1 comments about C Programming for Unix.

1. Great book, if you need a good reference on C & Unix, this is it.

5 comments about Mfc Programming With Visual C++ 6 Unleashed.

1. I bought this book for having an advanced MFC reference since I had already a good experience in MFC programming (since VC 4.0). I found this book hard as a reference, it hasn't answered most of the daily questions I have had in everyday MFC programming i.e. lacks the detailed explanation of how the MFC framework works not to tell some deeper concepts I expected it to decently explain like MFC sockets and multi-thread programming.

   The author shows to have read and reproduced faithfully the MSDN online *free* help instead of teaching and sharing with the readers his knowledge and experience. I do not recommend this book, after all the online MSDN is free.




2. They should have named this "1300 pages of (...) Unleashed". There are very few sections in this book that give even a basic example of how to create or implement the things you are reading about. It seems like they cut and pasted hundreds of small articles together and called it a book. There is no flow to the book, making it impossible to read. Half of this book is just a bunch of useless definitions. I bought this because it claims to cover an impressive number of topics, but that coverage is some of the worst I've ever seen. A complete waste of money.



3. I wish I'd read these reviews before buying this book! It is dreadful, I've tried 3 times to get something out of it and each time just shake my head in disbelief and walk away from it. Chapter 1 just throws a whole bunch of stuff at you, seems to me that unless you already know it you aren't going to be able to follow it. Very usefull. Chapter 2 starts off like a tutorial - you think you are about to create a simple dialog application. Suddenly it leaves you hanging, shows you a picture of the finished dialog, goes on to describe all possible controls that you might want to add to the dialog, but not how to add them! So I went to the source code on the accompanying CD - source for this chapter won't compile as it references files that are not there. Within the chapter 2 directory is an OpenGL program that isn't mentioned in the text at all. I'm interested in OpenGL so compiled it. It works, but what is it supposed to do? Where is the data for it?

   I've been programming in the scientif and engineering fields for 15 years. I consider myself pretty intelligent and a whiz programmer. I found this book completely useless. If I hadn't damaged the cover I'be demanding my money back.

   I think someone just wanted to make some money with a catchy title and a lot of unrelated articles written by different people. I feel ripped off.




4. I couldn't wait to get this book because it covered quite a bit.
   The selling points for me were the chapters on Multimedia (including OpenGL, and DirectX) with MFC, and Scripting an MFC Application. The OpenGL chapter was effective because it worked and I saw all the steps. I never tried the DirectX because reading it seemed like it took for ever to get down to the point. To me, good programming books take a code first, explain later approach (as long as they remember to explain) or an explain as you code approach, but never explain everything then code.

   As it turns out, this book touches on quite a bit of key topics in MFC programming. However, some times it doesnt take you to the point of having practical knowledge. For example, the section on building an ActiveX control with MFC never explains how to implement the events your control will fire -- a point that I was most interested in. Perhaps the gravest shortcoming was the sections on Active Documents. Another key feature of MFC programming (very interesting) that didn't get proper treatment. Maybe it's just me, but even though it gave a brief explaination of the many different parts that go into Active Documents, it didn't put it all together in an eye opening way. To it's credit, the book does provide an example of building an Active Document server, and it reveals something very important -- there is little difference from the programmers perspective in handling applications with and without active document support. The only problem I have with the example is that it doesn't point out where a whole bunch of the pieces it just talked about (i.e., COleDocIPFrameWnd, COleServerItem, etc.) fit in, nor how we should use them.

   This book has potential, but it wastes a bunch of space by having definitions of documented functions, and MFC source code, and function prototypes in it.

   I'd save my 50 bucks for something else if you're thinking of getting this book.




5. If you are new to MFC, like I was, stay away from this book. It is completely useless for a beginner since I doesnt really cover the basics. Reading it will just confuse you. A few of the chapters can be helpful once you become an expert, but it's not worth the money.

5 comments about Programming Bots, Spiders, and Intelligent Agents in Microsoft Visual C++ (Microsoft Programming Series).

1. As I proceeded through this book, I found myself doing more skimming than reading. It might be useful to you if you don't have a clue about network programming or internet protocols, to get your feet wet using WinInit and the supplied classes, but if you're looking for nuts and bolts information about protocols, THIS BOOK IS NOT THE ONE YOU'RE LOOKING FOR. The projects in this book rely on WinInit and MSIE to perform the magic, and you won't learn much about the underlying protocols. I was also disappointed to see typos and errors in virtually every example in the book; bad news if you actually read the code to try to understand how things work.



2. I found this book to be extremely useful and insightful into a topic that I had previously only been briefly exposed to. I personally don't care about the details of some of the underlying protocols put to use, and just enjoy the fact that it was written for those of us who are using Visual C++ 6.0! The book is very clear and easy to understand. Many thanks goes out to the author for all his time and effort spent into creating a book like this!



3. The author did a great job in explaining everything so clearly. Mr. Pallmann is the person who really understands the technology, and his book certainly fills in a gap in this particular area. However, in order to fully apprepriate this book, one needs good grounding in VC++ and MFC.

   Overall, this is a book of very high quality. The lives of numerous software developers would be much better if every computer book could be written like this one.




4. Good book- but not exactly for the beginner. I would reccomend this book for the C++ seasoned. This book mainly covers how to use the classes included with the book to implement site crawling, etc. The classes included on the CD are great. Good buy!



5. Easy to read and informative. The jewel in this book is the source code for the objects that are ready to use right out of the box. If you need to put together an application that mines information from the internet really quickly, this is the book. This book is about retrieving and parsing http, (port 80) only.

No comments about Learning to Program the Object-Oriented Way with C#.

No comments about William C. Norris: Portrait of a Maverick.

4 comments about Practical Data Structures in C++.

1. Practical data structure in C++ is very impressive to me... I have some problems - the source codes sltst.cpp etc.. in chapter 8 are not executed. In BC 3.1, they work well. but by compiler MFC 4.1 I have used, execution error occurs. I guess member function Next() in slist.h cannot return point to next pointer. Why? What's trouble-shooting to this problem? Could you give the answer ASAP ? I'm in a big hurry..



2. It contains the most simple and basic code that any one can handle, even if you are not very skillful with C, you can follow the text. It is very well developed and for begginers is just great.



3. All the code in "Practical Data Structures in C++" is provided to the student/programmer and not left as an exercise to the "student." I found the book "very" useful after I had taken an introductory "Data Structures" course. I purchased this book at the time where templetes were not implemented in Microsoft Visual C++; therefore, I do not know whether the included code will build with any specific compiler though I suspect that it will build with the latest MS compiler and the Borland products. This book is for the "working programmer" who has not looked at a topic since the required Data Structures course work. This book provides a very good review as well as complete example(s) of working "code snipets."



4. E' un libro molto ben fatto, che tratta in modo esaustivo tutte
   le principali caratteristiche delle strutture implementate in C++.
   L'unico difetto - non imputabile all'Autore - sta nel linguaggio
   adoperato, oramai piuttoso obsoleto e lontano dall'attuale standard ANSI.
   Perchè la Wiley non invita il dr Flamig a pubblicare un aggiornamento dei suoi ottimi libri? Sono sicuro che diventerebbe un best-seller!
   In ogni modo, anche cosi' è altamente raccomandabile ai programmatori di ogni livello, perchè contiene un'infinita' di
   varianti e suggerimenti e,soprattutto, il codice completo che mostra come realizzare in pratica quanto appreso nella teoria.
   -

5 comments about C Programming in 12 Easy Lessons.

1. Good book for beginners. Even if have never touched a programming language before this can get started. The author has some DOS specific commands in his programming. So it limits you in that respect. If you can figure out where to take out the DOS stuff you can use it on any platform.



2. C in 12 easy lessons is THE BEST book on C programming for THE BEGINNER! Last summer i took a 5 week college crash course on C programming. Welp...the teacher gave me an "F" (the teacher sucked but that a whole other program) Plus the book he used to to teach the class was soooo freakin confusing it was pathetic! You know the type of books I'm talking about! The kind where the author has to feed his ego by trying to get the reader confused with BIGLONGCOMPUTERWORDSLIKETHIS rather than just speaking in English. Anyway, I re-took the class (with a different teacher thank god!) and thanks to this book..i got an "A". This book is PEEEEERFECT for the beginner! When I took "C" the first time I bought 3 different books on trying to understand pointers and functions to no avail BUT...this book did it! This book will TEACH you "C". But more important than that...the way this book is written, you will REMEMBER how to program in "C". I'm taking Visual C++ in the fall and low and behold...Mr. Perry has a "Visual C++ in 12 Easy Lessons" book! What more could a "PC Progamming" Major ask for! Thanks Mr. Perry!



3. (My version came with a limited version of borland C++ 1.0 on floppy disk.) I guess this book worked for some beginners, but I found it extremely awful. When I picked up this book I had no programming experience what so ever (I never even used DOS). I wanted to learn C on my own though so I was determined to do it. I read each and every chapter about 3 or 4 times trying to learn all the concepts but it was really agonizing. One thing books like this should mention is a basic understanding of algebra being suggested, I'm sure that would have helped me. I will say however that once I did completed this book the C class I eventually took in college wasn't nearly as bad. At least it made me familiar with C and programming. If you've never done any programming what so ever buy something else is all I can say (I hear C for Dummies is good).



4. Don't let nobody tell you different! I'm a Systems Engineer, not a programmer. This is the greatest 'intro to C' programming book of all time.
   My version didn't have a CDROM it came with a floppy that I found to be fantastic. I've never depended on the FREE, GiveAway compiler that comes with any programming book. And I strongly recommend that nobody else should either.
   Using the free 'cripple-ware' that comes with most programming books is a virtual guarantee of getting some indeterminate number of headaches, the magnitude of which, can be predicted.

   NO THE AUTHOR DOESN'T DEAL HEAVILY WITH POINTERS, like some reviewers gripe about. But he covers them MUCH MORE THAN ADEQUATELY FOR AN "INTRO" BOOK. Detailed, in-depth coverage of pointers is simply, BEYOND THE SCOPE OF THIS BOOK's MISSION.

   What makes this book so fantastic is that it is built in a great fashion from simple to more complex tasks that are RELEVANT, and that build on all of the previous knowledge. BUT, WHAT IS ABSOLUTELY KILLER, and nobody else seems to do this; is that there are a lot of programs given in the book
   - AND RIGHT ON THE SAME PAGE, LINE-BY-LINE -
   the author explains what each and every line of code is doing AND WHY.
   Some of the other reviewers imply that this makes the book too simplistic; but for beginners, this is JUST AWESOME.

   NO - IT's NOT THE RIGHT BOOK FOR ACCOMPLISHED PROGRAMMERS, BUT WHY WOULD THEY THINK THAT IT WOULD BE???




5. This is one excellent book to learn C programming. I purchased this book around 1994, because when I went back to college, programming was done in C instead of Fortran. I had learned Fortran at Purdue about a decade earlier. I had to either take a class in C, or learn on my own. I chose this book to learn on my own.
   
   Greg's style was crisp and to the point. It was easy to read. BUT, more importantly, the book was chock full of assignments. This is great, because you don't really know that you've learned anything until you actually write code yourself. Also, the disk had answers to the questions. So you can test yourself.
   
   Greg emphasized code style, white space and readability along with the basic C syntax. Because of this book, I've purchase other books by this author because I thought this one was so well written. I also own his Visual Basic in 12, Easy Lesson, Turbo C++ in 12 Easy Lessons and his Java book. I've been pleased with most of my books I've purchased by this author. His Java book didn't keep the style of programming assignments and end of chapter questions as his other books, so I didn't like that one as well.
   
   ONE WARNING: Greg recommends different books to advance you knowledge. Most of the books he recommends were excellent for going on in C programming. He does at one point recommend a book titled "Assembly Language for Real Programmers Only" to learn assembly language. Though this book by Marcus Johnson is a great book, it's not a good entry level text. I did buy it. It's actually an advanced book that also double as a reference. So, you may want to get "Assembly Language Step by Step" to learn beginning assembly language programming.
   
   Other than that, I would highly recommend this book for beginners to learn C.

No comments about Introduction to C++ Programming: Brief Edition: Brief Edition.

No comments about C++: An Introduction for Experienced C Programmers.

1 comments about C Programming for Scientists and Engineers (Manufacturing Engineering Series).

1. This book did for me what no other computer language book (for any computer language) has been able to do. After several years of occasionally fooling around with C, I picked up this book and got almost all the way from cover to cover in just a few hours. At the end I grasped the basics of this language -- including some tough concepts like memory allocation and pointers to addresses, which I had not been able to fully understand before. The only problem I had was in the last chapter, when I was too worn out to understand the topic of linked lists. The similarly small sized reference book by Kernighan and Ritchie may be more complete but is too hard for me to get through.