5 comments about Programming C#.

1. I wish I had purchased one of the other C# books. I am an experienced programmer and bought this book to learn C#. My main disappointment was that the first third of the book, which covers the language, is mostly made up of repeated large printouts of code. The author will explain a small change to the code, and then re-display the entire program - even if it takes up several pages. Instead of thorough explanations of the concepts you are left with reams of repeated code.
   I also found the general language of the book to have a patronizing tone, have become frustrated with it and am shopping for a new one.



2. A very good buy, this book goes into just enough detail to stay interesting. The only reason that I won't give it 5 stars is because I don't really like C#/.Net.



3. 
   A natural first step for me when looking for a book is to see what O'Reilly has available. This book was the first hit in my search results. And that hit was a homerun. Jesse Liberty has written a rare Dot Net book, a book that does not waste precious text (read time) editorializing on the wonders of Dot Net or prediciting the extinction of all things not MS. The organization of material is natural and intuitive and Liberty's writing style encourages the reader to keep turning pages without resorting to corny jokes to do so.
   Sections are handily decorated with comments pointing out areas where C# diverges from the legacy of its C++ and Java heritage. I've read more books than I care to mention that would have doubled their value had they included such annotations.Example code is relevant and well thought out; and it's available for download. Between this book and the near-infinite resources online, I don't think I'll need another C# book in my library.
   This was a great book and I'd recommend it to anybody.



4. This is one of, if not the single most poorly written book I've ever read. If you want to read from a monotonous author who is overly presumptuous about your prior programming knowledge, then buy this book! But if you want to learn anything about programming C# in a somewhat reasonable, logical way that doesn't make you want to jump off a bridge - buy another book.
   
   I'm an experienced php programmer with moderate knowledge on the principles of object-oriented programming, and this author just confused me more. Don't ever buy this book other than maybe as a reference if you're already an expert.



5. I found this book one of the most confusing I've owned and I've bought 20 books in the past two years. The Author has a choppy writing style that leaves me highly confused. An example is the chapter on delegates and events...a short introduction, a complex example, a little more complex example, then more of a complex example...too much code samples and not enough concepts! I think a book should explain a basic concept with a short example first, then develop upward. Out of my collection of a few dozen books, I'm sad to say this ranks the lowest.

5 comments about UML and C++: A Practical Guide to Object-Oriented Development (2nd Edition).

1. Clear description of modeling OO with a lot of tricks. Helpfull in moving from C to C++ world.



2. I was very disappointed with this book. At least through the 150+ pages I struggled through before giving up, UML was barely covered and utilized. What passed for an example was convoluted and confusing. Some bizarre quotes may convey the tone of this book: "This is consistent with our phenomenalist view: ... dialectical process ... we believe the real world of objects is a reflection of social relations ..." "If you take the Eastern, or Taoist, approach to OOA, ... the Taoist (practitioner) ... the focus is on the path rather than the destination" Explaining is-a: "Generalization has its roots in the knowledge-representation paradigm used in ai ... psychological model of associative memory ... representing a semantic knowledge network" "meronymic relationships" "homeomorphic" "anyone who has studied philosophy knows that reality is the state of mind of each individual"



3. I would give it 0 point if that's available. I think the authors are idots who are not clear about what they wanted to write. Don't buy it!



4. This book is outdated (both first and second editions). It certainly does not teach you UML, it does not teach you C++, nor does it teach you OOAD the right way. I also found numerous errors, even in C++, supposedly their area of expertise.

   They confuse between OO technique and developmental process. They keep referring to development process as OO. Typically, OO is combined with UP in software projects. This is not mentioned anywhere.

   They also fail to see the forest, instead keep focussing on the trees. For example, there is a top-down analysis approach, and another is a bottom-up analysis approach. You can also do it both ways and come to the middle. Not a mention about this in this book.

   They keep preaching about their beliefs. That is annoying. Instead of saying, bottom-up analysis gives rise to more reusable class structure, they go on and on about Taoist philosophy.

   Lot of outdated stuff also in there. Who cares for Structured English.

   On the whole, reading this book will not help, will confuse you, and could potentially get you started in the wrong direction as an OO programmer/analyst.

   There are numerous other excellent books on the market that focus on the OOAD and software development lifecycle. Don't bother buying this one.

   The title is also nonsense. There is very little UML in this book. There is very little C++ in this book. It does not show you how to effectiely use C++ when you are grappling with certain design decisions. No mention of design patterns and how they could be represented effectively in C++.

   Can't find much virtue in this book honestly. Waste of paper.




5. This is a difficult book to categorize and I was left puzzled as to where it would fit into a computer science education. The first eleven chapters deal with the basic ideas behind object-oriented programming and the way they are expressed in UML. While this is a good introduction to the abstract ideas of objects in computing, the book then takes a dramatic turn. Chapters 12 through 17 (a total of 96 pages) cover the C++ programming language, far too much paper and ink to even begin to explain this complex topic. Therefore, this section is either incomplete for beginners or not necessary for experienced C++ programmers. The remainder of the book is devoted to a complete description of the game of "Breakout", where a set of bricks is at the top of the screen and a ball bounces off them and destroys them. The development of the game is described, from the design descriptions in UML to the final C++ code for the project.
   The main problem is that not enough time is spent on C++ or UML for the reader to truly get a grip on either one. Very thick books are written on these topics, so the reader is left knowing only a little bit about both of them, but certainly not enough to be effective or efficient in using them.

5 comments about Jamsa's C/C++ Programmer's Bible.

1. As a Computer Science major, I found this book to be quite useful as a reference tool. If you are a beginner with C++, I recommend purchasing Gary J. Bronson's "A First Book of C++: From Here to There" as it is very easy to follow and excellent for learning. It is not a bad idea to have the "Programmer's Bible" as a back-up tool. This book has definitely come in very handy on those late nights with programming assignments!



2. The book is huge -- 1500 tips. If I study three a day -- it will take me a year --

   THe book comes with a compiler and complete source code for every program.

   This is the best programming book I have bought in years.




3. The book promises to the be a programmer's bible -- I found the book true to its name. Covers all aspects of C and C++. Presents hundreds of tips on Windows programming as well. The C and C++ programs are platform independent. Good stuff.



4. I am a seasoned developer in both the Linux/UNIX and Win32 environments. I own just about all advanced C/C++ books and remember picking this up when I was still "wet behind the ears". Let's get to the review:

   This book is organized into tips(think of headers to sections being numbered), rather than pages. This may seem ackward at first, but it becomes irrelevant as you begin reading it.

   This book is a bit outdated, I don't remember whether or not it complies with the C99 or ANSI C++98 Standard. This book is based mostly on Win32 programming(both shell[dos] and graphical).

   This book covers EVERYTHING. There are some things in this book that you will NOT find in any other C/C++ book. It pretty much shows you every system call/function in standard C/C++ and Win32. It even covers using the ANSI driver(which can also be used in Linux) to create colored text within a prompt[I know, big deal, but find another book that covers that minute detail].

   Overall, I believe this book is worth 5 stars. This book is expensive, and from what I know it is not offered many places except online(amazon). Bookstores no longer carry it as customers seem scared and apalled by the girth of this mofo. Excellent book!




5. If you know some language, but C or C++ is foreign to you, use this book and BORLAND's free C++ complier. It is the best method to learn C/C++ I am aware of (even better than my college class in C++)

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

5 comments about Sams Teach Yourself C++ in 10 Minutes (2nd Edition) (Sams Teach Yourself).

1. I found this book to be very useful. If you want to pick up some good, solid footing in C++, with or without a background in programming - this book is for you. The format is clean: 10 minutes or so at a time is perfect for getting into the office a little early and running through a lesson or two prior to commencing your workday. There is source code available on the books actual website on http://www.samspublishing.net, which helps this become a learning exercise, rather than a typing exercise, for those of you whom are advanced enough to just want to read solid source code.
   
   I do find that by chapter 15 some of the examples start to get somewhat dicey: I can't always tell if I am supposed to be entering this code, or if it's only for discussion. Later in the "Listings" it's clear that it was NOT for discussion and I will need to enter it in order to make the examples work. That's fine - perhaps the author can use that format as a 'puzzle' if s/he so chooses. Just make me hip to the joke.
   
   If you are using Visual C++.NET you may want to find a book SPECIFICALLY for that environment, as this is all standard C++. Nothing wrong with that, mind you - but the .NET environment may require a little more 'gear grinding and lever pulling' to mitigate trouble should you come across any, if my experience is any judge ;)



2. I am a Computer Science major, and I have been learning Java. Knowing that I need to learn more than one language I decided to pick up C++, and I bought this book because it was the cheapest that Sams Publishing had. The book surprised me because it was perfect for someone who had an intermediate level of knowledge about programming. It explains in detail what the syntax does, and therefore makes it helpful when relating the algorithms used in both languages. The lessons are also short so there is not a lot of unneeded jargon describing every little thing.



3. This book may be the best thing since sliced bread and canned beer, as many reviewers seem to have already pointed out.
   
   However...the title is flat out misleading and is actually false advertizing.
   
   Almost anyone who has tried to learn C++ thoroughly will shake their head and roll their eyes when they see the title of this book.
   
   How about "Teach yourself C++ in many lessons - each of which could take you around 10 minutes (depending on how quickly you read and how much you really want to understand) though honestly, if you really want to learn C++ you probably need to read many additional books and spend at least 3 or 4 years programming in it."?
   
   I eagerly await the publisher's next book: "Teach Yourself to speak Fluent Mandarin Chinese in 45 Seconds".



4. While this book does cover a lot of important topics in C++ in a very short time, that's not necessarily a good thing. The format of the book is: new concept, example code, explanation of the example code. The biggest problem is that new stuff shows up in the example code that he doesn't bother to explain. Some of that stuff is then covered later, some of it isn't. Also, he uses the same code throughout, elaborating as each new concept is introduced. The problem is that sometimes the elaborations shown in the book won't work without other changes that aren't included. This may be his intent, as it gives you some debugging practice, but he definitely doesn't say so, and it gets a little confusing.



5. This book gets you programming in C++ pretty quickly and is intended for readers who want concise lessons on the fundamentals of C++ and do not want to have to learn from an phonebook sized book. You build a software calculator and add functions with each lesson, so each lessons builds or improves on the previous. You will need a companion C++ reference book to explain some subjects in more depth. Face it, if you are to master C++ you will have to buy a few more books. This is the price for making a short concise learners book. Also, do not expect to wiz through every lesson in 10 mins, some take longer.
   
   This book would be greatly improved if the full source code was available online for each lesson. It would certainly speed up the learning pace closer to the 10 mins promised. They do post the listings (example code in book) provided in the book, but that is not the source code only pieces of it. I have completed 14 lessons (out of 27) and have become stuck in lesson 15 due to the unclear instruction and construction of the program. The book builds on previous chapters in the book, so skipping chapters is not possible (unless the source code was available).
   
   If you get this book see my post on Jesse's forum for errata through lesson 15. It should help you and maybe you can help me. http://forums.delphiforums.com/JesseLiberty

No comments about Developing Software for Symbian OS 2nd Edition: A Beginner's Guide to Creating Symbian OS v9 Smartphone Applications in C++ (Symbian Press).

5 comments about Enough Rope to Shoot Yourself in the Foot: Rules for C and C++ Programming (Unix/C).

1. I'm a 11-year mostly C programmer and I AGREE WITH EVERYTHING IN THIS BOOK. I've been a consultant for 5 years - and fixed a lot of code. Beginner programmers should read this and follow it. Computer Science and MIS degrees focus on algorithm design and efficiency and theoretical programming. THIS IS NOT THEORETICAL - this is PRACTICAL. Please, people, write code that's easy to read for the idiot that will come after you; over 50% of the cost of a progam is MAINTENANCE and if you write a simple routine that takes twice as long to execute, OH Well, unless it's a visible delay, no one cares about efficiency.

   Use this book as a CORPORATE STYLE GUIDE FOR C & C++ PROGRAMMING. If you follow it and write easy-to-read programs, your employer will SAVE MONEY IN MAINTENANCE. I literally agreed with everything in this book - with one exception. He poo-poos working over 8 hours/day. I disagree. True, programming is creative work and you can burn out, but I find 10 or 12 hour days highly productive because people don't interrupt me, and I try to task switch enough to give myself breaks (or stare out the window blankly to do some subconcious-problem-solving).

   In Short - Buy This Book, or borrow it - and save your employers money by creating simpler programs. You'll look like a star by creating something even a junior programmer can modify easily. If you're an expert C or C++ programmer, it's very worth it, too - you get another perspective on ease-of-use. I changed my mind and now will consider using const (I had only used #defines to simplify things - he made a good argument that the compiler is better than the preprocessor at catching brainfarts).

   Also, If you can, give it to your manager. They need to know this stuff, too.




2. Imagine someone took the Ten Commandments and tossed in some of his own commandments, and published it; of course, it would have some GREAT parts, but it would lend authority to the author's additions which they don't deserve.

   Yes, he includes the venerable rules of programming style, as laid out by the classic authors, then tosses in some of his own that are self-indulgent and provincial. Good luck to a beginner trying to sort them out.

   Pulling rules out of thin air makes you an autocrat, not an authority. Get The Practice of Programming, Code Complete.




3. Allen Holub's book should be on every C/C++ programmer's shelf.
   He is a master of his craft and one of the few writers in the
   field that is not afraid of being critical of the latest and
   greatest fad. His experience comes from years of work in the
   trenches and it shows. Ignore his guidelines at your own risk.
   You may not agree with everything he writes (I didn't) but it's
   all food for thought.



4. I read this book before I read "C Programming FAQs". While "Enough Rope to Shoot Yourself in the Foot" does a good job of pointing out trobule areas in C, the FAQ book does a much better job of point out more general problems because its content is taken from a newsgroup where real people as real questions.
   
   The advantage to this book is that C++ issues are also discussed, which make it a good resource.



5. I almost passed on this book because of some of the negative reviews.
   
   Okay, it is no Code Complete, but this book is an absolute gem. I have been programming C++ for about 6 years now (VB users be darned, it is my favorite programming language, period) and I was amazed how much I agreed with this author's advice.
   
   Yeah, I learned a lot from Scott Meyers' canonical "Effective" books. But what I like about this book is that it is a no-nonsense, in-your-face, tell-it-like-it-is book that I think is essential for those wet-behind-the-ears C++ programmers (or those whiners who claim that C++ is too hard).
   
   It will probably piss off a lot of Windows programmers as well as he is somewhat anti-Microsoft. However, I am primarily a MFC programmer and
   what he says about MFC (earlier editions) and Windows programming in general is absolutely correct.
   
   This book is a must for every novice C/C++ programmer. The experienced C/C++ programmers will probably tell you that they know all about this, so most of them will give it a pass. However, as a experienced C++ programmer, I think that they are making a mistake. They need to get this book on the shelf as well.
   
   At the very least they can loan it to the beginners.

1 comments about Applied Numerical Methods for Engineers Using MATLAB and C.

1. I took a course numerical methods in Mechanical Engineering which covered much of the same material. The class text was "Applied Numerical Methods for Engineers" Using MATLAB and C, by Robert J. Schilling and Sandra L. Harris.
   
   I found the Schilling book very tedious. Also the MATLAB code included with teh book was really awful. Some of the codes contained mistakes so that they would produce the wrong answers. Other codes contained mistakes that would generate errors when you tried to run the programs. Other codes from the Schilling text were just ported over from C; the structure was inefficient and hard to follow- not well suited for MATLAB.
   
   The Schilling book didn't encourage the reader to use many MATLAB functions that were built-in. The text tried to explain everything the hard way and was overall a very mediocre book- All the students and Professor in teh class agreed that Schilling's was a very mediocre book. I found it very confusing.
   
   So I finally bought this one [Numerical Methods in Engineering with Matlab, Kiusalaas] on the recommendation of another student. It helped tremendously so I could do the final project and salvage a 'B' from the course. The codes are simpler to follow and more appropriate to MATLAB. It contains a much better explanation of the eigenvalue problems and systems of linear algebraic equations.
   
   It's more practical if you want ot learn to do instead of [Schilling] putzing around getting stuck in minutiae. Or if you might prefer to do something first and then go back for a try at understanding the minutiae later.
   
   I only wish I had bought this book sooner. The Schilling text ["Applied Numerical Methods for Engineers" Using MATLAB and C, by Robert J. Schilling and Sandra L. Harris] sucked. This book [Numerical Methods in Engineering with Matlab, Kiusalaas] was much better for MATLAB users.

5 comments about C++ For Game Programmers (Game Development Series).

1. Going through the contents and skimming through, I'm not sure how this book in any way relates to game programming. It could be a great C++ book, but that's not what the title is about. Some of the things it is suggesting break established paradigms of game developement. It *may* help Windows based game programmers, but it sure doesn't cover any of the myriad of issue sin using C++ on a console such as the PS2, GameCube, etc....
   
   It seems like another C++ book. Any thoughts on this?



2. This is indeed a good book. It gives you almost every important tips you ever need to know. After reading this book, if you're able to catch/grasp what the author is trying to convey, I'm sure that you'll have a few level-ups in your C++ skills.
   
   Although it stated for Game Programmers in the title, the tips and tricks can be applied to other application programming using C++ too.
   
   However, if you are looking for design patterns, this is not the book. It doesn't touch anything about design pattern as this is totally out of the scope.
   
   Also, if you are newbie in C++, perhaps you would like to read other C++ book first.



3. First off, the guy who said this book has nothing to do with game programming is wrong. He was obviously expecting a "read this book and make a Doom clone in 4 hours" book. There is no book like that, and this book did not advertise that.
   Like the title of my review suggests, there is more to game programming than graphics. This book teaches no graphics; it does, however, teach you to use graphics wisely. Also, it doesn't teach C++ from the beginning - you are expected to know C++ before reading this book. What this book does is teach you to use C++ effectively in game programming.
   Overall, this is a good read for anyone interested in making high quality games.



4. While focusing on game development challenges, this book provides excellent advice on designing c++ applications. The author demonstrates possible implementations comparing their strengths/tradeoffs and gives very useful advice on solving common problems in game architecture.
   The book is not code intensive (all examples are available in the CD-ROM), and should be useful to any intermediate c++ programmer, especially the ones planning to develop games.



5. As other reviewers have said this book isn't really a game programming book. It's title really ought to be "C++ programming for high performance applications". That said it is a wonderful book! I highly recommend it as a well written, easy to read intermediate/advanced C++ book.

5 comments about C++ Network Programming, Volume I: Mastering Complexity with ACE and Patterns (C++ In-Depth Series).

1. This is an excellent reading for any network programmer. More than ACE itself the concepts covered are of a great value. I am a beginner to intermediate network programmer, but an experienced programmer otherwise, and found this to be an extremely valuable resource in terms tackling large application frameworks from the ground up. The concepts are precise upto the point but extremely easy to read and digest. Of course, the book is assuming that you know quite a bit of every thing else that is not covered here. There are quite a bit of things that are totally missing or not correct based on the OS and the advances in Posix threading. Nevertheless this is an excellent source for any network programmer.



2. The 2nd volume is a complement to the first.The 1st one talks for portable source code and wrapper classes. The second one concentrates on deisgn patterns & all issues in C++ network programming architecture .
   Again i say dont reinvent the wheel , give ACE a look.



3. The blurb for this book calls it authoritative. And it is authoritative in the sense that it is written by the people behind ACE. But it is not authoritative in the sense that it isn't a complete reference.
   
   As somebody who has written native code for handling Sockets, process management, threading etc on various platforms, then over time integrated OO and patterns to make it easier to use (including across platforms), and slowly worked my way towards what I consider a definitive way of doing things, I find reading this book interesting in that it's like a tick list to which I can go "yeap, I found that too" with just the odd "ooh, actually I would do that differently in this specific situation, but for the general case yes that's how I do it too". So, for me this book is interesting now, but if I was new to ACE (I'm not) or new to the underlying platform APIs I am not so sure how interesting I would find it. It gives more of a taster of what ACE can do than providing a complete tutorial. It gives more of a justification of why ACE does things the way it does rather than provide a complete reference. So, interesting for me now, but I'm really not sure who the book is aimed at. It could be used as one step of a tutorial, giving familiarity of what ACE can do, if not enough detail to really do serious stuff. It could be used to persuade people that it's usually better to use ACE than invest time and money re-inventing the wheel... Otherwise, I just don't know...
   
   Is ACE worth using? Most of the time, yes. If you need a book about ACE then this is probably the place to start, but online is the place to find the detailed information that you will need when using it.



4. My husband needed this to further his knowledge at work. Was worth the price and easy to understand for him, anyway



5. This book provided a decent introduction to ACE. However, language is little terse and presentation is not as good as ACE Programmer's book. I most liked the boxed explanations in the book, this style should have been all over the book.