Linux C++ Newbie Questions

Chryzmo · 07-22-2003, 01:15 AM

I have only just recently started using Linux, I just installed Mandrake 9.1 on my computer. Before using Linux I had been teaching myself some C++ on Windows using MS Visual C++6.

From reading about WIndows programming, I had come to learn that generally the way people learn it, when dealing with graphic programming atleast, you are best to learn C++, then Windows programming, then an API. Now in Linux, I was wondering if there is some sort of Linux Windows programming?
If not, what would you base say an OpenGL program off?

It was my understanding that the Windows programming generally served as the base on which you built the OpenGL graphics engine. Howver I am not sure how this goes in Linux programming. Maybe someone can help clear this up for me?

Thanks

,
Chris

m9dhatter · 07-22-2003, 01:42 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Chryzmo
From reading about WIndows programming, I had come to learn that generally the way people learn it, when dealing with graphic programming atleast, you are best to learn C++, then Windows programming, then an API. Now in Linux, I was wondering if there is some sort of Linux Windows programming?
If not, what would you base say an OpenGL program off?

Thanks

,
Chris [/B]

i have never tried this myself but i have a fair understanding of openGL. and linux programming. i believe the "windows programming" you are referring to is the win32 api where you can create frames ( windows as you may call it, lets call it frames so we wont confuse it with the OS ) then you build the openGL on top of that. i think you could do the same for linux only you wont use the win32 api but another windowing api. i have used QT ( by trolltech ) before and it was quite handy. plus, it works on windows too. cool huh? there are other windowing api out there. gtk for instance, but i haven't tried them yet.

have fun programming!

tcaptain · 07-22-2003, 11:55 AM

I think if you're going to try using QT, then knowing C++ helps..as for OpenGL, well I think that perhaps there are APIs in both languages? Not sure, I've been wanting to look into it myself (but no time these days)

verigoth · 07-23-2003, 07:07 PM

OpenGL itself is merely a standard, a bunch of functions that supposedly in the end achieve some goal (like draw a square). how these functions are implemented is done at the sole discretion of the implementer (e.g. microsoft or Mesa3d (http://mesa3d.sourceforge.net)). in Linux it is usually done directly through hardware, so you need to connect the OpenGL drawing to the X Window Server (http://www.xfree86.org). as mentioned above you can do it with Qt (http://www.trolltech.no), but other (better) toolkits are libSDL (http://www.libsdl.org) and GLUT (somewhere on SGI's site) as well as Gtk+. i hope i didn't just confuse you even more...

verigoth