Chapter 30. CC Programming Tools for Ubuntu

Chapter 30. C/C++ Programming Tools for Ubuntu

IN THIS CHAPTER

• Programming in C with Linux

• Elements of the C/C++ Language

• Using the C Programming Project Management Tools Provided with Ubuntu

• Using the GNU C Compiler

• A Simple C Program

• Graphical Development Tools

• Reference

Learning how to use a computer language such as C or C++ can be more complex and difficult than learning shell scripting. You must learn to think in terms of machine resources and the way actions are accomplished within the computer, taking into account the operating system, language syntax, and assorted development tools, rather than thinking in terms of user-oriented commands.

Of course, the main benefit of learning C or C++ is that Linux and nearly all its related software is open sourceif a program doesn't work the way you want it to, you can change it! You can also find a lot of "hidden" documentation in programmer comments inside the source to nearly all Linux programs.

This chapter focuses on C- and C++-related tools for Linux, such as the GNU C Compiler Collection (gcc) system, and prototyping environments for GNOME and the K Desktop Environment (KDE). The information presented here introduces some of the commands used to compile C and C++ programs, along with information about related programming tools.