The C++ courses may be presented in English

Various people have asked me to organize this course in English. Students intending to attend this course should be preparing themselves for English-spoken lectures and exercises presented to them in English.

Attendees, however, always have the option to address the teacher in either Dutch or English, and have the option to send in their elaborations in either Dutch or English.

The lectures will be in Dutch if that's preferred by all attendees. All assignments and presentation sheets will use the English language.


dr. Frank B. Brokken
 Please don't hesitate to contact dr. Frank B. Brokken (f.b.brokken@rug.nl) if there are any questions.

All activities mentioned below are accessible to students/employees of the University of Groningen, the `Hanzehogeschool' and to others who are interested.

Both domestic and foreign (guest) students and employees of the University of Groningen and of the `Hanzehogeschool' can register while there are vacancies. For them there are no charges other than the (optional) books that are used with the C++ courses.

So, students of the abovementioned organizations may register without any additional fees for participation or registration. Employees interested in attending are advised to seek consent from their department's chairs or comparable, prior to enrolling.

The courses are open to other (external) participants as well. External participants should contact the lecturer before enrolling or attending the C++ courses.

Please feel free to contact dr. Frank B. Brokken (phone +31 50 363 9281) if you have any questions about the courses or their organization.

Registration for the course(s) is NOW open.

Guest Lectures by Karel Kubat


Karel Kubat
 This year all current en previous attendees of the C/C++ course once again will have an opportunity to meet Karel Kubat, the co-author of the book De Programmeertaal C and initally the co-author of the C++ Annotations. Karel will give two talks during this Academic Year.

His talks will concentrate on various C++ concepts and in particular on using Threads in C++. In the past his talks covered details of the `crossroads' load balancer, which he authored as well as topics like daemons and networking. This year's actual topics will, as usual, be a surprise.

Karel will present his lectures on March 25th and April 1st (cf. part III's schedule).

All current and previous attendees of the C/C++ course are kindly invited to attend!

Organized courses:

The C/C++ course consists of three parts. Each part lasts for about 7 to 8 weeks. Provided all requirements are met each part can be attended independently of the other parts and each part can be completed independently of the other parts. The standard form of each of these parts will be rewarded with 5 ECTS study points (when completed successfully).

Note: According to the Artificial Intelligence study guide (ocasys) the C/C++ course consists of only two parts. This information is incorrect: the C/C++ course consists of three parts, as described below.

Lightweight versions of the courses are also available.

All lectures and all literature offered for the standard courses is also offered for the various lightweight variants, but the amount of practice varies for the lightweight variants.

The lightweight variants are rewarded with 2 ECTS points (approx. 55 hrs. study load, maximum grade: 7), 3 ECTS points (approx. 85 hrs. study load, maximum grade 8), or 4 ECTS points (approx. 110 hrs. study load, maximum grade 9). The maximum grade for the full (5 ECTS points) course is 10.

If you're completing a heavier variant than your study is willing to support, then your maximum grade is determined by the variant you complete, and not by the number of credit points your study is willing to recognize. Furthermore, the particular variant that you complete should be mentioned in the overview of your results, as registered in, e.g., Progress.

It is possible to select a different light-weight variant for each of the three parts of the C++ course, and it is possible to modify the (lightweight) level while a course is actually being offered.

When registering for the C++ course(s) no particular registration is required for the lightweight variant you might want to opt for: just select your favorite level while attending the course(s).

To join the C++ course, you may register for for each part or just for part I. Once you've registered for a certain part it is assumed that you intend to attend subsequent parts as well. There is no obligation, but it allows you to continue the course without any further administrative hassle.

In September you start with part I. In October you continue with part II, and finally, in February you enter part III. So, the full C++ course takes about half a year to complete. It is also possible to attend the individual parts, omitting one or two other parts. When joining during later courses, it is assumed that your entry level is at least equal to the exit level of the previous part. When in doubt, contact the lecturer.

C++ Courses organized by the Center of Information Technology:

Programming in C/C++, part I

Programming in C/C++, part II

Programming in C/C++, part III

Finally, there's will be many things that will remind those who'll join the C/C++ courses to the Unix Operating System. Linux and Cygwin being two well-known branches that grew from the Unix tree.
Considering this close relationship, it is at least funny, and probably useful, to (re)familiarize you with The Unix Haters Handbook, brought to my attention by one of my colleagues, Mr. Adri Mathlener. Although aiming at Unix, it also has a chapter (10) about C++. So, know what you're doing when you're joining the gang. Morbid....
Thanks, Adri!

Frank B. Brokken (f.b.brokken@rug.nl)
09 February 2010