Where and what do you need to download to be able to do C++ programming?

I took an AP Computer Science course using Java several years ago and now am in interested in learning C++ by myself; don't remember much about it now (hopefully my memory will get refreshed as I start) and I was wondering what programs (free) I need to download to start; for ex. I remember I downloaded BlueJay program to learn and program in Java. Any help will be greatly appreciated!

Where and what do you need to download to be able to do C++ programming?
You need a compiler, a plain text editor or IDE, and resources/references.





Compiler: There are two big compilers out there. The first is gcc which runs on Linux and *Nix systems. It has a windows port called MinGW. The second is Microsoft Visual C++, which is windows only. gcc/MinGW is free. Visual C++ is not, but you can get a free "express" edition.





Editor/IDE: There's a bit more variety here, but I'll assume you're on windows. There's three choices worth mentioning for an IDE. The first is Visual Studio which costs quite a bit of money. The second is Code::Blocks, which is free. The third is Dev-C++/wxDev-C++.





Finally, get yourself a real book. Accu (http://accu.org/index.php ) has a list. The site doesn't seem to be working ATM, but when it does, take a look at the book reviews for Beginner's C++. My choices go to C++ Primer by Lippman and Accelerated C++ by Koenig.





MinGW: http://www.mingw.org/


VC++ Express: http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/expres...


Code Blocks: http://www.codeblocks.org/


wxDev-C++: http://wxdsgn.sourceforge.net/





I've omitted a list of plain text editors, and since there's so many, please Google.
Reply:All you need is any C++ IDE( Integrated Develop Enviroment) so you can program, then compile and produce the application. Some reccomendations are:





MS Visual Studio (A little pricey, however it is fairly nice and easy to use -


http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/vstudio...





Mars C++ IDE (Free, however not as easy of an interface as Visual Studio) - http://www.digitalmars.com/download/free...
Reply:http://www.bloodshed.net/devcpp.html has a free C++ IDE.





http://www.cprogramming.com/ has C and C++ tutorials
Reply:Microsoft has a free version of its C++ creator/editor for download. You must install the .NET framework to run it (it's also free from MS).


There are also video tutorials on how to program in C++ at the MS site.


See links below.

baby breath