Is learning GUI worth it

[Blackhart98]

Its probably something I might try to get into tommorow just wanna know is it still worth learning in c++?

--Blackhart

[freddie1]

If all you've got to throw at it is maybe tomorrow and part of the next day I'd say don't even bother.

It took me several years to learn C; another several years to learn C++; and like another couple years to learn Windows Api coding. But you might be smarter than me, so maybe it won't take so long.

On the other hand, if you want to use .net, tomorrow morning might be all you need. :)

[Blackhart98]

@freddie1 I obvioulsy meant I was going to start learning it tomorrow ,which is now today, its a new langauge im starting on.

[freddie1]

Oh. Well, C++ is likely one of the more difficult ways to get a GUI app up and running. Its the way I like to do it, but I'm a glutton for punishment. With C++ you can code close to bare metal. Or you can go the class framework route. But before I'd do that, if I wasn't heavily committed to C++, I'd just use another language like .net or something. With C++ it'll take some considerable commitment to learn it.

[codeErr]

Here is an application written purely in C/C++ and WinAPI. You can say yourself if it is worth learning.
http://sourceforge.net/projects/nns-shutmedown/

[ahcfan]

Yes it's worth it, unless you want all of your programs to be console-based. Some types of program just don't go well with a console interface. Also, if you plan to distribute your programs then the average user will probably expect a GUI.

[Computergeek01]

ahcfan wrote:

Also, if you plan to distribute your programs then the average user will probably expect a GUI.

That is entirely dependant on the context of the application. I can think of a few applications, PDQ being a prominent one that comes to mind, where the functionality of the application is hurt more than helped by the fact that they did not choose to go with a command-line interface and instead lumped what should be at least four command-line applications into two loosely correlated GUI apps. If your applications workflow is simply "Do this and tell me what, if anything, went wrong" then the addition of a graphic interface is just needless complexity.

TL;DR: Don't kill yourself with implementing and maintaining a GUI just because you think that is what your users want.