Customer Reviews

C in a Nutshell (In a Nutshell (O'Reilly))

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

every day there are fewer reasons to purchase computer books. so much documentation is online or included as "man" or "info" pages that reference manuals have almost become extinct. "c in a nutshell" proves there can be real value in a book, even on a topic as "settled" as c. the reference is exhaustive, and there are many examples. but there is more to this book than just a c reference...this book really addresses the entirety of developing with common c tools like gcc and make, as well as adding discussion for memory management, pointers, and other thornier topics. the nice thing is that because the world of c isn't likely to change radically from this point, you can likely get use out of this book for another decade.

Chapter Overview

01. C Basics
02. Types
03. Literals
04. Type Conversions
05. Expressions & Operators
06. Statements
07. Functions
08. Arrays
09. Pointers
10. Structures, Unions, and Bit Fields
11. Declarations
12. Dynamic Memory Management
13. Input & Output
14. Preprocessing Directives
15. Standard Headers
16. STL Functions Overview
17. STL Functions in Detail
18. Compiling with GCC
19. Using make to build C programs
20. Debugging with GDB

Book Review

For all new and experienced C programmers, this is an absolute must-buy reference to have at your side! Extremely well-written, laid out in a wise and efficient manner, this book will cover all the basics of C programming like function declarations, logic branches, looping methods, struct creation, etc etc etc. Aside from the basics of creating C programs, you will also learn how to use the GNU compiler, GDB debugger, make files, the whole shebang! Probably my favorite part of this book is the deep analysis of the standard library, so you can eliminate the basics of C programming altogether and avoid re-inventing the wheel when so much has already been done for you!!!

For anyone that is learning or wants to learn how to use C in the best way possible, pick up this book YESTERDAY, you won't regret it!!!

***** HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

I'll admit that I'm a fan first and foremost of K&R, but this is a good reference too. It takes a little more time to explain some concepts than K&R, and does it in a way that can increase your learning. So while I wouldn't call this a drop-in replacement for K&R, it is definitely a good additional resource, one that I turn to almost as often as I turn to K&R.

As an experienced computer programmer, I found "C in a Nutshell" informative but difficult at times to understand because of the way advanced concepts are presented assuming the reader has already been introduced to the C programming language and computers. The book assumes readers already know advanced mathematical concepts such as modulo division, binary and hexadecimal numbering systems, and computer hardware architecture. The book gives a good background history of the development of the C computer programming language. One feature that I missed was a complete ASCII code table giving the ASCII code for all 256 characters. It's a minor inconvenience but something that came up in the classroom because the teacher did not "know" the ASCII code for the NULL Character (it's 0). The book states that it assumes the reader has taken an introductory cource in the C programming language. The paperback edition is light in weight, portable and priced below most college text books. This book is completely text oriented; there are essentially no graphical diagrams, and everything is in black and white, no color. That saves money which is a major consideration, but it may leave some readers with a rather sterile feeling that lacks the warmth of color which I prefer over black and white since life is in "living color."

This is really an excellent book. This book is really intended for people who already are familiar with C. It isn't intended to teach you the language.

Note that it covers a lot of C99, which may not be fully implemented in all compilers.

C in a Nutshell is nearly a requirement for any serious C programmer. With a large portion of modern education being focused on objected oriented programming it can be difficult to strip away all the trimmings and get down to the nitty-gritty. This book is essentially the important details of C shoved into 600 pages. It includes a very decent introduction to C, but its real virtue is as a reference book.
The book is divided into two sections. The first is on the syntax of C and how to do basic tasks. Each subsection is clearly marked on the edge of the page, and contains a simple explanation of the concept, making it indispensable to look up simple tasks for the less frequent C programmer. Deeper into the section, some caveats to certain methods are explored, which can take hours out of difficult debugging. The real advantage of this book lies here in these lesser known features and functions of the C language.
The second primary section contains a very detailed reference of the C Standard Library. Each function is described along with usage examples, and a list of related functions. While very detailed, this section seems to be less useful compared to similar hyperlinked reference libraries available. When relevant, several gotchas are included in the section, but the majority of the functions are simply described and examples are shown.
Finally, there are several chapters on the commonly used tools for C development. GCC, make, and GDB are each explained in very good detail, with several lesser known options explored. These sections act as complimentary appendices to the bulk of the text, and round out the book into a very comprehensive reference on the C language.

This is an excellent reference, one that I turn to almost every day. As one reviewer stated, this is not a book for those unfamiliar with C, but as a semi-experienced C programmer, I find it invaluable. I especially appreciate the little examples that it gives for many of the functions in the "Standard Library" section, they have helped me out of many a jam. I expect to be using this book for many years to come.

Look for a cow on the cover of this book. I bought this book for a C in UNIX class. The C part is great.

There is hardly a page that does not have an example or enlightening diagram. However, the only reference to applying this to UNIX is in the back where it "Practically" says that there are different versions of UNIX. It never really clamed to be a UNIX book on C. The section on unbufferd I/O has a little more on the UNIX handling of files. Over all, until something better comes along I am still using this book.

I bought this because of it's section on GCC and GDB. The book is an excellent reference. The examples (for everything) are good and to the point. The examples cover enough to give you what you need without wasting time with setup. The book is organized in a way that makes it easy to find what you need. It's worth the money if you use C on a fairly regular basis. Again, the reference on GCC and GDB is invaluable.

Are you a C programmer? If you are, then this book is for you. Authors Peter Prinz and Tony Crawford, have done an outstanding job of writing a book that is a complete reference to the C programming language and the C runtime library.

Prinz and Crawford, begin with an overview of the C language. Then, the authors provide an overview of standard headers and a detailed function reference. Finally, they provide the necessary knowledge of the C programmer's basic tools: the compiler, the make utility, and the debugger.

This most excellent book will help you understand the key concepts, such as type conversion, dynamic memory management, working with pointers, and more. Perhaps more importantly, this book will help you get the job done.