Welcome to HelpCentre Online.
HelpCentre Online is a resource for developers who are new to programming, looking for an introduction to a new programming language, or looking for code samples or the meaning of a particular programming term and for computer users interested in building a Unix-like operating system from the ground up and developing an in-depth understanding of how the operating system functions.
If you are new to programming, select a programming language from the menu on the left of this page and work through the tutorial articles. If you are unsure which language to choose, Java is the easiest of the three for beginners. There are currently five basic articles for each language explaining all the concepts involved from basic principles, and more will be added soon.
If you want an introduction to a new programming language, the articles in this site refer to GCC C++, the Borland C++ Compiler and Java. There are currently articles for each language covering the basics of writing console programs. Articles will soon be added explaining how to write forms-based Windows programs and web-based Java applets, and more advanced articles will follow.
If you want to create a Unix-like operating system from basic components, follow the articles in the Unix section in the menu on the left of this page. Each step of the process is covered thoroughly to provide a complete understanding.
If you want to understand the meaning of a term, take a look at the Glossary section in the menu on the left of this page. All terms listed are described as thoroughly as possible and provide links to explanations of any terms required to explain the original term.
If you are looking for a code sample or an explanation of a task in Unix, take a look at the tutorials in the menu on the left of this page and look for a suitable sample or explanation. If the information you are looking for is not listed, please visit the site again – more articles will be added soon.
The Installation menu on the left of this page provides download and installation instructions for a number of programs including the following compilers:
GCC running under Windows
Borland C++ Compiler
Java Development Kit
All download instructions provide clear and easy explanations for download and installation of the software without requiring any payment or promise of payment, so you can try the programs and learn the languages free of charge. All programs and compilers are full and complete - not cut down versions.
The site is in early stages of development. Other than download and installation instructions, it currently provides basic introductory articles for each programming language, three Unix creation articles and a glossary containing technical terms used in the articles. In the near future it is planned to provide the following:
more tutorial articles with example code starting from basic principles to provide a thorough understanding of the languages discussed
further articles explaining the next steps in creation of a Unix system
more glossary items providing clear descriptions of all terms used in the tutorials, which should provide a useful reference for computer and programming terms in general
Tutorials in this site consist of series of articles, each relating to a particular topic with emphasis on full understanding and explanation from basic principles. Each programming article provides source code for a program to illustrate the topic and provides a full explanation of the sample program in exhaustive detail, to explain all code used in its entirety, so that at the end of each article the reader has a clear understanding of every word in the code.
As more articles are added this could result in a large number of articles, but throughout the tutorial the reader should constantly have a clear and complete understanding of the material presented. At the end of each article, there should be no doubt about the use of any word in the code presented or any aspect of the Unix installation step.
For each programming tutorial, the only software required is a freely downloadable compiler and a text editor. Text for the articles can be edited in Windows Notepad, or a more elaborate editor can be used – for example Vim, which can run under a number of operating systems including Unix, Windows, Macintosh and OS/2 and provides a huge range of features to assist programmers, including advanced searching, colour highlighting, page folding and auto-complete.
It is also planned to provide instructions for compiling programs to run on multiple operating systems including Windows and Unix-like operating systems (e.g. Linux, FreeBSD).
If information you are looking for is not available on this site at the moment, but mentioned above, please revisit soon.
GCC is the GNU Compiler Collection – a collection of compilers that enables programmers to write software for platforms including Unix-like operating systems (e.g. Linux and FreeBSD) and Windows.
GCC includes compilers for C, C++, Objective-C, Fortran, Java, and Ada, as well as libraries for these languages (libstdc++, libgcj,...).
Natively GCC runs under Unix. To use GCC from Windows it is necessary to install a Unix emulator such as Cygwin or a custom environment such as MinGW, which can be installed using the instructions for download and installation of GCC in this web site.
GCC tutorials provided in this web site relate to the C++ compiler and use MinGW.
BCC is the Borland C++ Compiler version 5.5, which consists of the high performance foundation and core technology of Borland's C++Builder 5 commercial integrated development environment.
The Borland C++ Compiler is an extremely fast 32-bit optimising compiler which includes the latest ANSI/ISO C++ language support, the STL (Standard Template Library) framework and C++ template support and the complete Borland C/C++ Runtime Library (RTL). The free download also includes command line tools including the high performance Borland linker and resource compiler.
Millions of developers have relied on the speed and quality of the Borland C/C++ compiler technology. BCC is a leading commercial ANSI C++ compiler for building high quality Windows, internet, and distributed applications. In addition, Inprise/Borland plan to release Linux C++ tools, so development with Borland C++ tools under Windows is also preparation for Linux development.
Use of this compiler subsequently provides a seamless path to the rich tools and capabilities of Borland's commercial development software - C++Builder for RAD (rapid application development), internet, user interface, database, and distributed solutions.
The JDK is the development kit for programming using the Java language. Java programs run on a Java Virtual Machine which can be installed on various platforms including Unix-like operating systems (e.g. Linux and FreeBSD) and Windows. Programs written using the Java language will run on these platforms and can also be embedded into web pages.
The Java Platform, Standard Edition Development Kit is a development environment for building applications, applets, and components using the Java programming language.
The JDK includes tools useful for developing and testing programs written in the Java programming language and running on the Java platform.