Help me chose a programming language and IDE

[kio_http]

I want to start developing GUI applications for Ubuntu and maybe later have database functionality to.

I would prefer using QT but don't mind GTK as well.
I have quite a lot of experience in Vb.net on Windows.

Essentially I was something that does not necessarily have a vb.net like syntax (although I would like that) but works in a similar manner. The language should have an IDE available that is easy like Visual Studio 2010. I want functionality like intellisense and interoperability between the GUI designer and code view. E.g clicking a button in designer automatically creates the code for a click event.

The language should not be too complicated to learn (I like the way that you don't have to really bother about memory allocation etc with vb.net) and should have a good amount of easy to follow tutorials books and examples.

The key thing here is the designer/ code functionality being similar to Visual Studio. In visual studio I learnt how to write GUI apps before CLI ones.

Also another question, if I learn visual C++ on Windows using Microsoft's tutorials will I be able to easily learn QML and work with qtcreator?

[forrestcupp]

Also another question, if I learn visual C++ on Windows using Microsoft's tutorials will I be able to easily learn QML and work with qtcreator?

It sounds like you already answered part of your question. You should learn C++ and use the IDE that comes with Qt, called Qt Creator.

C++ with winAPI tutorials are going to be completely different than learning to program in C++ with Qt. I mean completely different. Don't waste your time.

The good news is that Qt is way easier to learn that winAPI. You need to find some online tutorials for plain ol' C++ for the console first. Here is a decent one you could check out. I know it's tedious, and not what you want to be doing, but you have to learn the basics of C++ before you can just start programming a GUI. After you start getting that down, then you can find some tutorials for Qt. When you get to that point, things will start to get more fun, but you have to lay the groundwork first.

C++ is much different than VB. But having VB background will help you a lot more than not having any background at all. Have fun.

Also, you can program Qt in Windows using Qt Creator. So you should be able to learn it in Windows and carry it over to Linux. You just need to recompile your apps for each platform.

[Bodsda]

Microsoft continues to teach new developers bad habits and laziness... *sigh*

[F.G.]

It sounds like you already answered part of your question. You should learn C++ and use the IDE that comes with Qt, called Qt Creator.

C++ with winAPI tutorials are going to be completely different than learning to program in C++ with Qt. I mean completely different. Don't waste your time.

The good news is that Qt is way easier to learn that winAPI. You need to find some online tutorials for plain ol' C++ for the console first. Here is a decent one you could check out. I know it's tedious, and not what you want to be doing, but you have to learn the basics of C++ before you can just start programming a GUI. After you start getting that down, then you can find some tutorials for Qt. When you get to that point, things will start to get more fun, but you have to lay the groundwork first.

C++ is much different than VB. But having VB background will help you a lot more than not having any background at all. Have fun.

Also, you can program Qt in Windows using Qt Creator. So you should be able to learn it in Windows and carry it over to Linux. You just need to recompile your apps for each platform.

i agree with forrestcupp, QTCreator is pretty straight forward and easy to use. also i think qt generally requires less code than gtk. c++ is a big language to learn, but a pretty good way to learn about programming.

another choice could be python and qt4, using the pyqt4 module, although then you don't get the easy to use QT Creator so that's probably not for you (although python is quite a fun and easy language to learn). recently i've been learning some TCL/TK, which is a cross-platform programming language/framework, which uses the native look of the OS, you can make a 'hello world' GUI application in about three or four lines of code. this seems to be a bit of an obscure language though. anyhow, I digress...

i'd definitely have a go at C++ and QTCreator (learning c++ alone will be pretty helpful).

[trivialpackets]

I would take a few moments to check out http://developer.ubuntu.com/, python and quickly. Pretty neat environment and development flow.

[forrestcupp]

Microsoft continues to teach new developers bad habits and laziness... *sigh*

We need you to give us the code to your Try() function.

[kio_http]

It sounds like you already answered part of your question. You should learn C++ and use the IDE that comes with Qt, called Qt Creator.

C++ with winAPI tutorials are going to be completely different than learning to program in C++ with Qt. I mean completely different. Don't waste your time.

The good news is that Qt is way easier to learn that winAPI. You need to find some online tutorials for plain ol' C++ for the console first. Here is a decent one you could check out. I know it's tedious, and not what you want to be doing, but you have to learn the basics of C++ before you can just start programming a GUI. After you start getting that down, then you can find some tutorials for Qt. When you get to that point, things will start to get more fun, but you have to lay the groundwork first.

C++ is much different than VB. But having VB background will help you a lot more than not having any background at all. Have fun.

Also, you can program Qt in Windows using Qt Creator. So you should be able to learn it in Windows and carry it over to Linux. You just need to recompile your apps for each platform.

I do use Win API sometimes also I know C# but don't regularly use it. How is monodevelop for C# and vb.net?

[jjex22]

Here is a decent one you could check out. I know it's tedious, and not what you want to be doing, but you have to learn the basics of C++ before you can just start programming a GUI. After you start getting that down, then you can find some tutorials for Qt. When you get to that point, things will start to get more fun, but you have to lay the groundwork first.

C++ is much different than VB. But having VB background will help you a lot more than not having any background at all. Have fun.

I'm really new to coding - I've been hobby-ing it since summer, so I don't have the experience of the other guys, but I took their advice and started with C++, so from a noob's, perspective, forrestcupp is spot on - I've been using cplusplus.com as forrestcupp suggests, as well as cprogramming.com and learncpp.com together - switching from one to the other - I find both the repetition and the fact that they explain things in different ways really helps!

If I had to pick one, it'd be cprogramming, becuause of the end of unit quizes, but learncpp is definately the kindest to the utter noob!

You obviously have a lot more experience than I do (I used BASIC on the C64 when I was a little person!) but if you are new to c and c++, these may really help

[Dragonbite]

I would take a few moments to check out http://developer.ubuntu.com/, python and quickly. Pretty neat environment and development flow.

Wow, that looks pretty cool! Thanks for the link!

[lykwydchykyn]

You can try kdevelop, I think it supports languages other than c++ and has tools for developing KDE applications.

If you want to go the PyQT route there's Eric; it has many of the features you mentioned, though IMO the interface is a disaster.

Personally, after trying a lot of IDE, I ended up just using Emacs and hand-coding the GUIs (using PyQT). It ultimately less work IMO, especially with PyQT (other languages/toolkits maybe not, I don't know). YMMV.