A question of taste?
Ray Wallace
I've decide that I need to buy a good book on C, but I'm not sure which
one. I've had a few suggestions and seen a few names crop up repeatedly
in the FAQ list for this group. The only thing is, I'm not sure how up
to date some of them may be and it's hard to decide especially when a
few books are referenced for some problems in the FAQ list.
So, although there definitely isn't going to be an easy answer, and I'll
probably just have to go with whatever is recommended the most, can
anybody tell me if there is one definitive C book to have on your desk
at all times?
Thanks,
Ray
Thomas
Brian W. Kernighan & Dennis M. Ritchie
ISBN 0-13-110362-8
"Ray Wallace" <etx...@tn.etx.ericsson.se> wrote in message
news:39A10D67...@tn.etx.ericsson.se...
NULL
> Hi,
> I've decide that I need to buy a good book on C, but I'm not sure which
> one. I've had a few suggestions and seen a few names crop up repeatedly
> in the FAQ list for this group. The only thing is, I'm not sure how up
> to date some of them may be and it's hard to decide especially when a
> few books are referenced for some problems in the FAQ list.
> So, although there definitely isn't going to be an easy answer, and I'll
> probably just have to go with whatever is recommended the most, can
> anybody tell me if there is one definitive C book to have on your desk
> at all times?
> Thanks,
> Ray
I think that "A Book On C" is the best book about C
^_^
--
[1;32m※ Origin: [33m臺南一中資訊社 科幻魔島 [37m<TFCIS.twbbs.org> [m
[1;31m※ From : [1;36mks0-9.dialup.seed.net.tw [m
Volker Hetzer
>
> "The C Programming Language, Second Edition"
> Brian W. Kernighan & Dennis M. Ritchie
> ISBN 0-13-110362-8
Sorry, by now there have to be better books around.
Greetings!
Volker
--
The early bird gets the worm. If you want something else for
breakfast, get up later.
Mark A. Odell
<39A11E8F...@abg1.siemens.de>:
>Thomas wrote:
>>
>> "The C Programming Language, Second Edition"
>> Brian W. Kernighan & Dennis M. Ritchie
>> ISBN 0-13-110362-8
>You mean the one that has that newfangled ANSI extension in the appendix?
>Sorry, by now there have to be better books around.
No.
--
- Mark (email information at http://www.embeddedfw.com)
Optimize only if it runs too slowly or does not fit, use spaces instead of
tabs.
Ioannis Vranos
Dann Corbit
news:3c6RBh$g...@cisbbs.tnfsh.tn.edu.tw...
> I think that "A Book On C" is the best book about C
There are a lot of defects in that book. If Deja News were functional, you
could get a long list.
--
C-FAQ: http://www.eskimo.com/~scs/C-faq/top.html
"The C-FAQ Book" ISBN 0-201-84519-9
C.A.P. Newsgroup http://www.dejanews.com/~c_a_p
C.A.P. FAQ: ftp://38.168.214.175/pub/Chess%20Analysis%20Project%20FAQ.htm
Dann Corbit
news:39a15...@news2.prserv.net...
> "Teach Yourself C in 21 Days", Peter Aitken, Bradley L. Jones
If you had learned from a better book, you could have saved yourself a lot
of trouble.
Worst C books of all time:
1. Anything by Schildt
2. "C for Dummies" -- apparently, they really meant it.
3. "Mastering C Pointers" by Traisiter (the worst imaginable book on
pointers)
4. Teach Yourself C in <x> days (Several variants are floating around and
all of them are bad)
Tristan Miller
news:Lcdo5.139$o_3.774@client...
> "NULL" <eric...@cisbbs.tnfsh.tn.edu.tw> wrote in message
> news:3c6RBh$g...@cisbbs.tnfsh.tn.edu.tw...
> > I think that "A Book On C" is the best book about C
>
> There are a lot of defects in that book. If Deja News were functional,
you
> could get a long list.
There are? Do tell; I used to use that book all the time and never noticed
any serious flaws. I've since given my copy to a friend of mine who wants
to learn C, and I'd hate to have caused her to start off on the wrong track.
--
Tristan Miller -- http://www.nothingisreal.com
"Close your mouth and not try to make me look fool, you are."
-- Ioannis Vranos
Mark A. Odell
>"Teach Yourself C in 21 Days", Peter Aitken, Bradley L. Jones
Oops! Your name has expired from my killfile, back you go!
--
Warmest regards.
Optimize only if it runs too slowly or does not fit, spaces instead of tabs.
Dann Corbit
news:Ando5.30$vP....@news7.onvoy.net...
> "Dann Corbit" <dco...@solutionsiq.com> wrote in message
> news:Lcdo5.139$o_3.774@client...
> > "NULL" <eric...@cisbbs.tnfsh.tn.edu.tw> wrote in message
> > news:3c6RBh$g...@cisbbs.tnfsh.tn.edu.tw...
> > > I think that "A Book On C" is the best book about C
> >
> > There are a lot of defects in that book. If Deja News were functional,
> you
> > could get a long list.
>
> There are? Do tell; I used to use that book all the time and never
noticed
> any serious flaws. I've since given my copy to a friend of mine who wants
> to learn C, and I'd hate to have caused her to start off on the wrong
track.
I once posted a list of defects. Many of them are not too serious. A large
class of them go away if you assume POSIX [e.g. return 1; for an error
return from main() or exit(1) instead of exit(EXIT_FAILURE);]
I don't have the book here, and I don't feel like going through it again,
but it's not a great C book. It's not an awful one either, but there are
clearly better ones.
Chris Torek
Ray Wallace <etx...@tn.etx.ericsson.se> write:
>So, although there definitely isn't going to be an easy answer, and I'll
>probably just have to go with whatever is recommended the most, can
>anybody tell me if there is one definitive C book to have on your desk
>at all times?
There is only one ... okay, now two, *definitive* books on C: the
ANSI/ISO standards. And indeed, if you are going to use a bunch of
different books, but have only one "on your desk at all times",
the C89 (or maybe C99, but probably not yet) standard is probably
the one to have.
If you were a carpenter, though, would you have only one saw?
Anyone involved in C programming as a trade should probably have
numerous reference works, including multiple books on C language
programming. (Not all of them need be in dead-tree form these days
-- you could have an electronic copy of the FAQ and the C99 standard,
for instance.)
--
In-Real-Life: Chris Torek, Berkeley Software Design Inc
El Cerrito, CA, USA Domain: to...@bsdi.com +1 510 234 3167
http://claw.bsdi.com/torek/ (not always up) I report spam to abuse@.
Richard Heathfield
>
> Hi,
>
> I've decide that I need to buy a good book on C, but I'm not sure which
> one. I've had a few suggestions and seen a few names crop up repeatedly
> in the FAQ list for this group. The only thing is, I'm not sure how up
> to date some of them may be and it's hard to decide especially when a
> few books are referenced for some problems in the FAQ list.
>
> probably just have to go with whatever is recommended the most, can
> anybody tell me if there is one definitive C book to have on your desk
> at all times?
>
> Ray
I hereby post Rick Dearman's list (where /is/ he when you need him?),
without permission but I don't suppose he'll mind too much. This list
has been posted several times before on comp.lang.c without attracting
significant flamage.
GENERAL INTRODUCTION/TUTORIAL:
1) For real beginners looking for a solid introduction:
C Programming: A Modern Approach. K.N.King. W.W.Norton & Company, 1996.
ISBN 0-393-96945-2
2) For somewhat more experienced users looking for a solid introduction:
The C Programming Language, 2nd Ed. Kernigan & Ritchie. Prentice Hall,
1988. ISBN 0-13-110362-8
3) Other recommended introductory books:
C: How to Program, 2nd Ed. Deitel, H.M. & Deitel, P.J. Prentice Hall,
1994. ISBN: 0-13-226119-7
That's it for introductory books, but you may find the rest of Rick's
list useful for future reference:
REFERENCES:
C : A Reference Manual, 4th Ed. Harbison & Steele. Prentice Hall, 1995.
ISBN 0-13-326224-3
The Standard C Library. P.J.Plauger. Prentice Hall, 1992. ISBN
0-13-131509-9
C Programming FAQs Steve Summit Addison-Wesley, 1996. ISBN 0-201-84519-9
ADVANCED TOPICS / FURTHER EXPLORATION:
C Traps and Pitfalls. Andrew Koenig. Addison-Wesley, 1989. ISBN
0-201-17928-8
Expert C Programming: Deep C Secrets, Peter Van Der Linden, Prentice
Hall, 1994. ISBN 0-13-177429-8
Practical C Programming. Steve Oualline. O'Reilly & Associates, 1993.
ISBN 1-56592-035-X
Problem Solving And Program Design In C, 2nd Ed. Hanly & Koffman.
Addison-Wesley, 1996. ISBN 0-201-59063-8
Algorithms in C, 3rd Ed. Robert Sedgewick Addison-Wesley, 1998. ISBN
0-201-31452-5
And, if I might add one to the list? :-)
C Unleashed, by Richard Heathfield, Lawrence Kirby, and (many!) others,
including a few other comp.lang.c regulars; Sams (Macmillan Computer
Publishing), 2000. ISBN 0-672-31896-2
Not a bad book, as it turns out, (although you should be most suspicious
of any chapters written by that Heathfield character). But not a book
for beginners.
--
Richard Heathfield
"Usenet is a strange place." - Dennis M Ritchie, 29 July 1999.
C FAQ: http://www.eskimo.com/~scs/C-faq/top.html
65 K&R Answers: http://users.powernet.co.uk/eton/kandr2/index.html (32
to go)
Len Philpot
<dco...@solutionsiq.com> wrote:
>>Worst C books of all time:
>>1. Anything by Schildt
>>2. "C for Dummies" -- apparently, they really meant it.
>>3. "Mastering C Pointers" by Traisiter (the worst imaginable book on
>>pointers)
>>4. Teach Yourself C in <x> days (Several variants are floating around and
>>all of them are bad)
I think Ted Jensen's Pointers Tutorial (available in Bob Stout's
Snippets, www.snippets.org) is a good, fairly easy-to-digest
basic tutorial. A bonus is that Ted is a very good "explainer"
and is patient, good-natured and ready to answer dumb questions
(at least in my case).
Maybe someday, I'll even feel I understand pointers as well as I
need to ... :)
-- Len Philpot -> l...@philpot.org (personal) <--
----------------> len.p...@cleco.com (work) <--
------ ><> -----> http://philpot.org/ (web) <--
Jack Klein
> "Ioannis Vranos" <not@available> wrote in message
> news:39a15...@news2.prserv.net...
> > "Teach Yourself C in 21 Days", Peter Aitken, Bradley L. Jones
>
> If you had learned from a better book, you could have saved yourself a lot
> of trouble.
>
> Worst C books of all time:
> 1. Anything by Schildt
> 2. "C for Dummies" -- apparently, they really meant it.
> 3. "Mastering C Pointers" by Traisiter (the worst imaginable book on
> pointers)
> 4. Teach Yourself C in <x> days (Several variants are floating around and
> all of them are bad)
Actually, Dann, Aitken & Jones is not bad. They stick to the standard
quite well. I wouldn't rank it with King's "C Programming: A Modern
Approach" or K&R2, but it is better than most of the "Dummies",
"Idiots", and "10 nanoseconds" books.
I own two copies of this book because it was an inexpensive way to
obtain the two different compilers bundled on CD with it at various
times.
I would not specifically recommend anyone run out and buy this book as
their best choice to learn C, but neither would I recommend that
anyone who has it burn it immediately.
Jack Klein
--
Home: http://jackklein.home.att.net
Bob Wightman
<bin...@eton.powernet.co.uk> writes
[snip useful list]
>
>And, if I might add one to the list? :-)
>
>C Unleashed, by Richard Heathfield, Lawrence Kirby, and (many!) others,
>including a few other comp.lang.c regulars; Sams (Macmillan Computer
>Publishing), 2000. ISBN 0-672-31896-2
>
>Not a bad book, as it turns out, (although you should be most suspicious
>of any chapters written by that Heathfield character). But not a book
>for beginners.
<OT>
Richard, when is this actually out? Amazon state that they are still
awaiting release from the publisher.
<\OT>
--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bob Wightman
Richard Heathfield
>
> In article <39A19E57...@eton.powernet.co.uk>, Richard Heathfield
> <bin...@eton.powernet.co.uk> writes
> [snip useful list]
> >
> >And, if I might add one to the list? :-)
> >
> >C Unleashed, by Richard Heathfield, Lawrence Kirby, and (many!) others,
> >including a few other comp.lang.c regulars; Sams (Macmillan Computer
> >Publishing), 2000. ISBN 0-672-31896-2
> >
> >Not a bad book, as it turns out, (although you should be most suspicious
> >of any chapters written by that Heathfield character). But not a book
> >for beginners.
>
> <OT>
>
> Richard, when is this actually out? Amazon state that they are still
> awaiting release from the publisher.
>
> <\OT>
<grimace> Well, I was under the impression that it was already on sale
(in the USA). This doesn't seem to be backed up by anecdotal evidence
(such as, for example, an actual purchase!). Macmillan have provided me
with a wide range of dates, the latest of which was 18th August (i.e.
last week), and this time they sounded kinda convinced. :-)
All I can tell you for /sure/ is that I do know that at least one paper
copy of the book exists, because it's sitting on my desk right now.
I think this is drifting off-topic now, so if you want any more info, I
suggest that comp.lang.c might prefer it if we take the discussion to
email.
Daniel Haude
the book so you know what you're talking about, you read the _complete_
comp.lang.c FAQ. It's well written and easy to read. I worked through ist
after using C for years (without any book) and learned a lot.
--Daniel
--
"The obvious mathematical breakthrough would be development of an easy
way to factor large prime numbers." -- Bill Gates, "The Road Ahead"
Ben Pfaff
> On Mon, 21 Aug 2000 10:00:57 -0700, "Dann Corbit"
> <dco...@solutionsiq.com> wrote in comp.lang.c:
>
> > Worst C books of all time:
> > 1. Anything by Schildt
> > 2. "C for Dummies" -- apparently, they really meant it.
> > 3. "Mastering C Pointers" by Traisiter (the worst imaginable book on
> > pointers)
> > 4. Teach Yourself C in <x> days (Several variants are floating around and
> > all of them are bad)
>
> Actually, Dann, Aitken & Jones is not bad.
Aitken & Jones being #2 or #4 above?
--
"In My Egotistical Opinion, most people's C programs should be indented six
feet downward and covered with dirt." -- Blair P. Houghton
Tristan Miller
"Dann Corbit" <dco...@solutionsiq.com> wrote in message
news:ofdo5.140$o_3.300@client...
> Worst C books of all time:
> 1. Anything by Schildt
This might a flame war, but I really do think that Schildt has been too far
maligned by the c.l.c. community. I have examined his "Annotated ANSI C
Standard" and Clive Feather's errata list, and I agree that the book was
poorly written and contains too many mistakes to be useful (except as an
inexpensive copy of the C89 standard). But I have perused other Schildt
books -- most notably his "C++ Nuts & Bolts for Experienced Programmers" --
and have failed to find any mistakes large enough to warrant discarding the
books. Schildt writes well, explaining language concepts clearly and
unambiguously. His examples are concise, generally free of errors, and easy
to understand. He uses sidebars and tables where appropriate, and is
careful to point out potential portability problems and differences between
languages.
As a generalization, I would say that Schildt's tutorial-style books are
good as he doesn't go into enough detail to trip over himself. But for a
language reference manual or anything extremely technical, I wouldn't trust
anything with his name on it. If you're just shopping for an introductory
book, don't altogether discount the Schildt books, but caveat emptor.
Brian B. Rodenborn
Richard Heathfield <bin...@eton.powernet.co.uk> wrote:
>>
>> Richard, when is this actually out? Amazon state that they are still
>> awaiting release from the publisher.
>
>(in the USA). This doesn't seem to be backed up by anecdotal evidence
>(such as, for example, an actual purchase!). Macmillan have provided me
>with a wide range of dates, the latest of which was 18th August (i.e.
>last week), and this time they sounded kinda convinced. :-)
I just checked over at amazon.com, they show it as available, as in:
Availability: Usually ships within 24 hours.
I'm going to put in a request for the public library to purchase it.
Let you know how many copies they buy, so you can get the proper kickback
amount sent to me.
Is the title really C Unleashed (Unleashed)? Also, I hope Dann, Lawrence,
Ben etc. don't get upset, but I entered the Author as Heathfield, Richard
et al. Only so much room on the line.
--
NO ONE asked you to respond. I don't care for you or your tactics so I will
no longer be giving you the pleasure of responding to any of your posts.
- Laura (in response to me on rec.arts.tv)
Bill Godfrey
> There is only one ... okay, now two, *definitive* books on C: the
> ANSI/ISO standards. And indeed, if you are going to use a bunch of
> different books, but have only one "on your desk at all times",
> the C89 (or maybe C99, but probably not yet) standard is probably
> the one to have.
Not sure if "definitive" is the word. I would go for
"authoritative".
Bill, respect my authority.
Nils Goesche
> Bob Wightman wrote:
> >
> > In article <39A19E57...@eton.powernet.co.uk>, Richard Heathfield
> > <bin...@eton.powernet.co.uk> writes
> > >C Unleashed, by Richard Heathfield, Lawrence Kirby, and (many!) others,
> > >including a few other comp.lang.c regulars; Sams (Macmillan Computer
> > >Publishing), 2000. ISBN 0-672-31896-2
> > >
> > <OT>
> >
> > Richard, when is this actually out? Amazon state that they are still
> > awaiting release from the publisher.
> >
> > <\OT>
> <grimace> Well, I was under the impression that it was already on sale
> (in the USA). This doesn't seem to be backed up by anecdotal evidence
> (such as, for example, an actual purchase!). Macmillan have provided me
> with a wide range of dates, the latest of which was 18th August (i.e.
> last week), and this time they sounded kinda convinced. :-)
>
> All I can tell you for /sure/ is that I do know that at least one paper
> copy of the book exists, because it's sitting on my desk right now.
I ordered a copy weeks ago and I got an email from amazon a few
days ago saying the book was on its way. But it hasn't arrived
yet.
--
Nils Goesche
Ask not for whom the <CONTROL-G> tolls.
Dave Korn
> [1;32m※ Origin: [33m臺南一中資訊社 科幻魔島 [37m<TFCIS.twbbs.org> [m
> [1;31m※ From : [1;36mks0-9.dialup.seed.net.tw [m
You daft sod! That's never going to work! ;-P
DaveK
--
They laughed at Galileo. They laughed at Copernicus. They laughed at
Columbus. But remember, they also laughed at Bozo the Clown.