UGN Security Forums UGN Security: Knowledge Base Programming C/C++ I have a question-compiling a header file....

I'm trying to compile this header file but when I try to I get this box

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Cannot compile the file'C:\Program files\Microsoft Visual Studio\My Projects|Ettercap\ec.h'; no compile tool is associated with the file extension.

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|_____OK_____|
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I'm a wannabe programmer(an overstatement.) I'm trying to install this program but all I could find were the source and header files so I'm going to try and compile and build it. This header is the 1st thing I've tried to compile, and can't get past this point. Can ya'll help me?

Thanks

Flowbe-one-knobi

"May the source be with you"

ya like that huh-j/k

Flowbe, dude...

OK stop for a second. I'm gonna _TRY_ and teach you something here. I can't take your lack or respect for the written word anymore. Hopefully I can do this without sounding like a total [censored] while still giving you the verbal [censored]-slap that you seriously need.

So let's look at where we've been shall we? Somewhere along the way you heard/read/got an email about Ettercap and said to yourself "Gee, that sounds cool. I want to play with that". So off to some search engine you went, typed in 'ettercap' and was presented with the place to find it. You promptly found the download page and proceeded to download the latest version.

How am I doing so far?

Now, unbeknownst to you, every single skill needed to get ettercap working has already been used by yourself. Yet, we had that tar archive ordeal yesterday, and now this little problem today. Now I'm not faulting you for not knowing what to do next. No one can know everything, and I for one know next to nothing about ettercap. I have never used it, or even tried to compile it. I'm just as ignorant as you are in this.

Continuing on (after the files are extracted, we don't need to repeat that do we? ), we now have a bunch of files on our harddrive that somehow we are suppposed to compl;ie into something we can run. Great, so htf do we do that?

We read the instructions.

Wild concept, I know. As a quick little aside, in my computing experience, everthing I have ever downloaded has always come with _INSTRUCTIONS_. These documents almost always tell you what you need to know. These docs is where I got that info yesterday about ettercap not being distributed in binary format. I cannot stress it enough: READ THE DOCUMENTS!

So, let's assume you did all that and we still ended up where we are right now. [censored], why doesn't this crap compile?? At this point you have a couple options. Post a question here (what you did), or search the web for an answer (the better way to go). And seeing as how ettercap has its own site, the absolute best place to start searching is that site. A little bit of info that you can't really know without some experience is that forums such as this are not only a place to ask questions, but a place to find answers. Actually, I take that back, you have already realized this. Remember your question about good C books? didn't take you long to realize that you didn't need to ask that cause it had already been answered. Did you notice that the ettercap site has a forum? Seems to me that you would get far better info asking ettercap related questions there than here. And maybe, just maybe, this question has already been answered there

So I went over to the ettercap forums, and did a search for "windows compiling". No need to put ettercap in there, this whole forum is about nothing but Now with a potential list of answers to our question we start reading threads.

after about 30 seconds, I find this:

http://ettercap.sourceforge.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2011&highlight=windows+com piling

Read it. All of it. If you come back and ask a question that is answered in that thread don't ever expect my help again.

After browsing through that thread, it looks like the 0.6.9 and 0.6.b releases are windows only, and potentially the best ones for you. So, I went and downloaded it so I could READ THE DOCUMENTS inside and see what they have to say. Low and behold, one file inside the archive is called "README.WIN32". Hrm, this sounds promising. I quickly open it up for my viewing pleasure and what do I see...

COMPLETE INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPILING ETTERCAP IN WINDOWS!!!

I'd post em here, but they're kinda long, and I don't want to do everything for ya But to briefly summarize, it looks like you have to do it in CGYWin. If you don't know what that is then bust out your favorite search engine and go find out.

So hopefully you get the point of all this. Just in case though, I'm going to spell it out. Everything you usually need to do anything is either included, or a couple clicks away. The ability to find the answer to your question is the single most important attribute you can possess if you want to ever do anything in the tech world. I'm not saying that you should never post questions here, or try and make conversation, but you need to realize the difference between good questions and stupid questions.

So if I do sound like a complete [censored] I apolgize. But you really need a kick in the [censored] here. Hopefully you can come away from this having learnt something: that it is possible for you to find answers to simple question fster than it is for you to post a questoins here.

infinite

Isn't posting a question HERE exercising "the ability to find the answer to a question?"(the most important attribute I can posses if I want to ever do anything in the tech world) along with other mediums such as a search engines-being one of the most common.

Now I've tried to define the difference between a "good question" and a "stupid question" and this is what I came up with. If someone asks a "question" on a subject they have professed to be a beginner at and at one their trying dedicatedly to learn, be at the very least a "question" if not a good one? For isn't that one of the most commonly used methods of learning? And If someone experienced who recognizes one to be a "beginner" in a certain field/discipline consider ANY question they have to ask in regards, STUPID? huh

Now,... search engines, topic specific sites, and books are obviously great sources to use in finding an "answer" to a "question" someone might have,(especially beginners) along with some other sources such as...uh....lets see...oh yeah FORUMS(just being a little facetious) hope I don't sound like a COMPLETE smartass j/k.

Now,....lets assume we have an average intelligent person who has a question on a certain subject. Now lets also assume that this person is aware of all these abundant resources for which he can use to find an "answer" to his question... and he uses them. Would it be logical to assume, after reading this persons post on a forum-who's topic of discussion relates to his question-did not search for his answer ON google, or reference some subject related book already! Or maybe his 1st attempt in finding his answer WAS to post on that forum 1ST and then move on to other sources of information like his favorite search engine, a reference book or a site specific to his questions subject? Or maybe he WAITS to search for his answers elsewhere and to see if someone ANSWERS his question 1st(not rant, or express how fustrated one is on his question/questions) so any answer to his question won't be in vain, if soonly after he posts his question he finds his answer elsewhere.................Who knows...................but it's always best to ask.

Listen, I appreciate your feed back, and I got your point, as far as searching with in other mediums for your answer as well as to post here. However, the file of ettercap I do have (after unarchiving it using win.rar-thanks gollum, which was complete idiocy on my behalf, but still I don't think that was a stupid question...I didn't know the answer)
DID NOT HAVE a readme instruction. I hope I mistakenly interpreted that you assumed that I didn't read that 1st before doing anything else! Because that would be ignorant at the very least if not stupid.

Damn ya'll(as in damn jessie can't you do anything right, not as in damn ya'll go to hell), isn' a forum a place where someone can go to find help/answers anymore. If someone asks a question, wouldn't' it just be logical to answer it if possible, instead of sitting back and feeling so annoyed at the fact.

Listen if I missed some rule on how to ask a question on this forum, or am only to post here as a last resort, let me know. But until, I will still ask questions here with the hope that someone will provide me with the help I need. I also to look forward to establishing some type of relationship with the staff and members here I enjoy making friends and SHARING information.....once I move up that newbie rank he he�.

I bet you've never seen a heterosexual use so many quotation marks huh...ha ha I realized that after reading it, I was just trying to make a point as sharp as I could.....sorry admins as I assume that has annoyed the hell out of ya(or maybe your not)

a "verbal [censored] slap" eh?


later on that day.......Oh and by the way That link you put in "http://ettercap.sourceforge.net/forum/viewtopic.php" I had it already added to my favorites to a day or two before for later reference, just hadn't made the time to check it.

anyway peace,

Flowbe1

(I guess ya'll didn't find that flowbe-one-knobi may the source be with you [censored] ammusing huh) I thought it was cool...........

DAMN NOOB!

Hey
i think you two need to read the rules Anyway to answer you question you cant compile just a header file for one reason
- it contains no source code, when you complie in C++ you compile the source code into machine code, However this is only a little part of making an executable file, after you have complied the source code another program called a linker "links" (like the pun) the header file with the source code to make it a program.
(note this is a simple explanation and it is not quite right but it will do )

awwe, did i forget to mention "besides the initiation from staff" ?

Ok i take it back, Flowbe1 you need to read the rules. Infinite continue under the protection of Gizmo. Lol Flowbe1 you remind me of me when i first started out on this board 4 or more years ago. Keep at it and just read all that you can on computers.

Flowbe, you missed the whole point. I don't care if you say you got Infinite's point. You're wrong. He not only answered your question, but gave you guidelines for anything you could ever hope to learn. You really ought to consider yourself lucky that he wrote up such a thorough set of guidelines for you.

I think you've got two choices here. You can either be proud and continue to justify your ignorance, or you could just recognize that Infinite has been doing this for years (both learning on his own, and helping others), and take his advice.

I strongly recommend the latter

No. That is not finding the answer to your question, it's asking someone else to find it for you. This might be the distinction we make that you don't which is causing our disagreement in this whole area. You seem to think it's valid, we think it's lazy.

And this is exactly what I meant by disrespect for the written word. It also ties in with my last point. You have the answers directly infront of you, yet you refuse to read them in favor of having someone else look it up and tell you.

Aight, look. I don't want to drag this out. I've made my point and I have no reason to chastise you further. You seem like a decent kid, you just need to give your head a good shake.

Infinite