1 comments about The C Standard: Incorporating Technical Corrigendum 1.

1. I want to own a paper copy of this book; I have been programming in C for over fifteen years, and also reading and correcting other programmers' code. While I've got some good references on hand, sometimes when I come across some bizarre abuse of the language, there is just no substitute for the ANSI standard to help me understand why something is wrong.
   
   Unfortunately, this is the content I want, but, like the C++ Standard book which also recently became available, the binding is one of the poorest I've ever seen in a hardback book. The cover is thin, there is no cloth in the binding, and the gluing is very flimsly. Just flipping through some pages in the bookstore, I was afraid they were going to start falling out. A sturdy well-bound paperback edition would be much more welcome than this flimsy hardcover.
   
   This is inexcusable for a book that lists at $65 and for one that is designed as a reference. The standard is available for download for $18, although you won't get the extra introductions. You'd be better off downloading it, then taking it to a Kinko's or other print shop to have it printed on sturdy paper and bound with a coil. It won't be as pretty, and it might cost you just about as much, but it will certainly last longer.
   
   I just can't bear paying so much for such a poorly made book. The C standard should be in the hands of every serious C programmer, and this is the only authorized edition, but I'm sure no one involved with the standardization effort "authorized" Wiley to rip off buyers with this flimsy, overpriced effort.

No comments about C for Pascal Programmers.

No comments about Invitation to Computer Science: C++ Version, Third Edition: C++ Version.

5 comments about C# Black Book.

1. Has anyone else that's read the section on ADO.NET noticed that the objects are no longer SQLConnection or OLEDBConnection, and instead ADOConnection....???

   Given that this guy works at MS, I'm thinking that there is a major change within ADO.NET in the final release of VS.NET that is going to be different than how it currently is with ADO.NET in the Beta 2 or Release Candidate.

   Anyhow, good book, I've found it very informative and up-to-date (trust me...that's valuble) as a C# reference.




2. This book may be a great C# book, but in the first five pages I found so many inaccuracies, this author has lost all credibility with me. I am returning this book as soon as possible.

   To illustrate either the author's utter lack of knowledge or his talent in Microsoft marketing tactics, I offer the following:

   On page four, the author writes,

   Int x = 3;
   If( x ) {
   }
   ...
   int x = 3;
   if( x != 3)
   {
   }

   "These two code snippets are functionally equivalent in C++ and Java but do not behave the same (if fact, the first does not compile) in C#. This difference between C# and the other two languages is important and is one that avoids problems noticed in the past by programmers."

   First of all, why don't we try for some consistency in the code samples? Secondly, the first example won't compile in any of the 3 languages since they are all case sensitive and therefore "If" is invalid. Lastly, and most importantly, Java does NOT behave the way he claims. It behaves exactly as C# does (Microsoft copied this behavior from Java) for the same reason C# does, meaning the first example will not compile in Java either.

   This is not the only time the author does this. He also claims that Java and C++ do arrays the same. The then bashes the way those languages do arrays and claims that Microsoft, in its infinite wisdom, made arrays better. Wrong!!! Microsoft once again copied the functionality of Java arrays when creating C#.

   This author would have you believe that C# is new and intuitive. He suggests that Java programmers will find a better language in C#, and tries to prove this by suggesting that Java works in one way and C# works a better way, when in fact, they both work the same, only Java has worked that way for more than six years.

   This author ...should not be making such retarded statements, or he is pulling another Microsoft on us by making false statements about one technology in order to make their technology look better. Either way, I can't trust my learning to his myriad inaccuracies and must return this book.

   I recommend avoiding this title.




3. WHERE I'M COMING FROM: Computer science grad student with academic experience in C++. 2 years professional ColdFusion and SQL. 1 year professional Java and PHP.

   WHAT I HAVE TO SAY: Eh. This book definitely doesn't talk down to developers with a medium level of experience, but it doesn't really spend all that much time on any one topic. Maybe I'm dense, but I still haven't caught on to its explanation of Delegates. This might be better for an Advanced Beginner than an Intermediate Programmer. This being my first C# book, I'm guessing it is middle of the road. I'm moving on to Petzold's Programming Windows with C#.




4. An earlier reviewer said he had trouble with delegates. I agree, he explains complicated things on a high level, then the simpler things that should already be known by programmers, he grinds into you. I went to a web-site and learned what I needed to about Delegates in one paragraph. Matt forgets to tell us (no pun intended) what delegates are... This is a decent reference, but as for learning the language, I would look to something else.



5. While the author seems to cover the topics well, including good useable code examples, much of the information is already obsolete. He obviously wrote this while the C# language was still in Beta 1, because many of the classes and methods he uses were removed, replaced, or renamed as of Beta 2. I can't believe they published a book written about a language before the language was officially finalized and released. It's very difficult to search the Internet, MSDN, etc. for all of the "equivalent" classes for the outdated ones the author uses... I recommend you find a newer and more accurate book.

2 comments about Waite Group's Turbo C Bible (The Waite Group).

1. A good book filled with examples. Even though I don't use Turbo C anymore, I still go back to this book and it's examples.



2. The explanations and organization of the material in this book are the absolute best! The book is laid out in such a way as to make understanding easy. I still look to this book for the best explanations of library routines. I know the material is outdated but the book is still usefull. More books should be written with this much care to detail. Definately 5 stars. Bought my copy used for 2 bucks. What a treasure. Bout as good as a Ralph Brown.

5 comments about Professional .NET for Java Developers Using C#.

1. I've been working with Java and JSP Pages for a few years but my company's looking more and more at .NET and I was told to look into it. I'd heard a lot about it's similarity with Java, and so this book seemed a natural starting point. I wasn't dissapointed. It quickly ran through the important parts of .NET and how they related to what I already knew in Java: C# instead of Java, ASP.NET instead of JSP, ADO.NET instead of JDBC, etc.

   It was a quick book to work through (just 400 pages) but now I've finished it I'm writing my apps just as easily with .net as I can with Java - and there are some things like binding to data in web apps that are even easier to do. And I've been able to put together some .Net prototypes for my manager in just a few weeks.

   If you're looking for a overview of .NET and don't want to wade through a lot of stuff you already know, you won't be dissapointed with this.




2. This book is great in its ability to port the Java programmer quickly over to .NET by explaining and comparing the concepts to Java.

   C# is so similar to Java that this book fits the market perfectly by not re-explaining the wheel, but rather focusing on the API's and resources available in .NET and how they relate to those that are available in Java.

   Also in true Wrox fashion, the book is heavy in the code examples department.




3. This is Wrox at its best - working code explained well by working programmers. This book provides the easiest way for a Java programmer to learn the basics of C# and the .NET environment including ASP.NET and database access with ADO.NET. Using this book and freely available software (.NET Framework, SharpDevelop, Web Matrix and MSDE) you have a complete environment for learning .NET for less than $...- hard to beat.



4. What really blew me away was the fact of having a full chat client and server code with step by step explanation in the remoting chapter to give an idea of Java developers that are accustomed in writting programs in RMI.
   Excelent Book!!!!



5. I bought this book on a whim, as it was bundled in a 2-for-1 offer along with the book I was actually interested in (whose title I don't currently recall). Having worked as a Java developer for a number of years, I had recently accepted a job as a C# developer, and thought that I'd buy a book to pick up the basics. In that context, and in accordance with the book's title, I was looking for the book to serve two main purposes - 1) To walk me through the basics of the C# language, pointing out the similarities and explaining the differences between the two languages. 2) To describe how functionality available through the (familiar) standard libraries in Java can be achieved through the (unfamiliar) .NET libraries using C#.
   
   To satisfy the first purpose, I was hoping for some detailed chapters on the core language. Sadly, only 'Chapter 3: Language Syntax' covers this subject, and does so in a mere 47 pages. Of these few pages, I generally found that the discussions were targeted too much at a novice programmer, rather than someone who already has programming experience in a language that is very similar to C#. For example, the page and a half that covers Exceptions simply described what Exceptions are for and how they are used. I already know what they're for and how they're used - I'm a Java developer! It would have been more useful to concentrate on the minor syntax differences, the fact that all Exceptions are unchecked in C#, and that C# doesn't make a distinction between checked Exceptions, runtime Exceptions and Errors, as in Java. Perhaps as icing on the cake, a table of how some commonly used Exceptions in Java map to the commonly used Exceptions in C# (e.g. NullPointerException to NullReferenceException, IllegalArgumentException to ArgumentException or ArgumentNullException, IndexOutOfBoundsException to ArgumentOutOfRangeException) would have been nice. Alas there was none of this.
   
   Multithreading is another key area of the languages that differs between C# and Java in a number if significant ways. It's such an important aspect of modern programming that most programming books tend to devote an entire chapter to it. Fair enough, for a language conversion book rather than an introductory programming book, I wouldn't expect an entire chapter devote to it. I would expect at least something on the subject, however. Sadly, this book contains nothing. Absolutely nothing! Nil! Nada! The keyword 'lock' doesn't even have an entry in the book's index.
   
   I'd also like to mention at this point that although the authors only devoted 47 pages to the core language, they felt it necessary to devote the majority of a 32 page chapter to a discussion of how to use Visual Studio. Any developer worth their salt ought to know how to use an IDE (remember this book is targeted at 'professional' developers), so learning how to use Visual Studio should be relatively straightforward. Even if it's not, those pages wasted introducing Visual Studio would have been better spent covering some of the gaping holes in the book's coverage of its stated subject matter, rather than a cursory introduction to some of the features in Visual Studio that are better covered by its own online help documentation and tutorials.
   
   Coming back to the second purpose - describing how functionality available through the standard Java libraries in Java can be achieved through the .NET libraries - I find that I cannot reasonably comment upon this in any great detail. True, there are the expected chapters devoted to data access (ADO.NET vs JDBC), ASP.NET and Windows Forms, and they might very well be of some use, judging from some of the other reviews. However, I was so disappointed with the poor content and lack of depth in the first few chapters of this book that I decided not to waste any further time with the rest of it. I found the other book that I bought along with this one to be an altogether better read. On the few occassions when I've looked back to this book as a reference source (I left the good book at home, so had to defer to using this one whilst at work), more often that not I've found that I've simply wasted my time with it, and moved on to find some other more useful reference source instead.
   
   The bottom line is, don't waste your money - this is one of the few books that I've actually thrown in the bin (a couple of times, in fact, though each time I end up fishing it back out. Throwing books away just feels so wrong, even if the book does belong with the rest of the rubbish).
   
   Chris (Cambridge, UK)
   
   P.S. I'm sorry that I can't remember the name of the other book - it was actually quite good!

4 comments about Waite Group's Essential Guide to ANSI C (Essential guide series).

1. This is the best C reference book I've seen. It's compact, and contains all ANSI C library routines with alphabetical index and subject index. It explains arguments for the function, and even has a brief example.



2. This is my favorite book about programming. I believe
   a new edition, compliant with the latest C standard might
   be a good idea. Though there is a waste amount of on-line
   material available now, books like that are by no means
   obsolete. I am now sorry that I bought only one piece.



3. A concise tiny book with all ANSI C functions explained. This book should be the standard style for all the computer language books. I am looking for smiliar ones for C++ and VB .NET, but could not find one yet.

   If you want to learn C, you should have this one.




4. I use this book for over twenty years already. It is now worn out, I need a new copy. Although I am now writing in C++, this book is still always close at hand too look up simple things like operator precedence, and standard C functions.

5 comments about C++ in Plain English.

1. Another reviewer nailed it: This is a *C* book, guys! True, Brian Overland has written an analogous C++ book called, strangely enough, "C++ in plain English". While it will be a stretch learning from this book (and the C++ one as well), its real value is as a handbook. the first part is laid out as a rather thin tutorial on the language (in this case C, in the other case C++) while the second half is a compendium for definitions and descriptions language entities in alphabetic order. Although I have been programming C for around 20 years, the old grey matter tends to have tidbits wander off. That's when I reach for this book or its C++ brother. If you don't want to devote a great deal of bookshelf to those ponderous, bloated, 3-inch giants or you want something that's luggable, this book is an unprecedented value.
   
   Another good point is that the price (even when this book was in print) was somewhere South of a reasonable $20; The used prices are a real bargain. I mean, how many times have you picked up a 1,000-page, $49 "The C Bible, Tora, Compendium of all Things C, You'll Never Need Anything Else" giants only to realize that you need yet another? Between this little handbook and the F1 key on your compiler's IDE, and Google, you should be pretty much set.



2. Actually, I have close to a dozen books on C++, covering the breadth and depth of the subject. However, I've always been the sort of person who can do anything with a well-written quick reference. If the facts are laid out clearly and concisely, if the terms are defined along the way, and if the topics are developed in a logical progression, I really don't see the need of a lot of tutorial verbiage.
   
   This is such a book and, as a result, it's the only one I regularly refer to anymore. It provides detailed coverage of the language, and includes an excellent index to help you find what you need quickly.
   
   Highly recommended! But if you still want more detailed coverage of the library, then see "The C++ Standard Library" by Josuttis, ISBN 9-201-37926-0.



3. The 2nd edition is a well-written book for old style C++, but definitely pass on this edition for ANSI/ISO C++. This is a nicely written and well-organized introduction to C++. The topics are presented in a logical order without too much forward referencing, and the discussion is clear. The examples are concise and a significant aid in illustrating the material.
   
   Although this edition states on the cover "Covers the new ANSI/ISO C++ standard spec" that coverage is only cursory. In an appendix, in the authors own words, "In this book I have struck to using the old approach in example code because it is more familiar to C++ programmers. ... At some point in the future, everyone will be encouraged to switch to the new approach".
   
   That point had probably already been reached when this book was released.
   
   Considering the high quality of the writing and explanations, and the book's comfortable size, it is disappointing that the edition as released provided only a cursory discussion of the C++ standard available at the time of publication.
   
   Whether it was the press of publication or lack of author time, sadly this well-written and well-organized book was arguably out-or-date at the time of its release.
   
   Since this is an introductory book, the new C++ standard should have been the main focus, with reference to old style C++ only where it might help the reader understand legacy code, as e.g., in Prata's C++ Primer.
   
   If you are considering the 2nd edition to learn C++, you may want to reconsider unless you are using a considerably older complier or reviewing older code. C++ has changed considerably. Thus, a book with more complete coverage of the C++ standard may be a better choice. Even at it low price on the used market, this book may not prove a good value.



4. This is the easiest to read book on C/C++ I ever read. Detailed discriptions, detailed examples and accurate information. I use this book in my work all of the time.



5. I looked at at least 15 beginners books and bought a few others before finding this one. This one is the best. It is very good about giving you a top-down view of WHY programming features are being used while simultaneously being a how to book. The language is indeed very clear while still conveying a lot of information.

5 comments about Practical C++ (Practical).

1. I gave this book 5 stars, even though it doesn't completely cover C++, and here's why: it accomplishes what it sets out to do. Like the back cover says: "Instead of ... having you gain mastery of C++, this tool focuses on ... the most commonly used features." It doesn't get into advanced topics, like multiple inheritace. It keeps it simple, and as a result it's very easy to read and understand. It helped me big time in college.

   The only warning I would give is that the author is used to programming in a Microsoft environment, and so he uses conventions like prefixing class names with a "C" and pointer names with a "p", a few examples use the Visual C++ IDE, and many screenshots are of Windows message boxes, etc. But the code is largely standard C++.




2. This was a decent book.... however the quality was hindered by major typographical errors, and relatively few examples. It also had the potential to be a great reference book for those with a little more experience, but the lack of detail (and marginal index) hinders it in that area. Overall, the book does a decent job of reaching the intended audience, but there must be better works out there.



3. Giving this book 1 star is being nice.

   None of the code in this book will compile as is, which means its NOT a book for beginners. He has ONE page on resolving compiler errors which is very very basic and has no detail. IF you get stuck, thats the end of this books usefulness.

   Topics are not covered enough, some are skipped entirely and then used in example code expecting the reader to just know them...

   Honestly this book is just trash. It has no redeeming value. Dont buy it.




4. This book is good for those starting out in C++. Whether or not another programming language is known. It explores most of the meat in C++, and then a little more (the chapter on Algorithms will prove most helpful). If you're starting in C++ and want to buy one book, might I suggest this one?



5. Don't expect this book to explain how to enable you to call a program from the command line, there's no way to now how to get it to work unless you're shown.Since VC6 is everywhere, the author might have shown how to enable this feature.
   
   By page186, where he covers Variable-Argument lists, you'll be lost.Surprisingly, this program works, but you'll never know why based on the author's explanation.
   By the next program, author has you converting strings to all uppercase or all lowercase. Fat chance. Forgetting that he lists include files such as iostream.h, which should be iostream, stdio.h, which should be cstdio, this program will not work as written.
   There is a short explanation after this program listing. Why read an explanation for a program that doesn't work?
   Another reviewer said that every program using strings failed, maybe that's what happened here. Even if you're just looking for a review of c++ this book won't get you anywhere.
   
   You can consult the MSDN for help on these items, though you shouldn't have to. And the MSDN covers hundreds of variations on every topic. You'd be better off not going to the MSDN.
   
   I ask myself why some have rated this book so highly, others have ranked it so low. Maybe some of the reviews are shills for the publisher. One reviewer stated he'd gotten to page 50. Maybe the book is good to that point, wait til you get further.
   
   Those who stated they read the whole book and found it superb confuse me. One doesn't "read" a programming book like a novel. If you try, you'll think you know a lot, but you don't. You must type programs in, then goof around with them for fun.
   
   Anyone who "reads" this book and hs not actually "worked" the examples are kidding themselves if they think this book is a good brush-up.
   
   I will avoid books from Que publishing in the future. If all books were written like this, no one would learn C++.
   I will go on to the next chapter, but I'm ready to dump this book if I catch any(or many) more problems. If you're good enough to fix some of these errors, you din't need this book to begin with.

No comments about Programming in Standard C: Unix Svr4.2.