[RESOLVED] MFC or QT?

[SabNary]

Hi All,

Here a noob, before I'm going to throw myself into the deep about Windows programming, I have some questions about the type of framework.

There is; so far I have read about it and understand about it, MFC and QT, so what’s the best? And why should it be the best?

According to my dad I must learn MFC, but he is a little MS minded and since I'm a teen and he is a parent, why should I listen *kidding*. So please help me with my choice, what type of framework should I use?

[Alterah]

I have only worked with QT, but I can say that it is a nice framewor. It is cross platform which is nice and Qt Creator is actually a good IDE. On top of that, PyQt is a set of Python bindings for Qt which makes rapid prototyping fairly easy. Anyway, this is just one opinion

[Igor Vartanov]

I'm going to throw myself into the deep about Windows programming

Well, it depends on your understanding of Windows programming. If by that you mean you are to be able just to create programs runnable in Windows, both are just fine.

Qt is a heavy force with it's own philosophy and culture, and lots of classes that hardly could give you an impression of what Windows programming really is. Instead, those are more like implementing OS independent approach (remember that Qt is a cross platform framework applicable on Linux and MAC OS as well.)

MFC is of a really lesser grade of being OS independent, in fact it's just a tiny wrapper over pure Win API, when it is about programming windowed stuff. So, it may be called a real Windows programming with a subtle abstraction layer. As to philosophy and culture of MFC, it's more about document-view architecture (single- and multi-document apps), database and ActiveX programming (the latter is really thick and heavy.)

So, now you have to decide what is your goal. OS independent programming and possibly cross platform later? Or really close to Windows API and architecture?

Anyway, I really believe that there is no ultimate truth in a single OS, language or framework, but all of them have a value on its own as well as reasonable limits of applicability. To know the value and the limits you have to know the subject. So, if I were you, I would learn both.

[Skizmo]

It depends a bit on what your goals are (specific Windows-only stuff or general programming). If you have no windows-specific stuff, I would advice you to checkout both. I use both, and from a general point of view, I prefer QT.

[GCDEF]

Honestly, these days, there's a lot more work out there with C# and .Net, and for a beginner, they'd be easier to learn. Unless you have a compelling reason to learn c++, I'd go with C#.

[SabNary]

Hi all

Thanks for all your answers and opinions, think I have decided for myself what the next step is:

My both parents are ICT nerds, dad is C++ programmer mom a SAP consultant, so you can say I have (still am) been growing up with computers and bits and bytes LOL. Think because of that I got interested in programming in C# at the age of 8 and at age of 10 in C++ Managed. Have built some applications, 2 as practicing projects that dad gave me, and 1 application for my old (elementary) school. Two written in C# and one in Manage C++.

The last year I went Native , and I learned myself, and of course my dad helped me, good thing he got patience that I don’t have, C/C++.

And now it’s time for me to take the next step, that’s why I asked this question as posted in this forum. OK what’s my goal; hmmm well this will be my first goal in my live LOL, thinking out loud…

.. one thing is sure, it’s better to learn both the frameworks, but to learn them at same time, no I don’t want that, one thing at the time. In the environment I’m living in, aren’t any Mac and Linux OS computers, so it will be Windows.

Then my goal is: to understand more about Windows programming in the Native way, so I’m going to choose for the framework MFC, and later on, to see what QT have to offer me

[SabNary]

I believe it would be good to mention as well a great book I really started with: Charles Petzold, Programming Windows.

Got lots of books but not this one, thanks for the tip, going to ask parents if they can buy this one too, *putting on my poor puppy dog face, and going to ask them* this always works

And thanks for the C++ WinAPI link