Quick Start Guide
Connecting to Uhunix
For those of you who have not used uhunix before, here is (basically) how to connect.
- Download and install the SSH program, which can be found at the ITS Help Desk website.
- Start SSH. Click the Quick Connect button. The full hostname is
uhunix.its.hawaii.edu. Your username and password are the same you use to check your hawaii.edu email or register for classes on MyUH. - Once you successfully connect, you should see some various welcome text and other information, and then a command prompt where you can type commands. This is unix.
- See the other references under Unix for how to use the Unix operating system.
- If possible, come see me during my office hours for a demonstration. This is much easier after you see it done.
Book Recommendations
Reference
Once you know C and C++, I think the best 2 books to own are Kernighan and Ritchie's The C Programming Language and Stroustrup's The C++ Programming Language. These books are both written by the creators of the languages. They are precise, correct, and authoritative.
Learning
However, I would not recommend either of the above books as a first book on C or C++. Instead, I recommend going to Borders (or the libary) and browing the Computer/Programming section. Flip through the books on learning C and find one that looks good to you. (I personally like the Teach Yourself in 21 Days series of books by Sams Publishing. I learned both Java and Perl this way.) Though these books will be thicker, they tend to be easier to read and understand for a beginner.
Practice
No matter which book you decide on, no book will make you a programmer. It only gets you started. At least 80% of the learning process comes from actually programming and debugging. Find a book with a few programming problems after each chapter, and actually do the problems. Come up with your own ideas for little programs you'd like to have, then write them. Do your assignments, delete them, and do them over again from scratch. Like speaking a foreign language, playing a musical instrument, and learning a new sport, its practice that will make the difference.