How Not to Program in C++: 111 Broken Programs and 3 Working Ones, or Why Does 2+2=5986 [Paperback]

Steve Oualline (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2003

Find the bugs in these broken programs and become a better programmer. Based on real-world errors, the puzzles range from easy (one wrong character) to mind twisting (errors with multiple threads). Match your wits against the author's and polish your language skills as you try to fix broken programs. Clues help along the way, and answers are provided at the back of the book.

Editorial Reviews

Review

". . . a unique book that is fun to read while still providing valuable information." -- CodeGuru.com

". . .[like] cross training with the drill sergeant of debugging. . ." -- Chris Pelsor, Flash Developer

"If you have been programming in C++ for a while, this book is and excellent addition to your bookself." -- Gerard Beekmans, DevChannel.org

About the Author

Steve Oualline lives in Southern California, where he works as a software engineer for a major phone company. In his free time he is a real engineer on the Poway Midland Railroad. Steve has written almost a dozen books on programming and Linux software. His web site is http://www.oualline.com .

Product Details

• Paperback: 280 pages
• Publisher: No Starch Press; 1 edition (March 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1886411956
• ISBN-13: 978-1886411951
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,228,384 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

54 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Only for extreme novice C++ programmers, April 4, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: How Not to Program in C++: 111 Broken Programs and 3 Working Ones, or Why Does 2+2=5986 (Paperback)

The concept of this book is good, but the execution is seriously lacking.

The "bugs" in Mr.Oualline's programs are the kinds of errors only the most unskilled novices would make: a missing space character in a format statement; accessing a 5-element array with index values of 1 thru 5; a class whose constructor allocates storage but whose destructor doesn't release the memory. Trivial, easy-to-spot errors that don't really expand anyone's grasp of C++.

To add insult to injury, large portions of the book are filled with Mr.Oualline's tiresome war stories and aphorisms.

A much better source of knowledge is "C++ Gotchas", any of Scott Meyers' books, or the "C++ FAQ".

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just Plain Fun!!!, March 31, 2003

By 

Bradley Jones (Fishers, IN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: How Not to Program in C++: 111 Broken Programs and 3 Working Ones, or Why Does 2+2=5986 (Paperback)

Okay, maybe I should say, just plain fun in a geeky kind of way. This book is relatively inexpensive, thus making it well worth the price. If you programm in C++ (or even in C, C#, or Java), then you will most likely enjoy this book.

Unlike most computer books, this is not a book you read in order to learn how to to something. Rather, this is a book you read (1) to see if you already know how to do something, (2) if you like solving puzzles, (3) if you want to learn about a number of typical 'gotchas'.

This book presents listings (about 111+). Each seems to have something specifically wrong with it. You try to figure out the issue with a hint. You are can then get additional hints using a jump table. You are also given the answer as to what the gotcha is.

The book also contains a large number of trivia type information. This is folklore, funny stories, and more.

This is a book that I find myself picking up over and over to read just a little farther. It is fun. It is interesting. I'm even learning a thing or two. I've enjoyed it so much, I'll be writing a review on it for CodeGuru.com!

Congratulations to Steve Oualline on putting together one of the few fun-to-read computers books.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars unpolished, May 8, 2003

By 

David Minogue (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How Not to Program in C++: 111 Broken Programs and 3 Working Ones, or Why Does 2+2=5986 (Paperback)

This book illustrates several common errors that every C++ programmers will encounter. There is no substitute for learning from your own mistakes, but forewarned is forearmed. If you read this book before you make the mistakes, you will save yourself some time. The humor scattered through the book helps keep the subject light.

Unfortunately, the book is flawed beyond those bugs which were introduced intentionally. In one case a program was unintentionally corrected, leaving no errors to be found. Some of the programs seem unnecessarily long for the bug they are illustrating. Like most computer programs, this book would have benefitted from peer review prior to its release.