you'll be way ahead. If you are
going to be documenting C programs, learning C is very valuable.  But
knowing how OOP is used is even more valuable.

Lastly, C is not hard.  It is thinking in terms of objects and APIs
that is hard.  The syntax of the language and the structures are
pretty straightforward.  What is really tough is knowing what
libraries are being used, what APIs are used, and what custom objects
are the programmers building.  Many C applications these days are a
handful of custom objects.  Most of the application is calls to
existing libraries in Windows. Unless you're documenting an SDK, you
will most likely deal with existing, well documented C libraries.

Good luck with C. Trust me - it's much easier than you think.  It is a
language all good high-tech writers should know.

---Rowena Hart <rhart -at- XCERT -dot- COM> wrote:
>
> As the person who started this thread (by asking for mentors
> who would be willing to help/prompt me if I get stumped or
> overwhelmed by the C learning curve), let me clarify a few
> things:
>
> --> I don't have any plans to change careers and become a
> C programmer.  I DO plan to acquire enough programming
> knowledge and skills to be a better technical writer.
>
> --> I chose C because the programmers I work with use C.
>
> --> I also chose C because I want to focus on concepts and
> structures, which is something that C has in spades.
>
> I know it's a hard language to learn, but I'm willing to start
> with it.  The discussion about compilers has been interesting,
> so my thanks to Arlen and Linda for their input.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Rowena
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Rowena Hart   Technical Writer
>
> Xcert International Inc.
> 1001-701 West Georgia Street  Phone:  1 (604) 640-6210
> Vancouver, BC, Canada V7Y 1C6  Fax: 1 (604) 640-6220
> Web: http://www.xcert.com    E-mail: rhart -at- xcert -dot- com
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
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