Customer Reviews

A Guide to Programming in C++

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

 

 

The only reason I didn't get a 2 or less on the AP Computer Science A exam was because I knew something before using this book in my class. It leaves a whole lot to be desired. Nothing is covered in depth, and the excercises are redundant and extremely long. I would hope that there is a better textbook out there.

Let me first say that this 5 I am giving is not for its usefulness now but its usefulness with Visual C++ 6.0.

I bought this book to continue learning from this book. The exercises are unbelievably awesome and thought provoking, however I found myself after chapter 7 needing to switch to a much more "modern" book.

But for the first 6 chapters, this book provided me with perfect knowledge of C++. (That I was also able to successfully convert to today's C++) If only this company made the modern day C++ version of this book, then this book would be flawless in learning about C++.

Let's make one thing clear: this book is hard. It's not a short book either, it will take quite a bit of time to finish, but it's well worth it!! I had this book for a high school computer course, and while I only got half-way through it, I learned so much in those first few chapters than I ever did in any other book. If you're looking to really learn C++, and do the best you can do, then I would recommend this book 100%!!

this is how i learned C++. I didn't feel like lugging a book to and from school everyday so I bought myself a copy. Easy learning, and good lessons. If you're looking for a good Java book, i suggest Head Firs Java by Sierra & Bates, published by O'Reilly.

I originally reviewed this book in 2003. I was a junior in high school and, having taken my first programming course as a sophomore using this book, I thought I knew C++. Today (2009), I stumbled across that review and found it so misleading I felt I had to change it. Since I originally reviewed this book, I've completed my BS and MS in Computer Science. Of all the programming books I've read during that time, this is probably the worst.

This book does not teach C++ beyond basic program structure. Rather than teaching you how to do something properly using standard C++, the book often relies on it's own libraries, which are provided either as a CD or download. The result is not a knowledge of C++, but a dependence on these libraries, which effectively prevents the reader from learning how to do numerous common tasks.

A perfect example of this dependence on the book's own libraries is random number generation. The C standard library, available in C++, includes functions for generating random numbers. But the book doesn't tell you how to use these functions. Instead, it instructs the reader to use the function they've provided, without even mentioning that a standard way exists.

In short, reading this book will probably do more harm than good. You could easily end up having to relearn a lot of simple tasks that you thought you had mastered, simply because this book didn't ever show you how to do them correctly.

I have been tutoring C++ to a student from January to Febuary using this book as a guide. My school too uses this book. This book is not intented to teach advanced topics in C++. Its focus on GUI, linked lists , pointers and trees are limited. This book may be good start for people who already know a programming language like BASIC. For pure beginners of programming, a tutor or a teacher is a must.

I'm a high-school senior, and my school used this book for an AP Prep course. It's very helpful for giving a general platform for learning C++, and it covers most of the topics necessary for the AP test, but there's nothing extremely in-depth (one chapter gives a brief lesson on pointers). My main complaint is the extremely limited amount of time dedicated to Windows GUI programming.

This book is a good introduction to C++ because of the exercises and reviews within. These greatly helped me remember the skills I learned in each chapter. However, my class was only one semester and I only got through chapter four, which was much to slow. A great book for someone who is taking a class for a credit but isn't very interested in actual programming.

I am a senior in high school taking a Introductory course in C++. I have found this book very effective in teaching the rudimentary skills of C++. The book is filled with so many effective practice problems. The authors, who are teachers themselves know how to focus this book towards their students, and that is seen directly through the teaching I receive. However, the only thing I feel that is flawed about this book, they sometimes rus over important facts and coding ideas. Thankfully, the teacher resourses complement these weak spots.

This is a very-written and thought-out introductory textbook to programming using C++. Unlike many computers sold in bookstores in the malls and elsewhere this is a TEXTBOOK. As an old timer accustomed to programming using Fortran and PL/I, this is first book I found that I can use on my own. I strongly recommend it for anyone who desires to to learn C++. Once this accomplished, then it is fairly easy to use other more advanced and reference books. I wish the authors will write a similar text but using Java instead of c++.