zane@ddsw1.MCS.COM (Sameer Parekh) (09/07/90)
I just got my Orca/C v1.1 update and included was an ad for _Learn to Program
in C_ by Mike Westerfield. Does anyone know if this is good? I would like
to learn how to program (just in general, and with C as a medium) and would
this be a good book for that?
Any input would be appreciated.
Thanks alot.
--
Sameer Parekh | Disclaimer: I do not work for anyone.
zane@ddsw1.MCS.COM | "If cartoons were meant for adults
() () | they'd be shown on prime time."
\______/ | -Lisa Simpson, "Krusty Gets Busted"coxr@ecn.purdue.edu (Richard L Cox) (09/08/90)
In article <1990Sep06.230149.5144@ddsw1.MCS.COM> zane@ddsw1.MCS.COM (Sameer Parekh) writes: >I just got my Orca/C v1.1 update and included was an ad for _Learn to Program >in C_ by Mike Westerfield. Does anyone know if this is good? I would like >to learn how to program (just in general, and with C as a medium) and would >this be a good book for that? The ONLY book for Programming in C is "The C Programming Language" by Brian W. Kernighan and Dennis M Ritchie. These fellow are the people who wrote the language. The examples in the book exhibit good programming style and is a good book for learning EXCELLENT as a reference. It is the only book used at Purdue by the Electrical Engineering department to teach the C course that I have seen. Around here it is refered to as the C bible. coxr@en.ecn.purdue.edu American Online : Rich Kid -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "And the kids they dance, they shake their bones" -GD peace, -Rich
RMARTIN@UTCVM.BITNET (Drew Martin) (09/09/90)
e .edu!coxr@UCSD.EDU> >>I just got my Orca/C v1.1 update and included was an ad for _Learn to Program >>in C_ by Mike Westerfield. Does anyone know if this is good? I would like >>to learn how to program (just in general, and with C as a medium) and would >>this be a good book for that? > >The ONLY book for Programming in C is "The C Programming Language" by >Brian W. Kernighan and Dennis M Ritchie. _The_C_Programming_Language, is okay; but not too helpful. I loved _Unix_Shell_Programming_ by Stephen G. Kochan. It gave enough on the basic commands to learn Unix from, and got into the detailed stuff. It was well-indexed (the most thing in ANY reference) it gave lots of examples and explained WHY things had to be done, not just to do it. Kochan also wrote _Programming_in_C_, which is as well done as his UNIX book. It's also cheaper, 24.95 = $25, while the K&R is 31.95 = $32. Kochan's stuff is available from Hayden books. 4300 West 62nd St Indianapolis, IN 46268 Another good one is _The_Complete_C_Reference_. It covers Standard C (some call Standard, ANSI), C++, and even an appendix on the differences between K&R C and Standard C. It includes a lot more techniques for standard programming projects (it gives suggestions on good sorting routines, taking advantage of C). It goes into graphic libraries and commands, Console I/O and File I/O each have their own chapter, there's one on "Queues, Stacks, Linked Lists, and Trees", "Sparse Arrays", "Expression Parsing and Evaluation", "Efficiency, Porting, and Debugging", using assembly routines, software Engineering in C, and even "AI-Based Problem Solving". It is a very good book, and is thorough; it's about 820 pages (including the index). Hayden's is 384, and K&R is 272. I know size isn't everything, but it *does* limit an author. _The_Complete_C_Reference_ $28.95 =$29 McGraw-Hill 2600 Tenth St Berkeley, CA 94710 The K&R explains the commands, but it doesn't offer as much help as either of the other two. My recommendation is get the Hayden and McGraw- Hill books. The Hayden is a great book to learn C from. It's well written, clear, and full of examples. The McGraw-Hill book is good for suggestions on more advanced techniques, or further information on some- thing in the Hayden book. In case you're wondering I bought all three, in the order I have described. I got the Hayden book, right after I started looking through the K&R (I didn't look before I bought it...). I had a couple of friends who swore by the McGraw-Hill, and it looked like a good supplement. Signed, Drew The Ram Erik Leatherback Duncan & Ranthulfr Richard Andrew(Drew) Martin "When things look their worst I just say to myself, 'Cheer up, things could be worse.' and sure enough, they are." Skeeve, (The Great) "Gee Aahz, what could go wrong?" - Skeeve (a... native of Klah) "The mind boggles." - Aahz (a pervECT)
gwyn@smoke.BRL.MIL (Doug Gwyn) (09/10/90)
In article <1990Sep8.010336.5846@ecn.purdue.edu> coxr@ecn.purdue.edu (Richard L Cox) writes: >The ONLY book for Programming in C is "The C Programming Language" by >Brian W. Kernighan and Dennis M Ritchie. For ANSI C, such as ORCA/C purports to be, make sure you get the SECOND EDITION of the book. The first edition is also still being sold, but it has value primarily as a reference for pre-ANSI implementations of C. The second edition is more readable and has numerous small errors fixed.
gwyn@smoke.BRL.MIL (Doug Gwyn) (09/10/90)
In article <9009082341.AA03694@apple.com> RMARTIN@UTCVM.BITNET (Drew Martin) writes: >It goes into graphic libraries and commands, Console I/O and ... One should beware of this when trying to learn C. Standard C does not include any graphics routines, commands, or console-specific I/O. Usually, books that describe such things are actually describing one particular implementation, for example Turbo C under MS-DOS. One real advantage of K&R (2nd Ed.) is that it describes what is universal about C and avoids describing what is specific to any particular environment. This is important to learn early in one's C experience, because one of the main advantages of C is its high degree of portability -- IF one has learned what is guaranteed for C versus what is accidentally true for a limited subset of programming/execution environments. Plum Hall Inc. (1 Spruce Av, Cardiff NJ 08232, (609)927-3770) is a company that specializes in C training, and has published several good books such as "Learning to Program in C", "Reliable Data Structures in C", and "Efficient C" which serve well for self-education in C. They can be found in some of the better bookstores or ordered directly from the publisher (as is usually true for technical books). I recommend steering clear of "The C Puzzle Book", which teaches details to the detriment of overall programming philosophy, as well as any book that targets the IBM PC (MS-DOS) environment specifically.