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I have questions about compilers and unix

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godcore
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 17, 2010 4:28 pm    Post subject: I have questions about compilers and unix Reply with quote

hello...I am a sophmore in highschool and my fasicnation with the story behind how the people who created youtube and became rich beyond their means has got me interested in a career in being a computer systems analyst. I talked to this one guy at the library who informed me of a few do it yourself methods for beginners....This included books on c++, Unix, network protocols and so on.....

So i picked up 5 books from the library...one named "Sams teach yourself c++ in 10 minutes"..now in the first few pages of this book there is numerous references made to a "compiler" and how u are to put all your program codes in it so I did the google thing to find out what it is and now i'm all confused so I figured I'd come to this website where I could probably get some answers..Now I figured out what a compiler is but i dont know how to obtain one.. Do I have to purchase it from a store or can I download it off the net? and if I i can download it which is the best compiler to download?


another book I have is “Unix for Dummies”….again I’m confused on how to obtain one of these….Can I purchase one online or do I have to buy it at a store? I’m getting a bunch of feedback about how a unix is difficult to install. So my question is when I get this unix system what would be the proper way to install it…by myself or from a professional? I feel like I cant continue reading these books without some sort of hands on with these systems and I would like to get the ball rolling on this compiler and unix thing right away…..

Thanx in advance to anyone who can help me with these questions.
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capi
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 17, 2010 6:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi godcore, welcome to the forums!

You're going on the right path, looking to learn about Unix. Unix, as you probably know, is a high quality operating system. Actually, nowadays, there are many Unix systems, different but at the same time largely compatible with each other. They are governed by common standards, such as POSIX and the Single UNIX Specification. Mac OSX, for example, is a Unix-based operating system. So is BSD, and GNU/Linux (which is better known, incorrectly, as just Linux). You should really try GNU/Linux.

GNU/Linux is a Unix-like operating system, which is completely free -- free as in price, and also free as in freedom. You see, GNU/Linux is what we call Free Software. In a nutshell, you can download and distribute it for free, you can see how it works, you can have access to its source code to learn from it, and you can even modify it and distribute your improvements to other people!

I suggest you read the threads I link below, to get an idea of how you can try GNU/Linux for yourself, without even having to install it to your hard drive at first. As you will see, there are many variants of GNU/Linux itself, but for a beginner I would definitely recommend Ubuntu Linux. It's meant to "just work" and they do a very good job at it, without losing the important power and flexibility that you expect from a *nix system.

* Everything you need to know about *NIX
* Questions on trying linux for first time

As for Ubuntu's ease of use... my grandmother uses it. And she's not a computer-savvy person by any means. As for installation... Ubuntu is easier to install than Windows. Also, it will recognize an existing Windows installation and offer to set itself up side-by-side, so that you can choose what you want to use when you boot the computer.

That said, installing a new operating system can be a daunting task, if you are inexperienced. A small mistake may render your system unbootable, even if it might be easy to correct (the problem is knowing how to correct it when you don't have the experience). As I said, installing an easy-to-use GNU/Linux distribution such as Ubuntu is easier than installing Windows; but still, if you've never installed Windows for example, or partitioned a hard drive, it might be better to get an old computer and use that to mess around with. Install whatever you want, play with it, and if you mess anything up you can just reinstall. Or you can use a virtual machine, if you've ever heard of VMWare or VirtualBox.

By the way: there are some things in the Unix world that work differently from what you are used to in Windows. An obvious example is the fact that, in Windows, you access your files through drive letters (C:, D:, etc.) while in GNU/Linux your partitions are melded into a single, larger, tree structure. A given drive or partition is simply a directory inside the larger filesystem structure. If you've ever used a Mac in recent years, you've seen it (as I said above, Mac OSX is a Unix-based system).

These differences don't necessarily mean things are harder to use; they just mean they're different. If you had never used Windows before, you would probably see no sense in the whole C: and D: thing. Why are there separate places for each drive, and why are they represented by letters, and why C: anyway? Or why are you supposed to restart your Windows system whenever you install just about anything? Or why are you supposed to go around Googling for programs and downloading installers, instead of having a single builtin package manager like we do on practically all GNU/Linux distributions, where you can just search for a program's name and click "install" to get it done?

In any case, good luck on your endeavor. Stick to it, read a lot, ask many questions, Internet forums and FAQs are your friends, and most importantly: play a lot! There's no substitute for getting your hands dirty.
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godcore
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 17, 2010 9:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thank u for your reply capi...You will have to bear with me as all the info u have posted looks like a foreign language so I have to take it very slow. More then likely I will be looking over everything u posted all day today and trying to figure it out. U can expect to be hearing from me again with more questions becuse like I said I have all these books and its like arriving on a whole new planet. Again, thank u for taking your time and answering my questions. Its very much appreciated.
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