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| (slightly skeptical) Educational society promoting "Back to basics" movement against IT overcomplexity and bastardization of classic Unix | |||||||
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C is a classic language. But unfortunately is not very good as a first programming language (still you can use C interpreter instead of compiler and that helps a bit). After all, you can think about C as a "portable assembly language" but without assembler transparency and closeness to machine architecture.
But it is better then some alternatives that are used in Universities all over the world ;-). It definitely beats Java as the fist language as typical Java course is overloaded with OO junk and that makes learning programming more difficult not easier.
When it comes to leaning C, no single book can possibly cover all the topics equally well. Be especially vary if the book states on the back cover "Whether you're a novice or experienced programmer [...]". This is typical misleading advertizing. If you're an absolute beginner, you can well find such a book difficult and disorienting. On the other hand, if you're already fluent in another programming language - especially one which has some similarities to C you can find many explanations redundant and unnecessary. So large part of the book became way too trivial.
Probably the best method of trying to learn C yourself is to subscribe to free Harvard's CS 50 podcast or similar video course from O'Reilly. Harvard RSS feed can be found using Google, or you can search for "Harvard Computer Science 50" within the iTunes store. The podcast includes separate video and audio tracks of lectures by David J. Malan. He also provides PDF's of the problem sets along with copies of the class's quizzes and answers. The course filmed is fall 2007 I believe. The first few episodes from week 0 are slow, but the course quickly picks up speed after that. If you want to get right into C, then I recommend that you start at week 1 (Week 0 is spent going over the basic workings of computer hardware components and some time is spent on a program called "Scratch").
There are two ways (and two major schools of teaching) to master programming which can be called "bottom-up" and "top-down" approaches:
The first school recommends that a student should first learn a simple assembly language. In old time it was IBM 360 assembler (a classic assembler). Now it is Intel assembler. IBM System 360 assembler is much simpler then Intel assembly language. The latter is pretty arcane, but still can be used due to a large number of good books and universal availability. After a student understands assembly language and do some programming in it, he/she can "go up" to a higher-level language like Pascal and only after that learn C. Actually understanding assembler language is equal to understanding of debugger and that gives students who started with it tremendous advantage in studying other compiled languages (not so much interpreted languages)
The second school recommends to start with an interpreted scripting language with a good interactive debugger ( for example Python, etc) as the first language. Good interactive debugger is a tremendous asset for beginners and it really clarify many concepts that otherwise are difficult to understand. From this language student can "go down" to C or Pascal and then, eventually, assembler.
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Both schools are valid approaches. I actually think that the first ("bottom-up") approach is a better one, as it corresponds to historical development of programming languages. But scriting language provide also very powerful abstracting when you operate essentially in a virtual machine and with a good debugger you also can learn a lot pretty quickly. For example Perl has simply great debugger. Knuth used to say something long those lines -- debugger is probably as important if not more important then the language.
The modern universities are great in spoiling the broth and present you with the third, the worst option: typically you start "in the middle" with something like Java, which is not high-enough to belong to scripting languages family and at the same time not low enough to expose underling hardware architecture (knowing which actually gives you tremedous insight into programming). It obscures the answer to the fundamental question What does the program actually do? under heavy smoke of classes and frameworks (as well as less fundamental How much does it cost?).
So if your first language is C you need to thank God that it's not C++ or Java ;-). Those days that rarely happens and probably you will be fed Java diet no matter what. Java stands between compiled languages and scripting languages and the course that is taught typically is burdened with overemphasis on OO. Which is probably the most efficient way to kill any interest in programming ;-).
In other words it is as far from ideal first language as one can get, but nobody cares about student interests. Generally in teaching programming languages like in IT in general fashion rules and each generation of CS students became an unsuspecting victims of the current IT fashion trend. And whatever language makes money in business typically is stupidly pushed as the first language. As a result more students hate programming that it would be if they teach something simpler and without excessive zeal toward OO from the very beginning. Teaching OO in the first programming language makes the course more obscure then it should be.
Even if your univesity is occupied by complexity junkies that want to teach you Java in the first course with overdoze of OO, you have a chance to learn C by youself or by taking course is some community college (just do not tell anybody about it, if you attend a prestigious university ;-). That can dramatically improve your chances in understanding Java and even might make Java course enjoyable. And C is simply a must for enthusiasts who love programming as it is lingua franka of Unix.
As a language C exists for more that 40 years, so there are some really good books on the market. For an introductory book on C (especially high-school level book) I would recommend a book that use flowcharts and figures extensively (C by Example) and has decent typographical quality. Beginning C book by Ivor Horton (4th and 5th editions are now available from Apress) also is also not bad and well illustrated (probably the forth edition is the best; avoid fifth). Please be aware of the recently ratified new standards. Not all compiles implement the most recent standard and that't the problem with fifth edition of Ivor Horton "Beginning C" book. As you understand it does not matter much for introductory books whether the language described adhere to the most recent standard. At the same time too old books have a problem that some useful features are not desrtibed as at this time they were not included in the C standard. Books published less then 10 years ago generally are OK and using older edition usually allow you to save money. At the same time some old book have excellent description of certain parts of the language (usually any single author is not equally good in describing all parts of the language; pointers are especially tricky subject) and are dirt cheap. You can benefit from owning them too.
Books with a compiler on CD used to be a nice way to get a decent compiler if you do not have any and use Windows. Now Microsoft provides Visual C++ Express for free which is a very nice, professional package. GCC is also available for free with any Linux installation or Cygwin installation on Windows.
Or you can pay for Visual Studio standard edition (that contains a set of very decent compilers suitable for beginners). That's much better investment then buying some stupid $150 book that many economics courses require (looks like economics professors are especially corrupt, but statisticians are close ;-). Please note that if you waist so much money for university credits on courses taught by clueless Java-loving complexity junkies (category to which is probably more the 33% of university first programming course teachers belong ;-) or OO fundamentalists (another 33% of university first programming course instructors ;-) buying your own version of Visual Studio is a minor expense.
Programming is a complex subject. Modern courses are quite complexes and present a lot of material in a short period of time. That put you in danger of getting low grade for the course (as you probably will be competing with students, who have better background) or worse hating programming for the rest of your life. It is also not that great to feel that you need to drop the course and waist all money spend on those credits.
Takes this course seriously. This is a challenge that you need to pass with flying colors and that's impossible without paying proper attention to it. I am telling that to you as an old university professor: abilities are not everything in this course. University environment and the instructor can be a serious obstacles instead of help.
So getting additional help in a form on DVD-based course, better compiler/IDE is just common sense. because you get not so much into world of programming but in a very cruel world of oversized egos of instructors. Insurance for your investment in form of some reputable third party video course and better compiler in a must in this case because you need all the help you can get.
BTW using University tutors is also a must as it gives you a (supposedly knowledgeable ;-) person to speak with. And just ability to speak to other person and explain your problems sometimes solve those problems. "Lone wolfs" are rarely successful in programming. The main danger for you is that with insufficient help at the end you will really hate programming and want to do nothing with it in the future. That means that all (OK 90% ;-) of your money and time were wasted.
| Using additional books, alternative video couces and University tutors can help. Tutors are especially important as it gives you a (supposedly knowledgeable ;-) person to speak with. And just ability to speak to other person and explain your problems sometimes solve those problems. "Lone wolfs" are rarely successful in programming. The main danger for you is that with insufficient help at the end you will really hate programming and want to do nothing with it in the future. That means that all (OK 90% ;-) of your money and time were wasted. |
In Linux gcc is free and more or less OK, but it should be used with IDE (such as Komodo) with integrated debugger ( I repeat with integrated debugger). Komodo editor is free and should be used if you are unable to buy a full version. Linux is perfect if you are tight with money and are using self-study book. Moreover working in Linux environment exposes you to the beauty of Unix and as such might help to prevent development of the "hate of programming" disease that I already talked about. The disease the modern universities spread. Overcomplexity of environment makes you feel like a hero of a Kafka novel: and that is probably the typical feeling of students studying a complex language like Java in the first course.
Still, interpreter is great accept in studying first programming language and even if you run Linux I would recommend to try to use C interpreter such as EiC. While it does not eliminate all problems but at least it might somewhat ease your pain. Other interpreter include CINT C and C++ Interpreter, UPS Debugger (C Interpreter). Decent editor is also a must. Also you can use Midnight commander or Total Commander in Windows as your pseudo-IDE.
There are also multiple free compilers but please be aware that using compiler different from recommended in your textbook increases the difficulties your experience in the course. But they are quite OK, or even preferable, for self-study. The list below in in no way exhausting:
The simplest way to start learning programming in C is not to type examples from scratch, but cut and paste a suitable example from the book and then gradually modify it until it will perform what you want to accomplish.
That means that book without a downloadable examples (or examples on CD for very old books) is a very bad choice. As diagnostic in C compilers is pretty bad you should never try to type examples for which you can find a suitable prototype.
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A book without a downloadable examples (or examples of CD) is a very bad choice. It's much better to start with an example and modify it for your needs then to write a program from scratch |
I would like to stress it again: never ever try to type your first C programs ;-). You will be very disappointed by the quality of C diagnostics. Beginner should start with working example that is similar to what he needs and gradually, step by step modify it. Again you need to understand that diagnostics is really horrible and I am not joking or exaggerating the situation here. If an example you can and paste runs OK before your changes, than each time you make changes you know where you can introduce an error and thus you are in much better position to accomplish a task without unnecessary frustration. Please remember that programming is not about writing program, it's about modifying existing programs ;-). Using prototype you will be able to compile and execute modified program probably in half of the time and with far less problems. If you use VC++ 5.0 or better than after opening existing C-file, the project will be created for you automatically.
Using examples from the book has another implicit advantage: you will copy the author style in your programs and thus will be introduced to a more or less consistent style of programming. In good books each example starts with a comment line that describes it. Also it uses some reasonable naming conversion for variables and provides comments in the body.
Downloadable code for examples is a must (those days all mainstream publishers has freely downloadable code for their programming books, but that was not the case 10 or 20 years ago), Availability of a e-text of the book (especially in HTML format) is desirable -- in this case you can include your notes into the text, search for words and phrases, etc. But you can survive without e-text and making notes is actually an important part of learning process and it should not be made too easy :-). The key is the quality of the book: there is a big difference in results when you study C from a good book then when you use average or, God forbid, bad book.
There are also some decent free/open books on the subject, downloadable in HTML format. Search them on the Web. For example Teach Yourself C in 24 Hours (24 hours actually means 24 one hour lectures; amount of work you need to put to master the material can vary greatly) is pretty decent, written in a nice style open book.
Do not believe that flowcharts are obsolete -- for beginners they are tremendously important and teachers/books that ignore them put students in a very serious disadvantage. From my teaching experience I firmly believe that a beginner book based on flowcharts has huge advantage over any other approach.
In general illustrations are extremely important too. Book without illustrations usually is definitely less clear and hostile to the student that book with decent illustration in almost any area of C (especially pointers). For an example of decent illustrations see Chapter about pointers from Practical C Programming (Nutshell Handbook) that is available online. Again, C by Example is a nicely illustrated book.
As for intermediate books I strongly recommend K&R book. This is a classic that worth reading and you can always benefit from reading a book that is part of the history of programming, even if some ideas are no longer relevant and some language constructs it describes are outdated.
Beware of OO propaganda-based mixed C/C++ books. C is an interesting enough and complex enough language to study separately and only then move to C++, if at all . C++ is an extensible language and this extensibility presents several unobvious for beginners dangers in complex programming tasks. IMHO the value of OO outside visual interfaces is questionable. And even in this narrow domain in many cases one will be much better served by combination of Tcl/Tk+C or Python and C++ and other pair of scripting language and a compiled language. Same simple GUI programs can be implemented via LAMP paradigm.
Nowadays you can find free lessons in video format. Try to search "Youtube C programming" and you will see what is available. Some of those lectures are of decent quality. This is especially important for learning debugging. See also
Probably the best method of trying to learn C yourself is to subscribe to free Harvard's CS 50 podcast or similar video course from O'Reilly. Harvard RSS feed can be found using Google, or you can search for "Harvard Computer Science 50" within the iTunes store. The podcast includes separate video and audio tracks of lectures by David J. Malan. He also provides PDF's of the problem sets along with copies of the class's quizzes and answers. The course filmed is fall 2007 I believe. The first few episodes from week 0 are slow, but the course quickly picks up speed after that. If you want to get right into C, then I recommend that you start at week 1 (Week 0 is spent going over the basic workings of computer hardware components and some time is spent on a program called "Scratch").
Debugging is really difficult in C and it's even more difficult in C++. I strongly recommend using two displays (what is called extended desktop in Windows) for debugging. For a laptop that often means that you need a docking station to connect them (or USB 3 based video adapter for the second display); Dell laptops such as E6330 has nice docking station that allows you connect two monitors). Used 19" display can be bought for ~$40 on eBay. Dell 24" display is around $120 and is a better deal. After 24" return on investment is negligible and do not recommend larger displays for debugging.
In many respects C is an assembly level language with similar traps and pitfalls. Please read C Traps and Pitfalls the only book that honestly discusses the problems with the language. It might be better to buy it as a second book than two very similar introductory level books on the subject, but you should read it only after the first half or the course is over. Before that it is more confusing then enlightening.
Be skeptical. My suggestions presented above should be critically evaluated. Do not treat them uncritically. Select what suits you carefully. But the truth is that its simply amazing how much simpler is to learn C using really great books than to do the same using average books... And how much a good video course can help you in comparison with a typical mediocre lectures. Do not consider yourself to be stupid if you do not understand something on the lecture or from the book. It might be that the problem is with the book or instructor not you :-). That's why having several books in addition to the used in the course book is important. As well as watching video. Which can be fun. With the current prices used books are very affordable and in no way you need the most recent edition for such books.
I would like to repeat that YouTube is also a great resource and some lectures and tutorials are worth watching.
For obvious reasons I prefer books that have e-text available. In case case you can extract some fragment and example for you own summary of the course supplementing your lecture notes (which can be scanned and then edited as images). You can try to organize those as a web site if you already know this staff. With editors like Frontpage it's really simple and here you can collaborate with your friends. Again, if you already took a course in HTML before your C class you might benefit putting all you examples and lecture notes in a simple Web site. This is a great way to organize information and it really helps to study the language (and improve your understanding of HTML as well). FrontPage is a great tool for this and free version (called Microsoft SharePoint Designer 2007 ) is downloadable from Microsoft, there is also a more late free version of Microsoft Expression Web 4 (Free Version) which is even better.
Dr. Nikolai Bezroukov
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Sep 29, 2020 | www.youtube.com
Learned C# first and that was a huge mistake. Programming got all exciting when I learned C
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Nick Geoghegan
James Maguire's article raises some interesting questions as to why teaching Java to first year CS / IT students is a bad idea. The article mentions both Ada and Pascal neither of which really "took off" outside of the States, with the former being used mainly by contractors of the US Dept. of Defense.
This is my own, personal, extension to the article which I agree with and why first year students should be taught C in first year. I'm biased though, I learned C as my first language and extensively use C or C++ in projects.
Java is a very high level language that has interesting features that make it easier for programmers. The two main points, that I like about Java, are libraries (although libraries exist for C / C++ ) and memory management.
LibrariesLibraries are fantastic. They offer an API and abstract a metric fuck tonne of work that a programmer doesn't care about. I don't care how the library works inside, just that I have a way of putting in input and getting expected output (see my post on abstraction). I've extensively used libraries, even this week, for audio codec decoding. Libraries mean not reinventing the wheel and reusing code (something students are discouraged from doing, as it's plagiarism, yet in the real world you are rewarded). Again, starting with C means that you appreciate the libraries more.
Memory ManagementManaging your programs memory manually is a pain in the hole. We all know this after spending countless hours finding memory leaks in our programs. Java's inbuilt memory management tool is great it saves me from having to do it. However, if I had have learned Java first, I would assume (for a short amount of time) that all languages managed memory for you or that all languages were shite compared to Java because they don't manage memory for you. Going from a "lesser" language like C to Java makes you appreciate the memory manager
What's so great about C?
In the context of a first language to teach students, C is perfect. C is
- Relatively simple
- Procedural
- Lacks OOP features, which confuse freshers
- Low level
- Fast
- Imperative
- Weakly typed
- Easy to get bugs
Java is a complex language that will spoil a first year student. However, as noted, CS / IT courses need to keep student retention rates high. As an example, my first year class was about 60 people, final year was 8. There are ways to keep students, possibly with other, easier, languages in the second semester of first year so that students don't hate the subject when choosing the next years subject post exams.
Conversely, I could say that you should teach Java in first year and expand on more difficult languages like C or assembler (which should be taught side by side, in my mind) later down the line keeping retention high in the initial years, and drilling down with each successive semester to more systems level programming.
There's a time and place for Java, which I believe is third year or final year. This will keep Java fresh in the students mind while they are going job hunting after leaving the bosom of academia. This will give them a good head start, as most companies are Java houses in Ireland.
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nickgeoghegan.net
Filed in Programming No Comments
A few things can confuse programming students, or new people to programming. One of these is abstraction.Wikipedia says:
In computer science, abstraction is the process by which data and programs are defined with a representation similar to its meaning (semantics), while hiding away the implementation details. Abstraction tries to reduce and factor out details so that the programmer can focus on a few concepts at a time. A system can have several abstraction layers whereby different meanings and amounts of detail are exposed to the programmer. For example, low-level abstraction layers expose details of the hardware where the program is run, while high-level layers deal with the business logic of the program.
That might be a bit too wordy for some people, and not at all clear. Here's my analogy of abstraction.
Abstraction is like a car
A car has a few features that makes it unique.
- A steering wheel
- Accelerator
- Brake
- Clutch
- Transmission (Automatic or Manual)
If someone can drive a Manual transmission car, they can drive any Manual transmission car. Automatic drivers, sadly, cannot drive a Manual transmission drivers without "relearing" the car. That is an aside, we'll assume that all cars are Manual transmission cars as is the case in Ireland for most cars.
Since I can drive my car, which is a Mitsubishi Pajero, that means that I can drive your car a Honda Civic, Toyota Yaris, Volkswagen Passat.
All I need to know, in order to drive a car any car is how to use the breaks, accelerator, steering wheel, clutch and transmission. Since I already know this in my car, I can abstract away your car and it's controls.
I do not need to know the inner workings of your car in order to drive it, just the controls. I don't need to know how exactly the breaks work in your car, only that they work. I don't need to know, that your car has a turbo charger, only that when I push the accelerator, the car moves. I also don't need to know the exact revs that I should gear up or gear down (although that would be better on the engine!)
Virtually all controls are the same. Standardization means that the clutch, break and accelerator are all in the same place, regardless of the car. This means that I do not need to relearn how a car works. To me, a car is just a car, and is interchangeable with any other car.
Abstraction means not caring
As a programmer, or someone using a third party API (for example), abstraction means not caring how the inner workings of some function works Linked list data structure, variable names inside the function, the sorting algorithm used, etc just that I have a standard (preferable unchanging) interface to do whatever I need to do.
Abstraction can be taught of as a black box. For input, you get output. That shouldn't be the case, but often is. We need abstraction so that, as a programmer, we can concentrate on other aspects of the program this is the corner-stone for large scale, multi developer, software projects.
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Amazon.com
Scanf on May 28, 2014
- Paperback: 688 pages
- Publisher: Apress; 5th ed. 2013 edition (February 26, 2013)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1430248815
- ISBN-13: 978-1430248811
- Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 1.6 x 9.2 inches
Decent tutorial with a direct styleMost introductions to C are targeted at those who don't have any programming experience. This can make tedious reading for those who do. Horton also assumes that you know nothing about programming, but marches through the material at a more brisk pace than usual.
The writing is a bit dry compared to the other best self-study books. The technical level is about the same as Gookin's Beginning Programming with C for Dummies, but with less hand-holding and the explanations can be a bit harder to follow. Presentation is more concise though sometimes less clear than Kochan's Programming in C or Prata's C Primer Plus.
The level of detail is about the same as Kochan but less than Prata. One of the nicest features is that there are many small, complete programs with detailed explanation. The C version assumed (in the 5th edition) is C11 and there is no discussion of differences with C89 and C99.
The 5th edition is almost identical in content to the 4th. There are short sections on the new Unicode facilities (uchar.h) and threads (threads.h). The biggest change is a rewrite of the material on strings and arrays (more on that below). Following a general trend I have noticed in Apress books the past couple of years, the typesetting and graphics in the 5th edition aren't as nice as in the 4th.
Many years ago, Microsoft developed a C extension library that added bounds checking to the string operations. They submitted this extension for addition to the C Standard Library and it became known as TR 24731. After years of acrimony and over the objection of seemingly the majority of the C community, it was added to C11 as an optional facility, Annex K (Bounds-Checking Interfaces). Horton rewrote the relevant sections of the 5th edition to use the Annex K versions exclusively and insists that any right-thinking programmer will follow suit. There is no warning about the limited acceptance of Annex K.
Due to this issue, while I recommend the 4th edition as a decent beginner's text, I don't recommend the 5th. To be fair, the 5th edition is the only book I know of at the moment that has sections (however brief) on uchar.h and threads.h.
Danemanon October 1, 2013
Great learning tool!
Who am I? I have messed with computers since my TRS-80 Model III back in the 80's when I was a kid. For two years, I was a computer science major in college in the early 90's. Back then, I learned BASIC, Pascal, Cobol, & Fortran. I know Pascal fairly well.
Right now, I am mostly a high-end user of computers in my work. I decided to get back into the art of programming somewhat for fun & also as a way to integrate some of the at knowledge in what I do know, which is work in social services. I decided that I was going to learn C.
It was available back in the 90's when I when to school and had wanted to learn about what others had told me is a powerful language. I get that C is not used as much since the advent of C++, C#, and Objective C. Eventually, I want to learn C++ & Objective C, but my old fashioned thinking had it set that I would probably do well to learn C first. I had an old copy of this book by Horton (2nd edition) and it appeared dated.
Decided to spend the money and get an updated copy that I can read on my iPad. This is turning out to be a very informative book. I find it very detailed and fairly easy to read given the fact that I have some knowledge of programming already. Judging from what I read, I think that someone new to programming could probably find it useful as well as he does appear to be following what I learned as sound programming practices. Horton takes the time to explain most everything about the sample programs he uses and the various ways to accomplish the same tasks using different methods. He appears to have natural ability to simplify what is really a rather complex subject.
If there was one thing I would criticize is his over-reliance on the C11 standards. I am limited to the gcc compiler, which only accomodates some of the standards. In fact, in my research, there are few compilers that actually are completely faithful to this standard. While this is not a huge issue, I did find it a bit irritating since that standard is so new and most of the major compilers are not yet there. That is the only complaint that I have about it to date.
So far, i am on chapter 7 and learning about pointers, which is probably one of the most complex things in C. Horton is making it sound pretty manageable. I would recommend this book to novice programmers and for those who have some experience programming and want to learn about C.
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Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional; 1 edition (September 14, 2015)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0321884922
ISBN-13: 978-0321884923M. F. Watson on September 19, 2015
Needs a new editor
I find it very difficult to give this anything other than 5 stars, as I have found all of Zed's work to be immensely helpful. This book, taken with the beta website and the companion videos, is probably one of the best and quickest crash courses in C available. This book is the quick-and-dirty, yet somehow very clean, way to get you programming in C in an expedited fashion.
However, the one glaring problem with this book is the editing. There are exercises in the book where the program examples have been updated from the beta website, yet the program output examples have been left the same. Added on top of that, some parts of the text will talk about the book version of the program, while others will reference the website version. It's as if whoever was responsible for editing the book got halfway through and then decided to take an early vacation.
I was able to get through with very little problem because I had already used the website extensively before purchasing the book, but I can imagine that this would pose some difficulty for someone new to the language. This urgently needs a reediting and a second edition to iron out the flaws.
Despite the three stars, I still strongly recommend this book, but only when taken along with the videos and the beta website, and only if the reader is willing to take the extra time to go back and forth between the three. I would only ask Zed to take another pass at making the the solid, standalone, programming book that it obviously has the potential to be.
Amazon Customer on August 25, 2015
[resolved] Missing important accompanying material.
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase 5 of 5 people found this review helpful
Interesting concept. I am a big fan of Zed Shaw's Learn Python the Hard Way. It's a great method that fits well with how I like to learn.So I purchased the Kindle version of the "Learn C the Hard Way". But right of the start the author emphasizes the importance of "accompanying videos" which are integral to the book, and they are nowhere to be found.
There is a section in later chapters of the book with a procedure on how to get the videos but after registering and following the procedure on the Informit website the book links to, I did not get a download link.
I opened a support ticket with Informit and 2 days later got a response with a suggestion I contact Amazon. Pretty poor experience if you ask me.
I just needed a quick refresher since I hadn't used C in some years, so I opted for a different book instead due to the issues of missing accompanying material of this book.
EDIT**: The curse of the "early adopter" strikes back! Read the comment bellow this review. It's from the editor herself. They remedied the issue and now I'm a happy camper! Highly recommend this book. Zed Shaw's method is unique and a very fun way to learn.
Update 8/26/15: The video files are now available. You can access them by following the instructions on the "Where Are the Companion Content Files?" page at the end of your eBook. If you have any additional problems, please do reach out to me directly: [email protected]. Apologies once again for the inconvenience.
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Paperback: 600 pages
Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional; 4 edition (August 28, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0321776410
ISBN-13: 978-0321776419
Product Dimensions: 7 x 1.4 x 8.9 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (27 customer reviews)Scanf on September 22, 2014
False advertizing
The blurb states, "All the features of the C language are covered in this book, including the latest additions added with the C11 standard." This is not true at all. In the whole book, I counted just six sentences that were added to mention the existence of C11. In fact, the 4th edition is essentially identical to the 3rd.
I rated the 3rd edition highly and still do. This is an elementary introduction and the new features of C11 are things that would not naturally be covered at this level. The one-star rating is because of the false claim and because the changes to the text are really too trivial to justify printing a new edition.
Darren Kirby on November 10, 2014
so I'd probably not recommend purchasing the fourth edition if you already have the ...
I have a dead-tree version of the third edition which has served me well over the years. I was interested to see the changes for the fourth edition, so I obtained a PDF version. The fourth introduces a few new concepts and features related to the newest C11 standard, however, these additions could be quickly referenced using the net alone, so I'd probably not recommend purchasing the fourth edition if you already have the third. There is not a lot of new content.
If you don't own a previous version however, then this book makes a great introduction to programming in C. The author claims that no previous programming experience is assumed, but the text is certainly not 'dummied down', new concepts are presented and demonstrated somewhat tersely before moving on to the next. I realize this may be necessary to keep the book from being 1000+ pages, but I have to think it may move a bit too fast for someone with no previous programming experience. I think it is probably perfect for those with at least some knowledge of higher-level languages such as Python or Ruby.
The code examples are all self-contained free standing programs which can be compiled and run. As with most programming texts, this means the examples can be quite contrived. I have noticed some newer programming texts use a sort of overlying 'project' to introduce code examples. The project is re-factored and improved as new concepts are introduced, resulting in a non-trivial program by the end of the book. I am not sure if this is a 'better' way to learn by any metric, but it does solve the problem of contrived examples.
I very much like the design and layout of this book. The fonts chosen for the text and code examples are clean and legible. There are no text boxes, asides, 'warnings' etc segregated from the main text breaking up the flow. Nothing but top-level content throughout the entire text.
The text is complete. It covers the entirety of the C language, which while reminding us how amazingly compact C is, may leave some of the more important and complicated aspects with too little coverage. Unlike many C texts however, I am rather pleased with the coverage on pointers, a VERY important concept which is often given short shrift in C texts. Here we have a full chapter of over 40 pages. Again, as with most introductory texts on C, the Standard Library (necessary to write almost anything useful) does not get enough coverage, just a quick reference to some of the common headers in an appendix.
Appendix A, on the other hand, provides a very useful quick-reference for C features for after you have worked through the book and just need a quick reminder on matters of syntax. Chapter 18 (Object-Oriented Programming) seems unnecessary to me. It introduces a few OOP concepts with some examples in Objective-C and C++. I am unsure of its purpose here. It is much to short to even begin to cover OOP, and thus may just be confusing to a beginner.
So, would I recommend this book to a complete programming novice? Yes, with caveats. You will not learn C just by reading this book. The author recommends downloading the example code and running it. I would recommend manually typing in the code and running it. The simple act of writing the code is very important IMO for wrapping your head around the concepts presented. You will not learn much copying and pasting. I would also recommend working through all of the problem sets at the end of each chapter. Again, you will learn much more by doing than just passively reading. Personally, I am certainly no C expert, but I do work on non-trivial C projects from time to time, and though I have several C titles on my bookshelf, Programming in C is the one I reach for when I need a refresher on some topic.
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December 6, 2013 | Amazon.com
Paperback: 1080 pages
Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional; 6 edition (December 6, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0321928423
ISBN-13: 978-0321928429
Product Dimensions: 7 x 2.4 x 9 inches
Shipping Weight: 3.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)Steven on December 20, 2013
An Excellent Book on C Programming.
A preface about my programming knowledge: I am an experienced C programmer (since 2001) and have programmed for Linux, DOS, Windows, Palm OS, Mac OS X, and a few other systems (including my own OS). I have experience programming for x86, PowerPC, MIPS, ARM, and some SPARC. I also know C++, Java, and Pascal.
As for my review of the book, I have read the first 5 chapters of this book then skimmed the remaining portions of the book stopping at various unspecified locations to read the text. I have spotted an error or two but as long as you read enough of the surrounding text you should be able to figure out what it should be.
The text is descriptive and concise, it covers the current topic at hand with good context and detail. There are forward references to later concepts you will read about in later chapters, however when they are used it is not in a way that would confuse you if you never have programmed C before. I have not found any imposing of stylistic issues such as whether to use tabs or spaces, curly braces on the next line or same line, asterisk placement, etc., although the book sticks to one style (except in the cases to show valid programs formatted differently).
There are many different implementations of C and 3 major versions of C such as C89, C99, and C11. This book differentiates between such standards to inform you of whether a feature is part of C89, C99, or C11. The oldest standard throughout the book is C89 at least so you will not find K&R style function declarations. There are also mentions to note that if you run into trouble, such as compilation errors, that your compiler supports too old of a standard.
As for implementations and systems, the book says that you should not expect one system to be the same as another, which is something that I like. There is a short reference at the back of the book as per the functions in the standard library along with information on which standard it is available for.
So in short, whether you are very new to programming or an old pro, this is a good book to have in your library.
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Nuey (San Francisco, CA USA)
Awesome!, March 23, 2005
I was still left scratching my head after having read twice and attempting the problems in K&R. Literally, I was excited as I read Kochan's book. His presentation is so clear, with the right balance of explanation and examples without being too wordy/vague/simplistic (SAMS C in 21 Days) or too terse (K&R).
This book is an excellent introduction to C language (covering all the fundamentals and then some) with some consideration on good programming practices. I'm happy to see they've released a new edition.
After Kochan definitely consider any or all of the following:
C Traps and Pitfalls, Expert C Programming, C Companion, C Puzzle Book, and Memory as a Programming Concept in C/C++. Cheers!
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- Paperback: 984 pages
- Publisher: Sams Publishing; 5 edition (December 3, 2004)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0672326965
- ISBN-13: 978-0672326967
- Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 2 x 9.1 inches
- Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds
Charles Ashbacher , Marion, Iowa
A for content, F for the lack of differences from the 4th, January 4, 2005
In the fall of 2004, I used the fourth edition of "C Primer Plus" as the text for my class in introductory programming in C.
Although I was not part of the decision to use it, I found it to be more than satisfactory. The explanations are detailed and the order of the coverage is appropriate, although like almost everyone else, I altered the order of presentation a bit. It covers what we commonly refer to as "plain vanilla C"; in other words programs run from a command line interface. The coverage is complete, everything that one would cover in any beginning course in C is present. The exercises and programming examples are generally well done, and the answers to the review questions are included.
In looking through the fifth edition, I found very little that was different from the fourth edition. The order of the material and the explanations are almost identical. Therefore, my evaluation of the book is a bit different. I give it poor marks as a new edition, as I did not see anything that justified publishing a new edition.
However, since the fourth edition worked so well, this one is also a good choice for learning C. Therefore, my rating of this book is simultaneously an A for content and an F in terms of being justified.
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Hardcover: 640 pages
Publisher: Apress; 4 edition (October 20, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1590597354
ISBN-13: 978-1590597354Neil G. Matthews on December 13, 2010
Excellent Introduction to C
This book is written in a Course Reference Text style with clearly worked examples, chapter summaries and exercises (with code and solutions to exercises on line), explaining and reinforcing code usage. I can recommend this book to anyone wishing to learn or re-acquaint themselves with C. The clear code explanations enable the author to include some clever coding techniques, e.g. the conditional operator ?: with the examples providing a useful basis for your own coding efforts.
Coding examples in the book are not specific to Windows or Unix/Linux/Mac, though a Windows example is included to show how to escape the "\" character in file path strings. Examples are well chosen with alternative approaches (e.g. pointer and non-pointer solutions) provided to solve a given programming challenge as new material is covered. Larger example programs are fleshed out as you work through the chapter illustrating the code development process. Some of the programs become quite sophisticated, such as a full Othello game.
The book commences with an outline chapter of how a C program is produced, the components of a C program and the design, implementation and testing process. Chapter 2 goes in to detail on the different C variable types, how they use memory and how the compiler handles conversions between variable types. The different options available in C to make decisions are covered in Chapter 3, which feeds into the different loop constructs in Chapter 4.
Arrays are introduced in Chapter 5, which naturally extends into how strings and text are managed in Chapter 6. This naturally segues into pointer usage in Chapter 7, and how this can be used as an alternate (and often better way) of manipulating arrays. Pointer usage is appropriately given a large amount of coverage in the book, with the pointer chapter comprising 10 percent of the book and subsequent chapters building on the foundations of this chapter.
Chapter 8 looks at the importance of structuring your program using functions, how variable scope assists with compartmentalising your program development and maintenance, how to pass and return data and how pointers can assist with this process, with Chapter 9 going into greater depth on functions. Input from the keyboard and output to the screen and printer are covered in chapter 10, which introduces input and output streams and character formatting. Formatted and binary file reading, writing and updating is provided in chapter 12 (about 10% of the book).
Data structures are covered well in chapter 11, showing the power of using pointers to structure members. How to share memory between variables is covered as is how to define your own data types. Those with a specific interest in embedded programming, where storage is tight and techniques to change and access bits in an I/O register will be disappointed with the brief coverage of bit-fields. The book is rounded out with a final chapter on the supporting features you should be looking for in your C programming IDE, with preprocessor macros, directives, conditional compilation and debugging methods covered along with a brief foray into date and time library functions.
There are four Appendices followed by a 33 page index.
A. Computer Arithmetic - binary and hexadecimal numbers, negative binary numbers, Big and Little Endian Systems and Floating Point numbers
B. ASCII Character Code Definitions - but no mention of unicode, despite unicode formatting being covered in the text.
C. Reserved Words in C - the power of C is ably demonstrated by the fact that so much can be done with just 37 reserved words!
D. Input and Output Format Specifications (this is a useful reference supporting the many worked examples provided in several chapters)My only complaint is that here are more errors in this book (albeit minor) than I'd expect in a Fourth Edition. Book errata is available on line and the author did respond to some errors I submitted.
A. comjean "acomj" (boston)
5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding, June 24, 2010
I went back to C programming after programming in other languages for a bit. This book gives excellent and clear explanations of concepts, including pointers/strings and arrays. The book has many example programs in each chapter are well thought out and make the concepts clear.
This would be an excellent book to learn from or if your going back to C from some time away. Despite the Beginning C title it covers a lot of topic (preprocessing/# defines etc.). It mainly covers C syntax and isn't a how to design a program kind of book.
I find it makes an excellent reference as well and I reach for it more often than the other C books I have which are both decent , Kernighan and Richie book and the more advanced. "C: A Reference Manual (5th Edition)" .
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- Paperback: 661 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 1.66 x 8.96 x 7.16
- Publisher: Lightspeed Books, an imprint of The Cτtι Literary Group; (February 1, 2002)
- ISBN: 1929175264
- In-Print Editions: Library Binding | All Editions
About the Author
Dr. N. S. Kutti has been teaching computer science courses for more than two decades and is now writing textbooks in the United States and abroad. His research interests include real-time systems, operating systems, distributed systems, and programming. Dr. Kutti is also the co-author of Data Structures in C++, published by Prentice-Hall, Inc.Book Description
Reviewers of the earlier version of this book credited it with both an original approach and creative explanations for the various concepts. This comprehensive new edition covers both C and Unix programming. It follows the ANSI standard in C programming and the POSIX standard in Unix programming, which makes the text a useful tool for writing programs for industry.Using numerous examples, C and Unix Programming: A Comprehensive Guide explains the basic concepts of the C language by creating the C-Virtual Machine, a unique, effective approach to helping students grasp technical ideas.
Everyone from high school graduates who are interested in programming to IT professionals, scientists, researchers, and other sophisticated computer users will benefit from the techniques and examples provided.
Among its many key features, this book:
- Details the concepts and ANSI features of C and its high-level application programming support
- Explains the powerful features of C to Unix-like system programming
- Describes C functions under many different topics
- Explains composite data structures, power of C pointers, and dynamic store management
- Presents the differences between I/O facilities - at both the application level (ANSI-C I/O) and the system call level (Unix-like I/O)
- Provides an overview of systems programming concepts and explains Unix kernel and system-level file and process management.
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Paperback - 1136 pages (June 2, 2000)
Computing McGraw-Hill; ISBN: 0070217483
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Textbook Binding - 500 pages 1 edition (March 1, 2000)
Addison-Wesley Pub Co; ISBN: 0201702797 ; Dimensions (in inches): 1.08 x 9.06 x 7.36
Amazon.com Sales Rank: 727,258
Avg. Customer Review:
Number of Reviews: 1
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768 pages 1 edition (December 22, 1999)
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Paperback - 1344 page, Sams
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Prev version was published in 1988 !!Almost Guinness style gap between first and second edition. Exactly like Fortran 88 and 99 standards ;-)
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- Hardcover: 479 pages
- Publisher: Springer; 1999 edition (June 4, 1999)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0387986324
- ISBN-13: 978-0387986326
J. Montoya on July 11, 2006
CAUTION!
This is possibly the best book I've ever seen for engineers and scientists trying to learn how to program in C. However, supplementary material that aids in learning examples found in this book no longer exist. I wrote the author an email asking why his website for his c-code examples no longer exist, and I was informed that the book is "too old!" Without the supplementary material I need, I'm sure I will have a difficult time learning chapter 3 when it requires c-code created in chapter 6.
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- Hardcover: 496 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 1.15 x 9.55 x 7.33
- Publisher: Springer Verlag; (June 1999)
- ISBN: 0387986324
- Average Customer Review:
Based on 1 review.
- Amazon.com Sales Rank: 593,145
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Hardcover (February 1998)
Pws Pub Co; ISBN: 0534951236
Number of Reviews: 1A reader
Very well written Data Structures text! May 28, 1999
This is an incredibly rich Data Structure text presented in a easy to read and straightforward manner. The text layout is appealing to the eye with lots of supporting pictures, diagrams, tables, Pseudocode algorithms, and program code. The Pseudocode is general for any language yet closely relates to C.
The program code is in C. The Pseudo code logic covers all data structures very well. ~J Franzmeier
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Hardcover - 380 pages (March 1999)
Springer Verlag; ISBN: 0387986324
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Kenneth A. Reek, / Paperback / Published 1997
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Paperback - 448 pages 1 edition (July 28, 1993)
Prentice Hall; ISBN: 0138768897 ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.77 x 9.22 x 7.00Joseph D. Bissell([email protected] from University of Delaware):
This is an excellent book about SPARC Assembly Language.For anyone interested in learning about the SPARC Architecture/Instruction Set (and RISC machines in general) this book is invaluable. It is especially useful for optimizing iterative and decision making C/C++ constructs. In fact, if one follows the tenets espoused in this book, one can learn to hand optimize time-critical sections of C/C++ code that is better than that produced by gcc or cc - the aversion of the UNIX community to write any code in assembly language notwithstanding.
The book really delivers what its rather verbose title implies. That is, a really outstanding feature of the text is the way in which the author translates the standard C/C++ constructs to their low-level counterparts. He does this in stages - creating a variety of examples that progress from functional but grossly inefficient code fragments up to superbly succinct variants. I have used this book in a one semester undergraduate course at the University of Delaware for three years and have also used excerpts from it when I have taught the MIPS Architecture. There is no other book that treats RISC (or CISC) architecture from Professor Paul's relational premise, with which I totally agree. Having taught INTEL stuff for 10+ years, I firmly believe that much of its content could be effectively utilized in CISC courses. The book is also used as the secondary text in the graduate compiler course at U.D.
The book is not without flaws, most of which are because of an incredible number of typographical errors - I have counted over 60 just involving commas! Hopefully the new edition which I believe is due to be published soon will have been edited/typeset with more care. Also, there are some minor changes to the gnu software (gdb and gcc) that need to be upgraded.
March 22, 1988 | Prentice Hall PTR
Paperback: 274 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.78 x 9.22 x 7.02
2nd edition
ISBN: 0131103628
Other Editions: Hardcover (2nd) | All Editions
Average Customer Review:
Based on 186 reviews.
Eric Kent:
Yes, this is the classic text on C, but in 2003, there are better books. If you want to know what went on in the designers mind in the creation of C, get this book.A reader (New York, USA)If you need a tutorial about C, there are better choices.
HiRez (from California, USA ):not the best, June 26, 2002
with all due respect to K&R, i have to point out that there are better C programming books for beginners. <C a software engineering approach>(3ed), is a good example: it does a better job cleaning the dusty corners of C.
for this K&R's book, one thing i don't understand is that they seem to be obssessed with using string processing functions as examples. the matter of fact is, the C standard library does a lousy job processing strings: most of the string processing functions are type unsafe and tedious to use.
as for why C is so popular (hence this book), one is because C is relatively easy to learn and use, compared with C++, ML etc. the other reason is that unix and most unix libraries are written in C. but with virtual machine around the corner, it's time to move one level up. even though i use C all the time for writing compilers and kernel drivers, other languages like java/ ML/ python/ lisp are much more fun to use.
casenagi (Peoria, AZ. United States )Great Reference Book, Beginners Look Elsewhere, October 30, 2002
"The C Programming Language" is NOT a book for beginning programmers, or for those very new to C who wish to learn gradually. It is not much of a tutorial. It's written for either very experienced programmers coming from other languages, or for those who know the basics of C and need a reference book. The descriptions and examples are terse, and the learning curve is steep. Once you are comfortable programming in C, however, this is the one book you want next to you (and it will likely be the ONLY reference book you will ever need for straight ANSI C). Since it was written by the original authors of the C language, it's hard to imagine anyone being more authoritative on the subject, and although there's little hand-holding, it is well-written and pleasant enough to read through cover-to-cover. When you're ready to really get your hands dirty, do not hesitate to order this book.
I got this book and tried to use it to learn C. I got very frustrated and eventually went out and bought "C by Example" which is more of a beginners type book. After getting my feet wet with the basic concepts I came back to this book and could actually use it to learn from.
If you have no programming experience than I do not reccommend this as your first book. Get a more introductory book first and then dive into the K&R book.
| Absolute Beginner's Guide to C | C Programming in 12 Easy Lessons |
Amazon price: $19.99
Paperback - 500 pages (December 13, 1999)
Que Education & Training; ISBN: 0789722399 ;
Avg. Customer Review:
Number of Reviews: 13
I think programming is easier that it looks to folks who haven't tried it, and I enjoy trying to make programming more approachable for beginners. My primary interest and motivation in writing lies in finding better ways to communicate the ideas -- to simplify them as much as possible, and to put them in an understandable context. I get a real kick out of every reader that writes in to Wrox saying they thought one of my books was great.
1
- Paperback: 525 pages
- Publisher: Wrox Press; 2nd edition (August 1997)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1861001142
- ISBN-13: 978-1861001146
- Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 7 x 1.5 inches
Paperback, 525pp
[email protected] (Pensacola, FL) , November 10, 1998
Generally a good beginning text
I've taught C classes using this as the textbook and find the students generally receptive to the book. As a previous reviewer mentioned some of the things the author does (such as define main with a void return type) are not correct, and he picks up the pace of coverage significantly in difficult areas such as pointers.
If you do buy this book, buy a good reference book such as "The C Programming Language" by Kernighan and Ritchie to go with it. Many library functions are not well documented in the Horton book.
If you know nothing about C and want to pick it up on your own, this book is one of the best I've seen at making it approachable. Its few errors are just (relatively) minor annoyances.
- Paperback: 432 pages
- Publisher: Sams Publishing; 2 edition (April 18, 1994)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0672305100
- ISBN-13: 978-0672305108
Carl A. Schreiber on August 10, 2000
Buy this book if you don't know where to start
Just wanted to add my name to the list of highly satisfied purchasers of this book. This is an excellent programming book for beginners, even if you have never programmed before. I originally started out with K&R C, but it was just too dry. Perry's book gives you the basics and the confidence to move on to more advanced books (like K&R C, Pointer on C, etc).
The only downside to the book is that there are no "problems" to work out. (Sure you can put his code in and watch it run--but where is the problem-solving in that?) However, there are numerous Computer Science Departments out there that do post their course work problems on the Net which can be easily downloaded and printed. Although, few also post the answers, so...good luck :)Watch out for the chapters on getchar() and getch(). getch() only gets a page or two of explanation and leaves a hapless beginner to founder. K&R C did help here at this point, takes some hacking away at it, but it comes eventually. (Or maybe it will come really quickly and you'll think, that tripped him up? What a geek!)
Lastly, don't waste your hard-earned cash on a fancy-smancy C compiler. There are lots of good (and free) C compilers out there (GNU's gcc, borland DOS-based from [...] etc). Pick one, spend some time learning the switches and optimizations on it and then get to coding.
From there on out it is just code, code and code. And then debug...and debug...and debug...cry...and debug...
After this book I recommend cutting your teeth on K&R C (there's a reason they call it the C Bible). You can easily see the basics you picked up with Perry in K&R. It was a big help for me when I could see something familiar in the concepts and was able trudge on through.
NO LONGER A BEGINNER
I read this book, and shortly after began my own little business of C/C++ programming! This book is excellent, and if you use it right, can help you in many ways!
Paperback / Published 1997
Donald Alcock / Paperback / Published 1994
Format: Spiral bound paperback, 2nd ed., 222pp.
ISBN: 0521468213
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Pub. Date: June 1994From the reader review:
I got an "A" in my C course. And I used 5 text books. The ONLY textbook that really helped was Alcock's "Illustrating C". It uses diagrams in a truly "revolutionary" way that really helps understanding. It's like moving from black and white to colour. The intention is to provide the student with a set of course notes, complete with instructor black-board diagrams -- only better. It really works. It's enjoyable. Did I mention I got an "A"? I hope that other textbook writers pick up on Mr. Alcock's unique style! Bravo
Table of Contents
Preface Ch. 0 Starting from Zero 1
Ch. 1 An Overview of C 5
Ch. 2 Lexical Elements, Operators, and the C System 69
Ch. 3 The Fundamental Data Types 107
Ch. 4 Flow of Control 147
Ch. 5 Functions 197
Ch. 6 Arrays, Pointers, and Strings 245
Ch. 7 Bitwise Operators and Enumeration Types 331
Ch. 8 The Preprocessor 365
Ch. 9 Structures and Unions 407
Ch. 10 Structures and List Processing 447
Ch. 11 Input/Output and the Operating System 493
Ch. 12 Advanced Applications 555
Ch. 13 Moving from C to C++ 593
Ch. 14 Moving from C to Java 625
App. A The Standard Library 641
App. B Language Syntax
Preface 1 Introduction 1 2 Concepts 11 3 Components 27 4 Control 51 5 Organization 65 6 Pointers, Arrays, Strings 79 7 Input, Output 107 8 Structures, Unions 125 9 Dynamic Storage 143 10 Library 163 11 Summaries 195 Bibliography 209 Index 210
| C: Step-by-step | Beginning C |
Paperback - 629 pages (April 1989)
Sams; ISBN: 0672226510 ; Dimensions (in inches): 1.10 x 9.17 x 7.39
Amazon.com Sales Rank: 106,932
Avg. Customer Review:
Number of Reviews: 2
Preface Acknowledgements Trademarks 1 C and Programming 1 2 Introducing C 21 3 Data and C 45 4 Character Strings and Formatted Input/Output 77 5 Operators, Expressions, and Statements 113 6 C Control Staing 151 7 C Control Statements: Branching and Jumps 197 8 Character Input/Output and Redirection 239 9 Functions 273 10 Arrays and Pointers 313 11 Character Strings and String Functions 353 12 File Input/Output 395 13 Storage Classes and Program Development 429 14 Structures and Other Data Forms 465 15 Bit Fiddling 507 16 The C Preprocessor and the C Library 529 App. A - Additional Reading 569 App. B - C Operators 571 App. C - Basic Types and Storage Classes 579 App. D - Expressions, Statements, and Program Flow 583 App. E - ASCII Table 591 App. F - Standard I/O Functions (ANSI C) 595 Answers to Odd-Numbered Review Questions 599 Index 617
Paperback - 726 pages 4th edition (January 1998)
Addison-Wesley Pub Co; ISBN: 0201183994 ;You can read an interview with Ira Pohl.
Preface Ch. 0 Starting from Zero 1
Ch. 1 An Overview of C 5
Ch. 2 Lexical Elements, Operators, and the C System 69
Ch. 3 The Fundamental Data Types 107
Ch. 4 Flow of Control 147
Ch. 5 Functions 197
Ch. 6 Arrays, Pointers, and Strings 245
Ch. 7 Bitwise Operators and Enumeration Types 331
Ch. 8 The Preprocessor 365
Ch. 9 Structures and Unions 407
Ch. 10 Structures and List Processing 447
Ch. 11 Input/Output and the Operating System 493
Ch. 12 Advanced Applications 555
Ch. 13 Moving from C to C++ 593
Ch. 14 Moving from C to Java 625
App. A The Standard Library 641
App. B Language Syntax lore. There is a very minimal amount of code in the book. Learning the correct way to free a singly-linked list and how to declare arrays and function pointers is by no means in the "expert" category in my opinion. Much of the material in this book is presented in a first semester course on programming and all of the topics that are superficially covered in this tiny book are better explained in other books.I found about 4 to 5 pages of useful information in the book and the rest was just fluf. If you want to learn about operating systems, assembly language, pointers and dynamic memory management, data structures, or algorithms, then get books that deal with topics explicitly. You wont find that kind of information in this little book. This book concerns itself with topics that show how to unscramble poorly written code like: z = y+++x; I dont know anyone who writes code like that!
If your still having trouble with arrays and pointers, then this book can be of help, otherwise I dont think the price of this book is justified.
Mike Vanier ([email protected]) from Pasadena, California , March 18, 1999 ****
Generally excellent, but marred by lots of typos
This book is an extremely valuable discussion of a variety of topics about the C language that are poorly described in other books, ranging from how to read complicated typedefs to how your C program compiles and runs on the computer. The material on C++ is quite dated (the book dates from 1994). However, the most annoying thing is the large number of typos. There is a whole figure missing on one page, and there are numerous smaller typos (mostly obvious) throughout the text. There are two big errata sheets on the author's web site for prevt the author's offer to pay $1 for mistakes in the book reported to him DOES NOT apply to typos, only to technical corrections.[email protected] , September 11, 1998 *
Dark star: Burned out Slag!
I you really find anything in this book very helpful you'll never make it as a C programmer. Any reasonablly bright programmer can figure out everything in this book fairly quickly. If you want to learn C study the standard library and emulate it. Pay attention to th details, to the way pointers are used, etc. Learn tactics to eliminate any habitual errors you're making and read the code listings in magazines. If you run accross mangle code like this book deciphers, fire the programmer or find another job! Professionalism prohibits one from writing obscure and ill-convieved code such as this. There is one absolute truth in programming, badly written code stems from poorly understanding the problem. (Not from the language you're using!) Study the problem until you understand it well enough to explain it easily to someone else and your code will magically become simple, fast, efficient and elegant. If you want a good laugh buy a comic book, its cheaper and more targeted to that end.*** Programming in ANSI C by Stephen G. Kochan, 1994
Solid but there are better general (university level) books on C. Often can be bought with 50% discount.
**+ C : A Software Engineering Approach by Peter A. Darnell, Philip E. Margolis,1996
Contains good introduction to pointers...
Practical C Programming (Nutshell Handbook) by Steve Oualline,1997
**+ C by Discovery by L.S. Foster
Expensive university style book. The author does not have a real grasp of the language as a whole, so the language is presented as a sequence of non related elements that one needs to know. Very dull, boring with vulgar and non-related to topics illustrations. Very bad typographic quality. IMHO not suitable for self-study. Probably can be OK in a university environment with a strong professor, but even in this case you better buy another one.
C on Unix
The C-Unix Programmer's Guide by Jason W. BaconPaperback: 670 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 1.50 x 9.75 x 7.00Publisher: Acadix Software & Consulting; (April 1999)
ISBN: 0967059607
the author
Why I wrote "The C/Unix Programmer's Guide", April 8, 1999 When I started teaching C at UW-Milwaukee, students would often come to me with simple questions about library functions, using "make", and the like. Not being one to give up answers easily, my first response was usually "did you check the man page?" In response, students would often say things like, "yes, but the language it's written in isn't offered at this school". After a short time, I began to think, "Hey, wouldn't it be nice if someone wrote a book about this stuff?". We looked around, couldn't find one, and resigned ourselves to using generic C books, along with two additional recommended books, which were grossly underutilized, and really cut into the students' entertainment budget. A few years later, I thought to myself, "Hey, wouldn't it be nice if someone wrote a book about this stuff?" (Dejavu!) Then it hit me that SOMEONE had to take action, and that's how "The C/Unix Programmer's Guide" came to be.
I've programmed on many different platforms over the past 18 years, and C and Unix provide the most enjoyable environment I've found. I hope you'll find this book helpful in getting you into Unix programming, so you can share in the experience!
ANNMARIE K MANZITTI from Saint Clair Shores,The C Unix Programmer's Guide was the only book I could find that provided useful background information as well as thoughtful, applicable coding examples. What impressed me most is the fact that all the information found in the man pages on C as well as further insight was combined into an easily readable and searchable format. As a student of computer science, I was familiar with Borland/Microsoft C++, but I had no previous experience with C or Unix. This book helped me get an A (one of three) in Operating Systems! While my classmates struggled on assignments, I was able to find exactly what I needed to complete the assignments on time. I truly believe that without this book I would not have performed nearly as well. Thank you Mr. Bacon for writing such a great book!Sams Teach Yourself C for Linux Programming in 21 Days by by Erik de Castro Lopo, Bradley L. Jones, Peter G. Aitken
Table of contentsPaperback - 768 pages 1 edition (December 22, 1999)
Sams; ISBN: 0672315971 ; Dimensions (in inches): 1.80 x 9.08 x 7.40
Geoff Thornton (see more about me) from Oakey, Australia***** Right on TargetI have been learning C++ for a while on a linux platform, and started to look at some C stuff in the kernel and other programs to broaden my knowledge. I saw that that although C++ is derived from C it doesn't necessarily do stuff the same way, so I picked up this book. It was right on the mark! and explained some peculiar C stuff right away and in a good easy to read style. It consolidated my knowledge well an added to my understanding, particularly with pointers to pointers by including well thought out text and pictures well done. It also provides a good tutorial into basic GCC usage and the peculirities of programming for Linux, I recomend it.
***** EXCELLENT TUTORIAL
Aside from teaching myself BASIC on my Commodore 64 way-back-when...this is the first programming language I have learned and I owe it all to this book. It is fantastic. Step-by-step, they take you from defining/describing what C is, to writing real-world programs.
You would do well to ignore the ignorant reviewers who complain about the title "21 days" (or 24 hours). These people are only looking for excuses. All the 'Teach yourself in 21 Days' books should be seen as 21 LESSONS (and the 24 hours as 24 LESSONS). Could I do it in 21 days? Yes, following the book's plan I could. Easily. But, I have a full time job, family, etc. and these factors can NOT be held accountable by the authors. 21 Excellent Lessons.
Days, Hours, months...whatever YOUR pace is, this book does an EXCELLENT job of teaching you what you need to know to write real-world, practical C Programs. I first learned Unix with using of the 'Teach yourself' books and have been a devoted reader ever since.
Some days I have time to go through 2 lessons while other times a single lesson may take me a day or 2 due to time constraints. Bottom line: I LEARNED C FROM THIS BOOK AND YOU CAN TOO.
I am NOT a computer science major. I am a self-taught Linux hacker who never wrote a line of code (except for a little BASIC 15 years ago) and I am now writing C code and tinkering with Open Source programs. (I'm running Slackware and Debian, if you were wondering).
Other tutorials are fine but many assume you are using Windows 95/98. "C is C is C", but this book is written in 'Linuxland' for Linux users; GCC is carefully explained and used here. I use and love the Nedit editor which was one of several recommended in the book.
New to C? Or want a fresh start from the beginning while in a Linux environment? GET THIS BOOK and digest all 21 LESSONS at your own pace!
Glibc : A Comprehensive Reference to Gnu/Linux Libc by Jeff Garzik, 2000
**** Advanced Unix Programming by Marc J. Rochkind,1986
**** Unix Systems Programming for Svr4 (Nutshell Handbook) by David A. Curry,1996
??? [ June 14, 1999] The C/Unix Programmer's Guide by Jason W. Bacon
[ June 14, 1999] Unix System Programming : A Programmer's Guide to Software Development by Keith Haviland, 1999
Previous version was published in 1988 ! Candidate for Guinness record -- 11 year since the first edition.
It Would be Interesting to Read the Following Books
??? C for Yourself : Learning C Using Experiments ~
Usually ships in 24 hours Richard P. Halpern / Paperback / Published 1997
Amazon price: $36.00
Interesting approach which to a certain extent (and with certain success) was used by Bruce Eckel in his Thinking in C++ and Thinking in java books...
??? Illustrating C : (Ansi/Iso Version)
Donald Alcock / Paperback / Published 1994
Amazon Price: $24.95Format: Spiral bound paperback, 2nd ed., 222pp.
ISBN: 0521468213
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Pub. Date: June 1994So far I saw only one decently illustrated C book -- C by example. By there should be C -books for the visual thinker like me. I believe a picture is worth a thousand words. In this book drawings are used to illustrate important concepts and constructs. Includes complete list of ANSI standard library functions with prototypes and descriptions. Good examples of linked lists, b-trees, stacks, etc. From the reader review:
I got an "A" in my C course. And I used 5 text books. The ONLY textbook that really helped was Alcock's "Illustrating C". It uses diagrams in a truly "revolutionary" way that really helps understanding. It's like moving from black and white to colour. The intention is to provide the student with a set of course notes, complete with instructor black-board diagrams -- only better. It really works. It's enjoyable. Did I mention I got an "A"? I hope that other textbook writers pick up on Mr. Alcock's unique style! Bravo
Table of Contents
Preface 1 Introduction 1 2 Concepts 11 3 Components 27 4 Control 51 5 Organization 65 6 Pointers, Arrays, Strings 79 7 Input, Output 107 8 Structures, Unions 125 9 Dynamic Storage 143 10 Library 163 11 Summaries 195 Bibliography 209 Index 210
There are several other sources of advanced C programming knowledge then books devoted directly to C:
Addison-Wesley
Hardcover / Published 1992
Classic book.
David R. Hanson / Paperback / Published 1997
Average Customer Review:
TOCHome page for C Interfaces and Implementations
This is the most impressive advanced C book. Devid Hanson is the author of
lccA retargetable C compiler (with Chris Fraser, the author of copt, a simple, retargetable peephole optimizer).Please visit the author Home page
Reviewer: [email protected] from San Francisco, CA August 4, 1999
Clearly written and well organized, this book presents more than 20 _highly_ useful library interfaces for containers, string management, mathematics, and memory management. There isn't a line of code in the whole book that you couldn't take and use, verbatim, in a project today --- after reading this book, you'll probably never have a compelling reason to write a string library or a hash table interface again.More importantly, though, each example library illustrates ways to effectively design consistant and useable library interfaces, from generic ADTs to system service wrappers. After reading this book, you'll not only have an arsenal of useful code to leverage, but also a good understanding of how to design clean, modular, reuseable components for your application.
Hanson's C code is extremely clear and concise. Even if you've been programming professionally for a long time, you are likely to pick up a useful technique or two just by reading the source code in the book. If you're not very experienced, you will learn about C programming idioms that will be valuable to you in future work.
I really like how this book, and Hanson's other book ("A Retargetable C Compiler: Design and Implementation") are put together. Hanson employs Literate Programming techniques to weave the code he's discussing together with his discussion. This makes it very simple to track what portions of the code are being talked about at any point
Reviewer: Defang Zhou ([email protected]) from Vermont, USA July 15, 1999
This book is a highway leading you form toy project to real-life project. The author told you exactly what you want when you programming. The book detailed a lot of tricky stuff which would haunted you for a long time before you read this book.
Paperback: 670 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 1.50 x 9.75 x 7.00Publisher: Acadix Software & Consulting; (April 1999)
ISBN: 0967059607
the author
ANNMARIE K MANZITTI from Saint Clair Shores,I've programmed on many different platforms over the past 18 years, and C and Unix provide the most enjoyable environment I've found. I hope you'll find this book helpful in getting you into Unix programming, so you can share in the experience!
The C Unix Programmer's Guide was the only book I could find that provided useful background information as well as thoughtful, applicable coding examples. What impressed me most is the fact that all the information found in the man pages on C as well as further insight was combined into an easily readable and searchable format. As a student of computer science, I was familiar with Borland/Microsoft C++, but I had no previous experience with C or Unix. This book helped me get an A (one of three) in Operating Systems! While my classmates struggled on assignments, I was able to find exactly what I needed to complete the assignments on time. I truly believe that without this book I would not have performed nearly as well. Thank you Mr. Bacon for writing such a great book!
Very good, not perfect, July 23, 2000
The BEST C book this C programmer has ever read!, January 26, 1998
Interesting but not oustanding., July 30, 2003 