Which should I learn first: Boost or Qt
I'm primarily a hobbyist programmer. I learnt the basics of C++ and then moved to Java which I loved because of it's simplicity. Now I'm coming back to C++, and I'd really like to learn GUI with the Qt API but i've heard a lot of talk about the Boost Libraries.
My Question should I learn Qt first or would it be better to spend some time on Boost first.
Personally, I'm into Qt cuz i'm so tired of looking at the boring ol' black console screen.
2) Is Pascal/Free Pascal a language worth learning these days. If so, what's the best place to learn it. I know it's dying - but i'm mysteriously attracted to the language.
Answer
After learning different languages and libraries, I find that QT has the best documentation ever and is very user friendly. Regardless of the learning curve (which is a lot easier with Qt), Qt is intended for graphic interfaces, and comes with great container or useful patterns like signal slot which help a lot. But some say that the precompilation phase named "moc" can be problematic. You'll have to use a particular compiler or tool chain.
Boost is more old school and "standard". I think you must have it in your toolbox of skills. If you have C++ and the STL, the next step is to become familiar with boost because boost is nearly an official standard lib for C++. It is promoted by the old guru of C++. In other ways boost is tougher to learn but easier to integrate into your project. Like some say... many projects has dependencies on BOOST.
You have to know that even if it's possible to use both boost and Qt in the same project, you'd better make a choice because many things are redundant in boost with Qt.
Personnaly, I have choosen Qt because of the signal/slot mechanism, and the high level package it provides (sound openGl webkit svg, designer etc)