suggestions for programs to get acquainted with C or C++ again

[pinchharmonic]

Hi,

I've been out of c and c++ programming since I was in school several years ago, and was wondering if anyone had any good ideas for programs or small projects to develop on a linux platform that would not only help me get reacquainted with syntax, OO programming, etc, but also be fun and potentially useful.

thanks!

[ttrz]

How about a text-based blackjack program? I don't know how useful it would be in the end, but it might help you refresh.

[monarch_dodra]

I would personally suggest you stay out of input/output/user-interface related projects: They will teach you very little in the way of C++.

Anything more math heavy, or that manages ressources would be more interesting, IMO.

A friend showed me a problem rescently, where he searched for all the first 1 000 000 prime numbers, using an algorithm that stored all the currently found primes. It trained him in the proper use of vectors and iterators.

[Cheezewizz]

http://projecteuler.net/ is great for those mathy kinda programming problems...

[Lindley]

Look through academic papers on subjects that interest you; perhaps image segmentation or pattern recognition. Then pick one and try and implement the proposed algorithm.

[pinchharmonic]

great replies! i'm astounded at the responses on this forum.. thanks so much.

i'm checking all the responses out now, they all seem like good ideas.

also, i'd like to add, anything that can help me work with classes, polymorphism, etc would be even better since i think this area is key for the object oriented portion.

thanks guys,
Dave

[nuzzle]

Why not go to a library and browse through the popular scientific press, like Scientific American for example. Then pick an interesting article and try to implement something from it.

You can also solve problems from programming contests. Problems from past competitions are often available. Here's a list,

http://cplus.about.com/od/glossary/a/ten-contests.htm

Or if you want exercise style problems you can find them in C++ textbooks. I know for example Programming - Principles and Practices using C++ by Stroustrup has a lot of them after each chapter.