5 comments about Introduction to MFC Programming with Visual C++ (Microsoft Technologies Series).

1. MFC programming is a bear, especially in VC++ 6.0 (not .NET). This book does a decent job of introducing key concepts, and comes with a mountain of sample code on CD. If MFC/VC++ were my first programming language, I would look for a book geared more towards total complete novices; otherwise, it does the trick.



2. This is the best programming book that I read from page 1 to the last page. I hope Jones can write more books on MFC or Visual C#. Not only did I learn MFC concepts and programming skills, but also I found Chapter 1 and 2 are very useful because they are basic and fundamental to C++ that I sometimes forgot. I love the pace and layout of this book. User-defined messaging and modeless are explained in a very nice way. The Appendice are very useful too.
   
   I give this book a full 5 stars.



3. Shipping is prompt, and the item is in good condition as described.



4. I waisted my money buying this book. It should be sold less than 1 dollar. You don't get far using this book. I recommend the book by Ivor Horton.



5. I have found this introductory book very useful to start with Windows desktop applications development. Although it is quite outdated and uses Visual Studio 98 as build environment, it guides you through the basics of the MFC framework (main classes, dialogs, graphics, document/view architecture) and Win32 programming in general (messaging, maps, data types), leaving room for personal development in the exercises after each chapter, and providing in-depth coverage of advanced topics like bitmap manipulation and database access for the advanced reader. With an additional introductory chapter on COM it would have been perfect.

5 comments about Memory as a Programming Concept in C and C++.

1. I agree with the other reviewers. In general this is good book. It bridges the gaps between many computer science disciplines. Especially OS and programming language. It also touched a little bit on computer architecture and linking process. The text was written in a a very clear way. However, I do have two complains. The author didn't spend enough effort on the relatively more complex and advanced topics. Eg, linking process for C++, advanced topics in memory leakage detection and prevention. On the other hand, author spent too much energy describing linked data structure in terms of serialization. I personally don't think its relevance is higher than the advanced memory leakage issues. For seasoned profressionals, this book can be used to refresh your knowledge. It is a beginner level to intermediate level book.



2. An older book that could be helpful to readers interested in this book is "Inside the C++ Object Model" by Stanley B. Lippman. It was written in 1996. It shows things such as the layout of C++'s organization of (pointers to) virtual and inherited methods.



3. as a C programmer for 3 years now i'm still learning and as you go along you realize how much C is really about memory. This book only served to reinforce that. the examples were great and even the example code he has in there, the only reason i gave it four stars is because the book wasn't bigger. I loved this book and gladly recommend this to any C programmer, budding or veteran.



4. First I would like to state the reason I gave it 4 stars. In my opinion, 5 stars should be very hard to reach. Maybe I would give this 4.5 stars if it was possible. Anyway, I'm a self taught VB 6 programmer with a working knowledge of the Windows API. First year CS student, though I've read many a book on C and a few on assembly. I have a large CS library and this is the first book of it's kind that I've found. It is a little pricey if you compare book size to other, larger CS books, but I don't think it is overpriced. The material is great, though I wouldn't say it is a beginner level book. I had trouble grasping enough of the material that it causes me to think either I've still got a long ways to go in learning (more so than I thought at least), or it is just not for the beginner.
   
   I would recommend this book to anyone who is serious about a programming career, regardless of the language. The book's relatively small size should not be a negative factor. It is not densely packed with information to the point where interpretation is needed, instead it explains in sufficient detail without dumbing it down by over-repetition and such used by some other CS books. It is aimed at C/C++ programmers, so being familiar with those is a prerequisite, obviously. Like another reviewer said, there seemed to be a little too much discussion on, say, serialization of linked data structures, an important topic with regards to memory yet I felt a little more emphasis could have been placed elsewhere.



5. I bought this book thinking I would get more insight about memory models in C and C++ languages. And how memory is a different resource. With its typed and untyped properties. With discussions about C++ RAII etc.
   I was very disappointed to find out that this book is actually an weak explanation of how compilers implement the object model.

4 comments about Objective-C Pocket Reference.

1. I have three different books for objective C programming, which by the way are very hard to find. This book, which was published just recently, is the best objective c book I have read yet.

   Objective C is a great language for all platforms, not just the Mac OS, and this book leads you to it. It gives you both Cocoa and standard C information. If you are interested in learning Objective C, this is the book for you! It's inexpensive, small concise and packed with information.




2. O'Reilly's OBJECTIVE-C POCKET REFERENCE follows in its line of slim booklets designed for quick reference while at the computer. I found it a very helpful book.

   While titled "a pocket reference", the book is not something that should be put on the shelf right away and merely consulted from time to time. For a beginning Objective-C programmer, reading the book straight-through can be very enlightening. The basics of Obj-C are easy to grasp, and an Obj-C beginner can immediately start constructing solid applications without knowing about categories, protocols, or root objects. But O'Reilly's book is the best place to start becoming familiar with these obscure topics that might just help one solve a particularly tricky problem.

   I have only a few complaints about the book. One is that it talks about the #import preprocessor directive, but nowhere does it mention the advantages of using #ifndef guards. Another problem is that in some parts it is Cocoa-specific; I would have preferred that it concentrate on the OpenStep standard in general so that other OpenStep implementations might not be left out (but the book does occasionally mention GNUstep, which is great).

   O'Reilly proves itself the best publisher for developers again with this book, and any Objective-C programmer should invest in it.




3. Andrew Duncan's Objective-C Pocket Reference is just the book that budding Cocoa programmers should have on their desk. It is well written, well indexed, and succinct enough to read in an evening if desired.

   After reading it cover to cover, I think this will be a valuable resource for looking up any Objective-C related questions I have.

   Note, you should have an understanding of C before trying to read this book. Also - it will probably make more sense to you if you already have some experience with Cocoa. This is a quick reference - probably not the best way to learn the language. However, the book contains a list at the end which recommends other books and websites which are more thorough.

   I'd say it's well worth the cost.




4. Probably the best book to read to learn Objective-C, if Apple's PDF on the language is not enough for you. Covers Objective-C both from Cocoa and non-Cocoa perspectives. Try Apple's PDF first, and if it's not enough to let you jump into one of the Cocoa programming books (which all mostly assume knowledge of C and Objective-C), then this book is recommended.

5 comments about Practical C Programming, 3rd Edition.

1. This is a very good book, but it has two problems:
   
   1.- It is a little bit messy. For example, there are some control statements that are not with the others, not even in the same chapter... they are almost at the end of the book! why?! (The author said that those statements "are hardly ever used in real programming", which is true... but I think that order is a priority in a programming book).
   
   2.- THIS BOOK IS VERY GOOD, but FOR BEGINNERS.
   If you are NOT an expert C programmer, this book will be very good for you. You'll learn a lot of basic and very useful features about C language; you'll also learn some advanced features. But if you are an advanced C programmer, maybe you will learn just a little bit more than you already know...
   
   
   However, this book has A LOT OF VERY INTERESTING INFORMATION (not only related with C language), for example: when you make a "right shift"... the new bits are 1 or 0?, or which operation is more "expensive" (slower): a printf() or a malloc()? etc., etc...
   
   So, I think this is not a bad book... It is like an easier version of "The C programming language (Kernighan/Ritchie)", I mean: A very very good book for beginners... it is also a nice book for advanced programmers.
   
   If you want to learn C from the very beginning, I recommend this book.
   If you already know C and you want to know ADVANCED features... well... you can have this book in your collection but... get an advanced book.
   
   
   P.D:
   You can see the index and the table of contents of this book... SEE IT BEFORE YOU BUY IT!!! : )



2. First of all, this book was absolutely wonderful. It did a very good job teaching me how to write C with very little knowledge of the language. However, there were some things that the author did (and skipped over) that are cleared up in "The C Programming Language", by Dennis Ritchie. I would definitely recommend this book to someone who doesn't have very much knowledge of C, because the writing style is clear and easy to follow. The author, for the most part, does a great job of explaining difficult concepts in an easy to understand manner; such as linked lists and trees. Once again, I would recommend another book as a follow up, such as "Expert C Programming".



3. This book starts off very strong and the author is very clear and concise. I learned alot... but then something happens... the author decides to wait for covering floats until after he covers File I/O and he rushes through that. I was completely left hanging with not one example of writing data to a file and the author expected me to be able to complete an exercise in which I need to write data to a file. After this...the next chapter back tracks to covering Floats... which should have been covered previously with the other data types.



4. For anyone who has suffered through trying to read a beginners book on C only to end up getting lost half way through, you will find this book a huge relief. This book stresses things like how code so from a perspective of communicating logically. And how to comment thoroughly so their is no doubt what the code does. This is not the end all book on C, so you will want to move on to more advanced books on C after this one.



5. I have both Practical C and C Programming Language.
   I like them both but I have to say K&R C Programming Language is better just because it goes much more in depth in to the subtle nuances of the language. I'm not saying "Don't buy this book", I'm just saying that between the two read K&R C Programming Language first.

5 comments about C: The Complete Reference, 4th Ed..

1. I got this book as one of my first for programming a few years ago. I was able to compile some programs and have a basic idea of how the language worked. But it was really hard absorbing all of the information with just this book. It was the only thing I had to learn programming at first. When I took a class in high school for C, all of the information really came together. I knew everything we did in that class and then some. But the information gets a little dry. This book does what it is supposed to, though. If you spent enough time with it, you could very well learn how to program. But for me, I couldn't read it front to back like I had wanted to as a new programmer.
   
   I suggest buying a companion book or taking a class before buying a reference book. After you learn how to think like a programmer, thats when you buy a reference book. Learning a language without knowing how to apply it was getting me nowhere. Great book though; I'm just throwing out a warning for anyone that is considering getting into programming, and using this as your first book.



2. This is an excellent reference book for C programming. I have been programming in C for a year now and this book has proved to be a valuable addition to my collection of C texts. The book is not designed for persons who wish to start programming in C for the first time. However, even if you are a beginner in C this book will be a tremendous asset to you, especially as you become more advanced in the C language. The standard libraries are covered in detail and accompany lots of examples. Most of the concepts of the C language are explained clearly and are accompanied by suitable examples. There are some areas that are a bit vague but this is more than compensated for by examples. I recommend this book for anyone who wishes to program in the C language but note this book alone will not be enough. It is a 'must have' in your collection but to get a full understanding of some of the C concepts you will need to have more C literature.



3. This was my first purchase from amazon and I was totally impressed by the quality of the product and the service!



4. [Helpful? Not? Please vote.] :: Mr. Hayes is undoubtedly a competent C programmer. This book isn't intended for him, nor anyone else who patently needs no introduction to the basics. For example: If you know and understand and can recognize fundamental differences between compilers (perhaps you've written a compiler or two yourself?) ... you likely don't need this book. If you know and understand different program extensions or have a nuts-n-bolts understanding of portability issues ... you likely don't need this book. If you're porting code across platforms in the first place ... I digress. I just hated to see the first review of this book rate it so poorly by being so obviously slanted or geared to the competent and experienced programmer ... Similarly, "Green Eggs and Ham" isn't really a Comparative Literature text either.
   
   This book is for new-ish programmers. I think it's specifically for undergrads who don't want to memorize the minutia of every single string function in C. Plain, vanilla C-code is all about syntax, order of operation and algorithms of the native functions. Most students understand how to solve labs on paper, but can't translate it to the infernal foreign language that is C-code. C is no mystery, and it's about exactness and handling every single possible input. It's also about reserved words, declaring and using data types and structures, and basically completing lab assignments, for the first 3 years or so. After that, C, C++, JAVA, whatever ... you know programming, and can find out what you need to complete any program in any language once you have the basics well in hand. Having taught at the University level, I find Schildt to be very good at making Sophomores out of Freshmen, and Juniors out of Sophomores. Beyond that, it's only a once-in-a-while grab to look up some small thing or another ...
   
   I used this book for undergrad and grad CS studies. It is THE preeminent reference for plain, vanilla C-language coding. It has data types, quirky ways compliers and loaders treat certain operations, and lots of "details" that you just can't and probably shouldn't remember unless you use them every day. This is the encyclopedia of C-language details, in a reference format; something lacking from K&R's books, which can have you searching and reading on a topic for some time, only to find an answer of limited utility. I do LOVE K&R's book(s), but it took a couple of years before I was fluent enough to really absorb their prose, which is no doubt, a more advanced treatment of what you can do with C. This "Schildt manual", as we called it in school, is more about HOW to do something, once you know WHAT you want to do ... This will not solve algorithm problems for you, per se, but if you're looking for the string operation that will make what your algorithm calls for easiest, they're all in here, explained with syntax and order of operations in plain English. I would hate to think what my undergrad years would have been like without this book. Worth the $$ at twice the price. (of course, people have found intermittent instances where this book was no help, or even outright wrong ... welcome to computer science and math ... ain't it grand?!?!? ... "Hilbert, meet Godel" :-)
   
   After an MS in CS, multiple applications and system level programming projects, several years in industry, and having taught introductory C-programming for 7 semesters, if I could have ONE and only ONE reference book on the C-language, this would be it. The "class time" instruction is available on any online C-coding tutorial ... the unforgiving nature of code/logic makes "correctness" imperative. Correctness is in the details. The details are in Schildt's C Reference, and they're easy to find ... thus, you can finish your lab, take a shower and make it to the party with all your friends, instead of sitting in the lab, sweating whether to use strtok() or strstr(), while your youth and "fun years in college" are ever more fleeting. Believe me, you have better things to do than try to solve a second year lab assignment using Kernighan & Ritchie ... ( K&R = "the authors", so reverently mentioned in several prior reviews, JIC that isn't common knowledge). Their books, and afrementioned reviews of this book, though correct in probably every way, are sort of like Microsoft Help Topic answers (Seebach's page contains rants from other would-be authors who seem to wish that they'd not only had the idea to write this book before Schildt, but also employed their many computer-geek buddies to help them edit it better as well. Neither happened.). To put K&R's work, as relates to the beginner, into the MS Help Page perspective:
   
   [ A helicopter was lost in the fog near SeaTac airport, radar was down, and they were flying blind. Suddenly, from the mist, appeared a large building. As people gathered by the windows to gaze at the helicopter, the passengers scrawled a sign for the onlookers, "Help! Where are we?". A few disappeared into the cubicle farm and returned with a sign reading, "You're in a helicopter!" The pilot promptly turned the chopper around, and said that's Microsoft headquarters, SeaTac is this way. "How can you know that?" they inquired. He replied, "I know it was Microsoft b/c that was a technically correct, but totally useless answer." ] That was the feeling I got early on while reading K&R. They now occupy a place of high importance in my library, but I could've held off on that purchase for some time ... just my opinion. Use Schildt until you get your parchment, then go off and organize a maverick and superior disposition of your own, like Schildt's detractors. The problems with the book are piddling compared to what it has to offer, and are unlikely to be an issue for it's intended audience.



5. First of all, it shoud be said that the C language is so widely used it's a shame that good and updated books no longer appears on the market. This book is an exception. To my knowledge, it's the only book that covers the latest additions from the last ISO/IEC 9899:1999 standard.
   This book covers (in addition to the traditional C89 standard):
   1) restrict pointers.
   2) the inline reserved word.
   3) The new _Bool and bool types.
   4) The new _Complex and _Imaginary reserved words.
   5) The new "long long" integers for 64 bit integer arithmetic.
   6) Variable lenght arrays.
   7) Type qualifiers in array definitions.
   8) Single line comments.
   9) Mixed code / declaration style.
   10) Variable arguments to macros.
   11) The _Pragma operator.
   12) Variable declaration inside for() cycles.
   13) The new compound literals.
   14) Flexible arrays inside struct members.
   15) Delegate initializers.
   16) Various additions and differences from the past standard.
   
   and, most importantly, it always underline when a concept apply to C99 only, when it apply to C89 and when it is usable in both standards. It also underline when something get in contrast with the C++ programming language. The difference between the two standards will be always clear.
   And, to my opinion, this is a *very good thing*.
   What matters the most is: this book will teach you C. It's not an advanced book nor a beginner book. It's intermediate. So, if you're looking for an updated book about the C programming language and you have programmed something before, get this book now and leave complaints to others. If you're searching for a pedantic syntax/semantic analysis for the C language, just buy the specifications. The last section of the book is fantastic to gain confidence with the language. While not C related, it teaches you how to solve common problems by using C in practice:
   a) Search and sorting.
   b) Queues, stacks, linked lists and trees.
   c) Sparse arrays with hash tables.
   d) Syntax analysis and expression evaluation.
   e) Some techniques used in artificial intelligence.
   
   An additional section covers the implementation of a small C subset interpreter!!!
   
   This book is not intended to be the most complete and advanced C book of the planet, but reading it surely it will contribute to your C knowledge and technical skills with it. Buy it without hesitation as a first book for this language. And don't skip more advanced books like "Expert C Programming" by Peter Van Der Linden, "C Traps and Pitfalls" by Andrew Koenig and "Memory as a Programming Concept" by Frantisek Franek.

3 comments about Engineering Problem Solving with C (3rd Edition).

1. The book presents many ready-to-use problem solving methodologies using the C language. This is a great book for those who would like to write the classical engineering or scientific applications.



2. What should have been a definitive work on classical C programming is seriously flawed by the presence of dozens and dozens of errors. The basic idea is excellent: that is, to relate the learning of C to real life engineering applications. A good editor could have made this an excellent text.



3. A good, easy to follow C programming book with introduction to C++.

5 comments about An Introduction to Design Patterns in C++ with Qt 4 (Bruce Perens' Open Source Series).

1. I am extremely impressed by this book - not only does it provide excellent information on design patterns, and using Qt 4, but its written so that those new to C++ and Qt can understand and progress throughout. This book is heft, but extremely informative, and I would recommend it to anyone interested in C++ development!



2. If Qt is what you are interested in, go to trolltechs website or another online resource and don't waste you money on this book. The book is not very well laid out, the exercises are ambiguous and you have to work on the example code to get them to work. Although a lot of material is covered, the coverage of certain topics is barely adequate, although they do supply information on where you can get additional information.



3. The book is an easy read and has good examples, but unless you already know how to use Xcode or have KDE on your Mac this book is not for you, because you will find that the build instructions found in the book do not work in Mac OS X. Has anyone tested them on Unix or with KDE? I can only assume that they work there.
   
   Qt4 is not compatible with Xcode. (It is not possible to display Qt4 Objects like QString in the Xcode debugger. This used to work with Qt3, but was lost in Qt4.) While this is not the book's fault, it makes it very difficult to step through the examples or debug your own coding efforts in the exercises.
   
   I like the way the book introduces topics a chapter or two before going into detail. Also, the book makes an effort to reinforce what was learned in previous sections and chapters, making it a very good learning tool for anyone new to the topic.



4. This is a very good good which teaches you C++, Qt and design patterns.
   
   I am surprised by the commentaries saying this is not an introductory book. Quite the opposite: this is the perfect book if you do not know any one of Qt, C++ or design patterns but you want to use them together.
   
   Some may say the book worries too much about syntax. Wrong. The authors want to make sure you understand C++ perfectly well because subtle differences (such as the 'static in declaration' vs 'static in definition', introduced in chapter 2) may have devastating effects in your software. The same goes for Qt macros: the book explains them because when you know and understand them, you will write better code; the book by Blanchette and Summerfield barely names them.
   
   As the title says, this book is only an introduction. There are three natural companions you should get if you want to delve deeper in the wonderful world of Qt and design patterns:
   * A Complete Guide to Programming in C++ by Prinz and Prinz
   * C++ GUI programming with Qt by Blanchette and Summerfield
   * Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software by Gamma et al.



5. I don't major in CS but I have to use C++ and QT for my PhD research. Although I had pretty good general understanding of IT and some experience in web programming, I struggled to teach myself C++ from scratch. I tried a few popular books, but none of them worked very well. As someone said, "the trouble with C++ is there's an awful lot to remember". Those big thick books are often quite easy to follow from page to page, but very quickly all the details become overwhelming. C++ is a powerful and flexible language that incorporates different paradigms so there're always many different ways of doing things but quite often (particularly for beginners) we only need to know the best practices. As Bjarne suggests: "A focus on details can be very distracting and lead to poor use of the language. You wouldn't try to learn a foreign language from a dictionary and grammar, would you?" (http://www.research.att.com/~bs/learn.html). Ironically, most of the big books I read did exactly the same for me. They all tend to provide too many details upfront. You could end up reading 500 pages but still don't have a clue what's the correct way of programming in C++. Plus you'll probably forget what read before...
   
   
   
   I felt a great relief when I came across this book. I would say the authors have done a marvellous job. From the very beginning they teach you how to program in the C++ way, more precisely in the Qt way. The book suggests Qt coding style is not "pure" C++ but that's a different story. By throwing away all the irrelevant bits, they give you a good idea of the whole picture so that you'll be on the right track very quickly. Then you can let you knowledge grow by accumulating more technical details - it's just a matter of time and practice. Of course, a big thick book is still needed as reference. If you don't know anything about programming, I would suggest you read the first few chapters of one of the primers, then switched to this book. I feel it still requires some basic programming background.
   
   
   
   I would definitely give it a five star and recommend to anyone learning Qt

5 comments about Building Automated Trading Systems: With an Introduction to Visual C++.NET 2005 (Financial Market Technology).

1. Unlike some other comments about this book, the intended readers are serious developers who have not started or just begining to use .Net 2005 framework. That is why some readers do not like this book.
   
   A pure programmer do not need to read this book.
   A pure quant strategist do not need this book.
   A network specialist do not need this book.
   
   It is only good for the intended readers.



2. I wish there was slightly more explanation of the code. 1 small paragraph doesnt cut it for me. I have ran the code merely as a puppet of the author and really dont 100% get a grasp on it. I dont think this book is for beginners, you should have a decent knowlege of c++ (pointers especially) already before getting into this book. The ony intro involved in this book is a slight .net informational. Title should be "Building Automated Trading Systems with Visual C++ .NET 2005, featuring slight intro to .NET framework". Probably an awesome book for people w/ good working knowledge of c++ and want to tie in with .net and financial systems programming. I have put the book down for now and am going to hit the programming gym before I pick it back up. Maybe I will make a follow up post at that point.



3. If you want a very practical introduction on how to design and implement your first trading system, this book is for you.
   The initial chapters cover all the C++/CLI concepts needed to understand the detailed case studies of two actual trading systems. The reader is assumed to have some general understanding of OO languages, preferably C++.
   
   Be realistic. As the author points out in the book, the algorithms driving these trading systems are well known, so they probably will not make you a millionaire. But the software included with the book will give you a head start to try out your own ideas in a simulated environment.
   
   People interested in running a hedge fund are advised to read the chapter on development methodology. It will help you get a handle on the software development side of the business.



4. Hands down this is the most useful financial-programming guide on the market. I would question the capabilities or intellectual capacity of any person who thinks anything less.
   
   Step-by-step, it shows the user how to take the concepts of object-oriented programming and apply it directly to the financial markets, ultimately yielding an automated-trading system designed to trade futures through Trading Technologies' XT_API.
   
   The book is thorough, yet simple to follow, descriptive, but not drawn out.



5. Waste of paper.
   I've started reading this book a few times but find myself paging through it trying to find something worth reading.
   As an introduction to Visual C++ .NET it might be useful but most chapters cover the matters in about two pages and I have a sneaking suspicion this is just a copy of MSDN with new code examples.
   As for Automated Trading systems it has about 10-15 pages on the subject and of that probably 8 are just code (could have been omitted and just put on the CD).
   If you don't have access to the internet this book will come in handy. Otherwise go for Practical .NET for the financial markets instead.

5 comments about Mastering Algorithms with C (Mastering).

1. To be fair and honest, I have not read this entire book and that is because I've read far better ones. If you are interested in this topic (and if you're a programmer or computer scientist, you should be), look to Robert Sedgewick's excellent "Algorithms in C" in two volumes, or "Mastering Algoritms" by Cormen, Leiserson, Rivest, and Stein. While the algorithms in Cormen, etc.'s book are not in C, they are in a pseudo language that easy to convert to C. I'm really, really glad I looked this book over before flushing my (limited) money away.



2. The book contents is good, the algorithms presented are more or less well explained and the implementeations themselves are not bad (but could be better).
   
   Unfortunately this book has 2 mayor problems:
   
   Sometimes you need an implementation of an algorithm for which you already know the inner-workings, just need quick code instead of reinvening the wheel yourself... the book will not allways give you that, it will sometimes build an algorithm based on previous ones! Darn!, I am supposed to go straight to the point I want and get the code without having to read a couple of previous sections.
   
   Second and worst of all is the coding style this guy has. I don't know what the other reviwer that said that the code is great programs in but certainly not in C. The author of the book simply has the worst style ever... look at the comments, a one line comment surrounded by a box!!! give-me-a-break!... where did he learn this? He should read a book about style, perhaps read Code Complete by Steve McConnel or something before attempting to write code. Anyway this is just one of the many style flaws this book has.
   
   If I could I would return it, after all, you can get mostly any implementation from the internet (I had to do that or would have wasted lots of time and... time is money).
   
   If well written, the book would have been 1/2 its size and then it would have been good.
   
   Why 3 stars? Well, in spite of the poor programming style and bad presentation of some algorithms, if you have time and patience, you get someting out of the book. Just don't use the coding style he uses... if you try that at work you would be fired or at least laughed at.



3. compare to most algorithm/data structure books out there, this book is not as complete as those, but it's much easier to read, and diagrams in this book is well drawn and much eaiser to follow. Why would I only give it 3 stars? One thing really ruined this book - obviously the publisher/editor/author try to increase the total page number by putting ridiculously big comment block in sample code(single line comments takes about 5 lines, all surrounded by '*' and spaces) This made the sample code difficult to read, imagine a 5 line function has to be printed in 2 or 3 pages.



4. The book is probably OK, but there are better, much better ones on the subject. I highly recommend looking at "The Algorithm Design Manual", just search Amazon and you'll find it.



5. Things I didn't know when I ordered this book was how structured the book was. It's easy to comprehend and doesn't contain too much unnecessary information. Furthermore, what I also managed to miss was the disc which was included, and this contains more in-depth code, which allows one to check a whole program instead of only a part.
   It is definitely a good decision to start with buying this book if you're studying Algorithms with C, since this will truly help and support you on your way.

1 comments about A First Book of ANSI C, Fourth Edition.

1. This 4th edition comes 6 years after the 3rd edition. Bronson has put a lot of material into the current edition. Maybe its main attraction is the use of the C99 standard. But C is generally so stable that the 3rd edition should suffice for most C programmers, if you already have that book.
   
   The 4th edition spends much time explaining how to code in a top-down procedural manner. For those of us who have migrated to an object oriented language, actually ANY OO language, the narrative leads to a wry grin. Procedural languages tend to max out sometime between 100k and 1 million lines of code. Necessitating moving to an OO language. But the text doesn't speak much of this.