Author: KarinsDad
Date: 20:48:08 01/03/99
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On January 03, 1999 at 15:52:45, Greg Lazarou wrote: >On January 03, 1999 at 15:08:09, Ralph E. Carter wrote: > >>This is a current events question. >> >>I might begin studying programming again. >>Is one of these languages more "topical" or "influencial", >>and a wiser choice for future employability? >> >>Does MS Visual Basic have libraries of gadgets that >>ease construction of Windows interfaces? >>Does MS Visual C++ have these libraries too? >> >>I don't want to confuse myself, by writing chess routines >>in C, then building GUIs with "Basic". >> >>I have 1.5 years of Pascal, and home-study of C++. >> >>Thank you. >>mongrel > >Well, my humble oppinion is that if you are going to write an engine for chess, >Visual C++ is a better choice than VB - mainly because you want speed and >performance (VB I think is also compiled but its p-code can't be as fast as >native code). > >For a UI, the choice is not as obvious but I'd recommend that you separate the >UI from the engine totally using the Winboard/Xboard protocol (basically >standard input and output), so that you can use Winboard as your UI, or the >Fritz UI etc. This way also you'll maintain total freedom in selecting the tool >of your choice for the UI. > >Have fun > >Greg Lazarou My advice is based on your level of programming experience. Visual Basic is easier to write and has fewer configuration programs then Visual C++ (which you can handle once you are familiar with C++). It also uses the C++ back end compiler, so for all intents and purposes, it's just as fast (with a few minor exceptions, most of which can be worked around once you know what you are doing). So if you are a novice programmer, Visual Basic is easier to learn and use. However, if you have been programming for a while, Visual C++ has all of the features of Visual Basic (including Microsoft and 3rd party classes and objects, but I wouldn't suggest using them much in a chess program) plus pointers (which for a chess program are almost required). Both of these languages will enable you to write a fairly good chess program, however, if you are thinking that you want your program to compete with the big boys, you should probably use C++ (but don't use classes much if at all) since it will be easier to optimize in the long run. I agree with Greg as far as the UI goes. If you use C++, create yourself a console application and don't waste your time re-inventing the wheel (i.e. the GUI) until you find you have extra time on your hands. As far as employability, it's anyone's guess. I've gotten jobs using both languages. Maybe you should study both (and Java, and ...). Good luck with your chess programming endeavors, KarinsDad
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