5 comments about C & Data Structures (Electrical and Computer Engineering Series).

1. Mostly I check reviews before buying a book. I bought this book even I saw by other reviewers that it is full of errors. I didn't care about that, but looking how the author tackles any problem or use the algorithms. I was NOT disappointed. I have seen many expensive books on this subject, but this is the only book which covers which other books left out. Let me say the last word this book is worth more than what I paid for.



2. It is not clear why the authors chose C into which to teach data structures. Of course C can do this. But other languages like C++, Java and C# could have been chosen. And those give object oriented functionality that could have been put to good use in the implementation of these structures. The book never really elaborates about the choice of C.
   
   Anyway, the material is clearly written. It gives good treatments of arrays, linked lists, stacks and queues. While for trees and graphs, the discussion is rather basic. In general, the algorithmic depth here does not approach the standard texts by Sedgewick, Aho or Knuth.
   
   The last part of the book is a set of chapters devoted to problems and their solution codes. This may have merit to you, if you have been searching for good exercise sets. A distinctive aspect of the text.



3. I was looking for a book to help me do beginner's data structure problems. This book has tons of example code that is simple, easy to read and understand. (That's what I was looking for!) A multitudinous variety of code to choose from - like a kid in the candy aisle. On the other hand, the book had some typos. Their was adequate explanations for the code but not rich. The book's dialog was also a bit choppy and wasn't the smoothest talking to the reader. I would give this book 3 stars but since I got a good grade in my beginning data structures class because of this particular book, I biasly bumped it to five stars. T



4. I am profoundly disturbed by the poor quality of this book. Here is an example to show why I feel that way. The example was chosen almost at random but even I was shocked when I came to type it in. I would not accept such code from a first year student.
   On page 139 the author provides the following code (I have taken great care to copy the code exactly as it is in the book):
   Struct address \\ A
   {
   plot char [30], struc char[30];
   city char[30]
   }
   struct student \\ B
   {
   name char[30];
   marks float;
   struct address adr;
   }
   main ( )
   {
   struct student student1; \\D
   struct student class[20]; \\E
   class[1].marks = 70; // F
   I have stopped at this point as it continues with a hard coded initialisation of class[1] followed by five printf() statements to output the contents of class[1] to stdout. Nowhere do the authors expalin why they want an array, why they ignore the first element of the array and why the bothered with defining student1. In addition the use of 'class' as a name introduces a gratuitous incompatibility with C++.
   There then follows a section explaining the code. The first item is:
   1. Statement A declares the address of a structure containing the members plot, street and city.
   That code is so bad that I can think of no explanation for how a book on C could be distributed with such code in it.
   I am disturbed by the number of positive reviews this book has had from readers because no one who actually tried the code provided by the authors could have got it working and the explanations are often bizarre.
   Were it possible I would give this book minus 5 stars because learning from it would seriously impede a reader's development as a programmer.
   There are numerous better books on both Data Structures and C. Indeed almost any book on either subject would be better.



5. As stated by many others, this book contains many errors; especially in the program code that is listed in the book.
   
   There are numerous places where function calls written in the programs given make reference to variables that don't exist and won't run without editing. There are some sections where functions are added to the program code that are not discussed nor relevant to the topic at hand as if sections were cut and pasted without checking for accuracy.
   
   The whole book is full of these types of things. So while the theory behind the logic seems to be sound, the examples and applications are so wrought full of holes that you'll probably spend more time trying to debug and decipher the code than focus on what you're trying to learn.

5 comments about C++ Programming Style (Addison-Wesley Professional Computing Series).

1. This book does not cover programming style in the traditional usage of the term. There is no discussion of general programming practice, naming conventions, documentation, commenting, formatting, and layout. The best target audience for this book is newcomers to C++ having difficulty with class design. Chapters on abstraction, consistency, inheritance, virtual functions, operator overloading, wrappers, and multiple inheritance provide solid guidance. The author repeats principals in multiple chapters such as "Look for simple abstractions", "Reduce coupling - minimize interactions between classes", and "Usually, the destructor in a public base class should be virtual". Substantial amounts of code listings appear in the book (approximately 20% of the pages).



2. I bought this book after reading through Effective C++ and More Effective C++ by Scott Meyers following the suggested reading by the author. I think that I should have read this book before purchasing the Effective C++ books. Basically it touches some fundamental issues, but due to the fact that it is slightly old, some topics such as templates are not covered very well. Meyers also gives a thorough overview of smart pointers, member function templates etc. My recommendation is that if you really want to start improving your C++ skills, forget about this book, read Scott Meyers' books and pick up Design Patterns by Erich Gamma and others.



3. It is unfair to judge this book from the perspective of the "average" C++ programmer. Tom goes at least three steps further to treat programmers/readers as intelligent beings of the same species who already have the fundamental programming language "mechanics" skills. The reviewer who spewed forth about "coding style" really doesn't "get it." The whole issue of "where you put your braces" and naming conventions isn't what Tom or Tom's book is about. He already assumes that if you're programming C++ you have some idea of when you're going to press enter on the keyboard. (To make whitespace, in case you were wondering...)

   The inferior thinking that confounds the world of programming is that C++ is an easy language to master. Very few programmers have much hope of aspiring to learn even 80% of the language and use it effectively. Thinking otherwise is like saying that everyone who wants to run a foot race can be Jessie Owens. Tom starts by treating readers as programming peers. That alone is an incredible benefit anytime programming is being done. Prima donas and those guys who always seem too busy to provide their "public interface" are the ones to avoid in learning anything of use regarding C++.

   I pick up Tom's book every couple of months and browse it. His noted "brevity" is like a good RPG that gives subtle hints that incite thinking for yourself without following what many other books do by drawing a roadmap to one solution that worked for this one situation but may never again apply to anything useful. In my opinion, Tom's "lessons" are appropriately concise.

   If you haven't read Tom's book, buy it, read it...if you're serious about your C++ skills. There is a *good* reason why Scott Meyers recommends Tom's book. It is something of a unique and interesting perspective on C++, which is really all that any of us can hope to give back to the language. The book is an interesting, insightful perspective that has pragmatic commentary that will help you be a better C++ programmer. At the last (ever?) C++ World conference in December of 1999, a discussion of which books to read evolved out of some other spew. Cargill's book came up as necessary reading, as it always seems to, for the simple fact that it comes from a respected industry professional with an uncany ability to boil out the meat of the topic without overcooking the stew. C++ is, at least, also an art form. Tom's ability with the art of C++ is inspiring. Scott Meyers is another artist. So is Angelika Langer and Herb Sutter, and Andy Koenig, Stan Lippman, Doug Lea and Erich Gamma and Jim Copelien and numerous others. But, for each of them, there are 10,000 very so-so programmers out there spewing forth complete nonsense. Help de-nonsense your world with Tom's book. One person indicated that it is somewhat stale. It is really like fine wine. It just gets better with age.




4. I have read tons of C++ programming books. A lot of them lack of originality. This is where Tom Cargill book shines. The author of this book first presents a small C++ program listing for each chapter and then ask the readers to take few minutes to try to identify the errors or the aspects that could be improved. It is really instructive to find out all the things you have not identified yourself and this is what makes this format so interesting. Some people says that this book is for novice programmers but I disagree. To my opinion, almost all experienced programmers will miss at least half of the problems present in the sample programs.



5. C++ Programming Style still gets regularly mentioned as an important guide to intermediate C++. However, from the perspective of 2007, it's looking long in the tooth.
   
   The book was published in 1992, so the modern reader will notice the old fashioned C++ - no templates (therefore no STL), no exceptions, no strings, old style .h headers. The implementation of the assignment operator relies on a check for self assignment (rather than merely using it as an optimisation), and it uses arrays polymorphically. Readers of Exceptional C++ and Effective C++ will know that these are not recommended practices in modern C++. However, I assume that you aren't going to read this without a good grounding in basic and intermediate C++ and can spot the parts which require tweaking.
   
   Fortunately, the book is structured as a series of code reviews, so it stands out from the glut of mini-essay type books, and the general principles of class design that the book propounds remain useful. And even fairly advanced programmers probably won't spot all the problems that Cargill highlights, so you'll definitely learn something.
   
   I'm giving it four stars because is still covers a core of C++ that is relevant and you can pick it up cheaply. But don't expect it to be fully up to date.

5 comments about C++ Pointers and Dynamic Memory Management.

1. I learned to program in C++/MFC pretty much by the seat of my pants. This book is invaluable for learning pointers. It starts simple, and then dives down deep. I think it is an excellent book. Most developers seem to hate C++ because of pointers. Learn pointers from this book and you will not only learn to love them, you will become a expert programmer as well!



2. While I understood pointers I always felt a little uncomfortable with them - this book has made things crystal clear. It has helped me to understand pointer and memory management concepts and pitfalls and has made me a much better programmer. This is NOT the book for you if you are trying to learn C++ or are at a beginner level - this is for the intermediate to heavy C++ programmer who wants to improve his/her coding skills and depth of knowledge.



3. If you want a simple resource that encapsulates what pointers are and how they are used, this is an excellent resource. If you are looking for something deep and intricate, this is not your resource. This book is extremely easy to read and understand, and you can be introduced to every kind of pointer you want to know about by reading this book. I gave it 4 stars because I thought Daconta's attempt to talk in average programmer speak went a little too far. He could have been a little more formal. Regardless, I think it's a worthy buy.



4. Since I am a programmer and mainly built applications using visual basic, I always had an urge to master c++ due to the power of this language, but pointers were the only hurdle for me to overcome this goal. I always had bad times understanding MFC offered classes and the way whole infrastructure work, coz they play with pointers alot..and after all learning C++ and coding in c++ is not difficult without pointers but the fact is, if someone really wanna code in C++ they better do it efficiently other wise no need to switch, you should remain on ur currently practice language..This book not only taught me what pointers are but really made my mind think and work like a compiler..I really appreciate the author Micheal C Daconta and his team of putting such a masterpiece into existance, with out this book I simply believe one cannot solve the mystery of pointers coz no other stuff is available that is comparable to this book..
   once again I deeply thank the author and his team for their hard work, for simplifing the true power of c++

   Zeeshan




5. This is a really awesome book. In my opinion, nobody to date has explained pointers better than Mr. Daconta. By the time I finished reading the book and doing the exercises, I was really thinking out "pointers" and how they were being represented inside the machine, which is what makes this book great.
   
   Pointers being a difficult topic, I have referenced scores of sources, but have come away disappointed. The author with his unique explaining style (using diagrams and "paper computer" paradigm) brings out the essence, power and the pitfalls of pointers, references and memory management.

5 comments about Algorithms in C++ Part 5: Graph Algorithms (3rd Edition).

1. i feel writer is confused and writes very jumbled together spaghetti code.
   to tough to uderstand
   horrible reference book



2. I'm a learned industrial engineer in electronics but got into informatics right after my degree. So I never had a course on algorithmic and had to learn nearly everything by myself.

   After some years of working in the field, I tought it was maybe time to get some background on the subject so I got this (now an outdated edition) of the book.

   Well, it was the book it took the longest to me to finish in the informatics field.

   The book explains a whole bunch of basic and more advanced general-purpose algorithms, and so has a good coverrage of the subject.

   However, there are two problems with the book:

   1) The coding style is very bad: the author likes to use global variables, and variable names are often very cryptic. Example:
   * p = parent
   * g = grandparent
   * gg = greatgrandparent
   * c = child
   * x = current node
   * y = temporary node
   ...

   2) You cannot read this book's chapters in a random way: you have to follow the chapter ordering, because often knowledge of later chapters is based of knowledge of earlier chapters, and, because of the bad coding style you have to often remember the meaning of the cryptic variable names several chapters later when they are reused. If you're like me, you've forgotten the meaning, which means reread that damn chapter, which in turn can again be based on an earlier chapter. You get the picture why it took me so long?




3. I had to teach this course and must see it is the pick of the books I have seen on this subject though it is far from ideal. Why can't these people use meaningful variable names and comment the code. Is it the authors intent to teach bad programming practice.



4. I don't intend to read this book from front to back (well maybe one day if I get really bored) but I think this book does a very good job explaining the algorithm without getting obsessed with overly formal mathematical games. In my opinion the graphs are the most important part of the series, since these are the algorithms and data structures that usually AREN'T included in a programming language's libraries; STL for example. You will find many of these topics in a mathematics and statistics program (how I first encountered them) so the book does get mathematical, but out of necessity.
   
   4 out of 5 stars for sometimes being unclear.



5. This is an okay book. The algorithms are described in great detail (actually sometimes too much detail), moreover it is not very mathematical. For this reason it could be the choice for the readers fed up of the math in other algorithms books e.g., Cormen et al's.
   
   However the biggest complain I have with this book is that it is overloaded with too much contents. When things could have been described in a few lines, dozens of paragraphes have been used for it. The reader just losts in the text. And interestingly the job is still not done, i.e., the reader is still not able to follow the algorithms easily.
   
   Also for this reason it is not a good choice for someone wants to get a quick overview or revision.

5 comments about MFC Programming from the Ground Up.

1. The biggest problem with this book is that it's ugly. No, not just ugly, but the typeface chosen is too large and very difficult to read. It doesn't matter that the material is good if I can't stand to read the book. What's hard about reading it? The type is too large and heavy, and you can't quickly scan the pages, you have to read letter by letter to make the words.



2. Looking for a good start to programming Windows 95/98/NT/XP? I can recommend Schildt. It uses "hand programming" which is the best way to learn and it teaches the Wizards later on. If you have never programmed Windows before this is s great place to start.

   What's my background? I have been doing applications in FORTRAN, Pascal, Clipper, FoxBase and C++ for 20 years; all numerical apps using only the console and text files for input and output. I have been using Visual C++ continuously since 1998 and it is now my only programming language.

   You need to be very strong on C++ before beginning MFC. I recommend "Teach Yourself C++" by Al Stevens and "The C++ Programming Language" by Dr. Stroustrup. I have practically memorized these and regularly use STL objects and code in my console based MFC applications.

   But now I need to use the Windows interface and hence my positive experience with Schildt. I spent a week studying direct programming of the Win32 API using another book and tutorial I found on the web. My conclusion: You would be crazy not to use MFC. If you are doing anything close to a standard application you would be crazy not to use the Visual C++ 6.0 Wizards.

   Schildt starts with the absolute basics, just as do the university courses on MFC. This may in fact be the only book on MFC that I need ... but I right now do expect acquire a more advanced book once I understand all of the MFC basics.

   No CD-ROM is supplied with the book. Not a problem. I down loaded the code (complete with how to compile instructions for VC6) from www.osborne.com in October 2003, so even through the book is 5 years old, the code is still accessible and VC has not changed only slightly so the instrustions in teh book still applie. The code download uses the single file approach and is not split into separate header and body files. Ok for learning.




3. I have a few books on MFC and windows programming in general, with one thing in common - they were collecting dust on my shelf, because none of them covered the fundamentals good, they would all go right into wizards, or spend forever on semantics, without really teaching you why. I'm an embedded engineer, with good c background, and some experience with c++, and this book IS THE BEST. After spending less than 1 hour on first few chapters, I felt like I was finally getting it, and right now, more advanced reading like Blaszczak's MFC finally makes sense. I am also surprised by negative reviews here - in my opinion this book is THE book to get started with windows programming, and really know what you are doing.



4. I have been studying C/C++ programming and MFC/Win32 API programming for approximately one year now and during this time I have accrued over one hundred books on the subject. This said, in the Visual C++/MFC category this book is the best introduction that I have found. One clear reason is that the author teaches MFC programming in the absence of the Visual Studio App Wizard so that the reader gets a fundamental understanding of how MFC works, from the ground up, just like the title suggests. The final chapter then covers the App Wizard, and Class Wizard as well. He also covers the Document/View architecture in one of the final chapters. Moreover, the exposition, in terms of code generated (functionality), very closely parallels the code and topics the author treats using the Win32 API in his book Windows 98 Programming from the ground up,
   all of which is still relevant in 2005. Certainly there are many other good books on MFC programming but as an introduction I have found this book to be the best, not surprising as the author is a world renowned programming language expert and a prolific author. Thanks to this book I will ultimately be able to read more advance books with greater comprehension in addition to writing tighter Windows executables.



5. Looking for Schildts recent books and saw this one pop up on the list and it was like I was in the late 90's all over again LOL! But this was an extremely good book. Anyone that could make me understand MFC and ATL falls into the "super author" category. I'm only limiting this review to 4 stars because I never finished the book. And by the way, if you're still using MFC then WAKE UP BUDDY! Its a new world out there now so get on the .Net gravy train and stop banging your head against a wall with MFC and ATL. But if you must bang your head then use this book as a cushion because it will definitely make the job easier.

5 comments about Core C++: A Software Engineering Approach.

1. The book would be ten times better if the author does not put on almost every page why his books are way better than the other books. He emphasizes this too much and makes us think that his opinion only counts. The book is sort of easy to follow and has some great examples in it as well. I wish he had some exercises especially for us college students. But sometimes he gives us too much examples which is pointless like learning how to program with Global variables. The book does not come with a CD as well that should come with programs that us users should follow and show us how they work. But I only read a couple of chapters and so far the book is just plain okay. The guy just braggs and too full of himself.



2. Herb Schildt's book; C++: The Complete Reference stayed with me throughout my second semester in C.S.. But this book is different, where Schildt's book is limited too, this book picks up. This is by far the best C++ tutorial I've read, and his approach is unorthodox. He first explains the software crisis, why Software Engineering is essentially a field that's a total mess.

   He just doesn't throw code at you, he spends time gearing your mind to be a software engineer. He really dives into OOP, and he emphasizes the need for better architecting. All of which are valid. The book is unconventional; most C++ tutorial books give you code, and that's the end of it. This book teaches you fundamental Software Engineering principles while you learn the code. Again, not many C++ books have that.

   Would I recommend this? Yes. It can serve as a self-study guide as well as a textbook. Versatile in purpose, writing style is clear. Anyone who is new to C++, I would definitely recommend this book.




3. As almost all of the reviewers state, very good book. It's not just an abstract syntax and "Fruit->Berry->Blueberry inheritance" paper like so many other C++ books out there. This book deals with the real world of software problem solving, something I as an active professional, not student, was searching desperately for when I found this book.



4. The author does an excellent job in explaing the details of how C++ works and its syntax. This book was the definite kickstart in me programming in C++. The only thing you must know is how to use a compiler. The author doesn't talk about compiling or setting up a compiler.
   
   I highly recommend this book if what your looking for is understanding C++ at the smallest level.



5. I can't praise this book enough for its style and clarity. Dr. Shtern has an unusual talent for speaking in terms that a beginning C++ user can understand and an experienced C++ user can appreciate. Far more than a "how to" book, it's also a "why to," a "when to," and a "why this is important (or not)" book. I won't try to say it all here; read the Amazon.com editorial review--it's right on the money. "Core C++" has been a real pleasure to read. Highly recommended!

5 comments about The Joy of C, 3rd Edition.

1. Most books on programming that I have read use 'snippets' of code to demonstrate concepts. This is fine for someone with a grasp of underlying concepts, but useless to novices and students attempting to learn C for the first time. The main problem is lack of context... most of these 'snippets' merely demonstrate _syntax_ Joy of C uses samples that are part of an actual program so that the student may benefit from seeing how 'it all fits together'. The samples are not abstract, they are actually useful. Most of the exercises are extensions of previous programs, demonstrating the iterative process of programming where we take smaller programs that work and slowly add functionality. The authors have a website that provide solutions to many of the exercises, providing guidance when needed. Most of the code compiles and runs. The book covers alot of information, so some of the explanations aren't as detailed or simple as they could be. I believe that some basic grasp of programming concepts would make the book easier to digest, and would recommend it as a second book for students who have never done any programming at all. I highly recommend it to anyone with some programming experience as a means of learning C.



2. I picked up this book as someone with no programming experience to speak of. After working through it for a month, I thoroughly understood all of the major concepts in C. The presentation is thorough and interesting. While this wouldn't be my first choice as a C reference to have around, it is a good read (a feat for a technical book of this nature) which offers tons of examples of actual implementation of concepts. I would recommend it to anyone with an analytical mind, looking to break into the world of programming in C.



3. In passed three years, I have read the book at least five times thoroughly. The most exciting part of the book is the full of completed examples. The completed example means that the example is completed and you could compile it and see the result of execution from your code development tools right away. I.e., you don't have to figure out how a particular C statement or structure can be used in real world. If you prefer "learn by example," it will be definitively one of your best choices.



4. I just bought the book a month ago, but already had 3 other titles previously. The thing that impressed me the most is the authors' style of teaching. So many examples, carefully starting from the basics down to a more complicated version of it, adding little snippets that makes one fully understands why a certain statement do what it does when compiled and run. My only regret is that I should have bought this book while I was in college or before I bought the 3 titles before it. This is a type of book in C that made me think a lot about the logic behind each example's functionality even when I'm not reading it and always makes me compare it with the other titles. Now I'm really excited to finish the book and try all the examples and exercises that goes with it, because honestly, I'm not yet an advanced C programmer, so any help from any book is very well appreciated.

   Thank you Mr. Miller & Mr. Quilici for this wonderfully laid-out book.




5. Greak work on C but it needs fine tuning still. Written in a fearless manner by those who know what they are talking about.If you have no teacher to guide you then after going through this book a few times you should be competent in C programming.Combine this book with the C programming: a modern approach then you are prepared to fly even higher.After reading these two books the C programming language written by K&R should begin to make sense. It appears the authors have completely stopped work on the book.

5 comments about Mastering ASP.Net with Visual C#.

1. This is the best asp.net with c# book for beginner and experienced web developer among the 4 similar books I bought 4 momths ago, this is the only one I read trough and do it from first to last chapter. Thanks, Russell.



2. I have 3 other Mastering books and they are all great. This one is not in that category. Mastering C#, Mastering VB.NET and Mastering Cool Fusion 5.0 are all very good books. This author seems like a real C#/ASP.NET Guru but has no ability to convey that knowledge in a clear concise way. It seems to me like everything is just dumped on the pages instead of being built up step by step. This book might be good if you are already very good at ASP.NET and want to gleam some more insight into some of the deeper workings of ASP.NET, but definitely NOT as a beginner/intermediate book. I consider ASP.NET Unleashed a masterpiece compared to this book. After chapter 6, I just gave up and am going to purchase another ASP.NET C# book to meet my needs.



3. I've been trying to use this book as my primary reference for ASP.NET for a couple of months now, and I'm to the point where I'm going to go out and buy another book.

   This book could be dramatically improved if it had been under the kind eye of rigorous editor, one that would have pulled all the spurious soapboxing and helped refocus the book on addressing topics the author is not favorable towards.

   A couple of examples:

   1) Paragraphs of prose dedicated to a lengthy explanation as to why usernames and passwords are obsolete, bordering on arrogance. Finally, begrudgingly, getting to the meat of what I need to know: how to do authenticated login. I wouldn't mind so much if the author was providing relevant insight into the directions that the industry is taking, but his proposition that smart cards and biometrics will overtake passwords is the same old rhetoric expounded over the last decade... which has not come to pass.

   2) An attitude of MS Access = Bad. Yes, SQL is one of the stonger solutions for the back end, and sure, you should use MSDE if you can't do SQL, but I have a client that needs it to be MS Access. To completely short-change Access is to write yourself out of a very real segement of the market.

   In essence, I think this book suffers by actively distancing itself from real-world issues. A more pragmatic, non-preaching approach would have been better, one that focussed on what *I* need, not what the author feels compelled to tell me about.

   Ignoring the soapboxes, the rest of the book is pretty good. The author obviously knows his ASP.NET. I'll keep this book around as a secondary reference, but I'm out hunting for a new primary reference.

   I generally dislike writing reviews like this, but I dropped ... this book (a local Borders) and I would really have liked to have seen a review like this before I made that decision.




4. This book tends to become scattered, and the author seems to ramble at times. I was expecting more simple explanation by example, but what examples there were seemed to contain large amounts of code that belonged in an entirely different topic. I tended to notice alot of "I'm showing you this, but I'm not going to say anything about it in this book."...

   This is not to say that there is no useful information in this book, but it is difficult and tiring to get to. The content seems to drift towards generalized advice in many areas, rather than actual instruction.

   I would say that this book would be worth owning only if you have a good core of ASP.net knowledge, and want a book that will increase the dsetail of your knowledge in a wandering manner.




5. After many tries, I've officially given up reading this book at Chapter 17 of this 23 chapter book. This book definetely doesn't belong in the "mastering" series of sybex. I've followed along many books of this series, from SQL, to VB to Server 2003, etc, but this one just doesn't measure up to the quality of the others. Here are the problems with this book:

   1. Too many samples, but not enough explanations. I'll be happy if the author presents complicated topics, as long as he explains them thouroughly. But not here, all you get, is one long-winded code after another, but only a sentense or two to explain what the heck is going on in the code. So usually as I read a chapter, I would counsult another book, so I can have some clue what was just covered. Not an ideal learning experience.
   2. Too boring. The author doesn't inject one iota of humor, or any kind of real world examples, or applications for his codes. The explanations are terse and dry, and felt as if, the author doesn't really care, or care to know, that at the other end, there's another person reading this.

5 comments about The Beginner's Guide to C++ (Beginner's Guides).

1. Ok, so I bought this book back in 1996 intending to learn how to program in C++. I was trained as a C programmer and figured it would still be safer to learn the language from scratch. But I got sidetracked with Java and Assembler and only recently picked up the book. It has great examples and explains everything pretty well for a beginner. However, my only complaint with the book is that Oleg doesn't write very efficent code. I personally have been guilty of over-engineering. Oleg discusses writing code for efficency but his examples are laden with inefficencies. Minor complaint and for any beginner its not a big deal.



2. I am not a computer science major, but this book was easy for me to understand. I quickly grasped the basic concepts of the language. The book is optimal in size, not overloaded with big examples or excercises, which lets you finish it quickly, and not forget what was in the beginning when you are at the end.
   I loved it.
   The English is a bit awkward at times, but overall style is very easy to follow. After you finish this book you can go on to more advanced C++ books.



3. If you are a total beginner, you might want to learn C first. (Look for Greg Perry's "Absolute Beginner's Guide to C") Although this book has "Beginner" as the title, that's not what it actually means...

   If you're a C programmer like me and wants to know what's all the hype about C++, then better get this book. This book smoothens the transition from C to C++.

   By the end of every chapter, there is always a working program built from scratch using all the knowledge you've gained from previous chapter(s).

   And guess what? By the end of the book, you'll know how to use Borland Graphic Interface (BGI) and create a simple (but marvellous) DOS game "Typing-Tutor": it's like a simplified DOS version of "Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing Deluxe"

   Although this book is quite dated, you can always catch up with ANSI standard by reading more advanced books. I finished this and I'm going to skim through Ivon Horton's "Beginning C++ (ANSI/ISO Compliant)" and then to Andrew Koenig & Barbara Moo's "Accelerated C++".

   Why? Well, Ivor Horton's book has many exercises and well-explained solutions. While Moo's Accel. C++ has plenty unsolved exercised for you to do. So when you get to Moo's book, you'll know how to solve these exercises already.




4. I was looking for a good text that would help me with my transition from C to C++. I bought this book after reading raving reviews of it here on amazon.com. After spending several weeks with the book I must admit that I am very dissapointed. In my opinion, the text lacks logical organization of key concepts. Moreover, the author spreads explanations of related concepts all over the book, making it hard to find the needed information. A good example of this is the introduction of loops. Yaroshenko stretches this concept across 4 chapters making it a pain for a beginner to keep focused. As a closing remark I would like to warn beginners about this book. It offers no clear explanation of key C++ features and lacks any exercises. After struggling with this book for a few weeks you will be frustrated and never want to tackle programming again.



5. This book is really great for a beginner. If you do have some experience programming in C and C++, then this book might not be for you. Even now, in December 2006, although about 1% (one percent)of the material covered is a little bit outdated, this book is still much better (for a beginner) than many other books on C++. It also covers OOP concepts, suche as inheritance, class, etc. People who are more mathematically minded might say that the book could have been a little bit better organized, however, for a beginner, it is EXTREMELY good in my opinion.

5 comments about Tricks of the Windows Game Programming Gurus.

1. If you are truly serious about game programming then this is the only book to pickup. Mr. Lamothe writes in a very simple tone explaining away everything. He assumes nothing and explains everything.

   This book is not for someone that does not have a semi-concrete understanding of C/C++ and object oriented programming. The Windows game programming book for dummies is not for dummies. It skimps on areas that this book dives into and I am sincerely thankful to Andre for teaching me DirectX programming.




2. This book is THE one to get if you're looking to start Windows game programming fast. Yeah sure it's several hundred pages long but it covers so much with so much detail. From the basics of 2D, AI and other cool things to hard core physics and 3D math (on the CD). Andre even helps build a 2D gaming engine for you to help cut your coding work in half! Now where else can you find that kind of help?



3. excellent book, a must for anyone who's interested in game programming! great for beginners!



4. I love this book. I knew a little c++ and a little DirectX. I read this book and it gave me a great understanding of it all. I have already made a couple of pretty good games. If you want to know how to make games then I would definitly recomend this book to you. If it made me able to make games I am sure it will be great for you.



5. This is a really good book...and I enjoy reading it. I keep it as a reference in the process of creating games...and always gives me satisfactory results. If your planning to buy this book buy it. This book takes from GDI to the fundementals of 2D and 3D programming.