If you want to learn programming as a profession or hobby, one of the
first things you need to acquire is some type of compiler. A compiler is a
computer program that takes programming code and turns it into a program
that will run on your computer. Compilers are typically categorized by the
language they support and the platform (operating system) they operate on.
Common Programming Languages
Basic (Microsoft Visual Basic)
C/C++ (Borland C++, C++Builder, Microsoft Visual Studio)
Java (Borland JBuilder, Microsoft Visual J++, Sun Java)
Pascal (Borland Delphi)
Typical Platforms
DOS (basically obsolete)
Mac O/S
Linux
Windows
We are going to focus on two platforms, Windows and Linux. Windows is
without question the most popular operating system. Linux is a up and
coming operating system that is very popular in the Internet world. Linux
is also popular because of its low cost.
