Starting from Scratch

I thought I'd give Windows 7 Beta a go. It was a big mistake. The installer crashed whilst re-sizing my partition, and so I lost my install of Ubuntu with all my code too. Luckily I had documented some of it here (and in my google docs account).

But since that has happened, it has allowed me to re-install Ubuntu and do it the proper way. I am going to put my home folder on a separate partition.

Now I am re-considering what game library I want to use. I am completely familiar with Allegro, but sometimes its good to step outside your comfort zone. I am considering SDL, OpenGL, SFML, and I've even had a look at the DarkGDK. Now most of these more modern API's are geared towards C++ or object oriented programming, which I'm still not quite ready for yet. I get a lot of pressure from people telling me its easier every time I post for help on a forum, but I promise - my next project will be in C++.

So which one to use? Some would say the most obvious choice is SDL. I have had a look at it the most and even compiled some test programs. There is heaps of documentation on the internet, however not quite as much as Allegro. The best sources of documentation and implementation are LazyFoo and the ones found here http://www.sdltutorials.com/.

I am going to stick with Allegro for now, but my next project will use SDL. As I write my code, I will post it for others to learn.