Do I need to master C before I learn C#, or can I learn both of them at the same time.

Question

Do I need to master C before I learn C#, or can I learn both of them at the same time.

Answer 1

C is the precursor to C++, but you don't need to learn C before C++ either. You can start learning C++ with these video tutorials:

http://xoax.net/comp/cpp/console/index.p...

They are perfect for beginners. This one can get you started by showing you how to install a free compiler:

http://xoax.net/comp/cpp/console/Lesson0...

Here are some simple games with code downloads that you can use to get some ideas:

http://xoax.net/comp/cpp/console/Lesson9...

http://xoax.net/comp/cpp/console/Lesson2...

http://xoax.net/comp/cpp/console/Lesson2...

These tutorials can get you started with graphics programming in OpenGL:

http://xoax.net/comp/cpp/opengl/index.ph...

You can go through the tutorials and if you have questions on them or anything else in C++, please post to me here:

http://xoax.net/forum/

Best of luck!

Answer 2

no both very different

C# is the windows version of c

Answer 3

No way!  In fact, I'd probably learn C# before I'd learn C (and I did - I'm good in C# and I know almost no C!).  C# is an easier language to start with, and after you've learned its syntax and how programming works, you can move on to the more complicated and powerful C.

Answer 4

You absolutely do not need to learn C before you learn C#.  In fact, C# is generally much easier for beginners to learn, because it is what's called a higher-level language, meaning it provides features for the convenience of the programmer that lower-level languages like C do not have.  

C is a great language to know, because it works down close to the processor level.  C programs usually involve very detailed memory management, which means C produces very efficient code. This is why C is still used for device drivers and operating systems, and other places where hardware efficiency is critical.  

Those features that make C efficient for the computer actually make C a challenging language for the programmer.  For example, C# (and virtually every other language) has a data type called a 'string' which allows you to manipulate text data. C does not have native support for text. Instead, you have to appreciate that a string of text in C is actually stored in an array of contiguous memory cells, and you have to work with the memory itself.  It's not really as hard as it sounds, but it's harder than it has to be for your first programming language.

If you want to write Windows programs, C# is far easier than C, because C# already has all the Windows widgets (forms, buttons, and whatnot) already packaged in a high-level, easy-to-understand abstraction.  If you want to write a Windows program in straight C, you have to make a linkage to one of the windows libraries and do some pretty messy programming.  

My advice is to learn programming first.  C# is fine, but so is C++ (a more generic improvement of C than C#) or Python, or one of many languages.  Once you understand the basics of programming in any language (pick an easy one to start with, like C# or Python)  you can learn new languages with relative ease.

NOTE TO ANOTHER POSTER

C# is -not- the Windows version of C. It's a completely different (but related) language.  There are several good Windows versions of C (Visual C/C++, GCC/Ming, and Dev/C++ all come to mind)  C# is primarily run on Windows, because it was developed by Microsoft, but there's now an open-source variant of C# called mono which also runs on Mac and Linux.

Answer 5

C and C# are two entirely distinct languages. There is no need to learn either of them to understand the other, though it couldn't hurt.