Customer Reviews

Microsoft Visual C++ 6.0 Programmer's Guide

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

In order to prevent more novice programmers from buying this book, I want to include a quote from the first sentence of the introduction: "This book is about Visual C++. Not the C++ language, not the MFC library, just Visual C++ itself." That's very straightforward and pretty accurate in terms of establishing expectations for this book. Visual C++ is a programming tool, not a language, and this book will help you learn how to use the tool to your highest benefit. It is -- as the title implies -- a guide for programming with Visual C++. My recommendation is: don't buy this book if you aren't familiar with the following: C++, Win32 API, Microsoft Foundation Class library, Component Object Model, Active Template Library, and Microsoft's software development paradigm. If you are familiar with the above material, and you've programmed Win32 applications with C++, MFC, COM, or ATL the hard way, this book can show you how to do it the easy way. Very good reference for customizing Visual C++ and using it to reduce the amount of time it takes you to code your software.

Keep your dollars . A big font and generous line spacing are selected for this weak title . My guess is the word count is about 1/3 or less than the usual ' big fat reference ' . Certainly , theres a great deal more left out than included . The text is promoted as the Developer Studio Visual C++ ' workshop manual ' . Don't expect any detail on Compiler Options , Macro design with VBScript , the build process and associated files and directories . The author barely touches any of that .

Coverage on setting the compiler is minimal . Macro VBScript coverage doesn't even stretch to a map of the editor's object model ! Some properties and methods are mentioned , far more is left out than included . No wonder the author goes into some detail on how to use the MSDN for help . No FAQ section ! No Troubleshooting-Common-Build-Problems section ! "Link","Linker" or "Linking" do NOT appear in the index ! I quote [from page 18] an example of the author's pitch :

"When the cursor passes over a hypertext link in the MSDN window , the cursor assumes the shape of a pointing hand (Fig 1-10) ." I guess this statement is for those Visual C++ programmers who don't know how a mouse behaves on a hyperlink ! There's plenty more of this nonsense . Yet more ' explanations ' ,step by step , through the Wizards , and yet more example programs . The accompanying CDRom is ' packed ' with a piddling 6.59 Mb of content [includes release.exe files of the 'projects'] .

As an experienced programmer who used only Borland tools before, I was somewhat confused when my employer switched over to Visual C++. The online help provided with the Microsoft Developer Studio was very disjointed, and did not answer the questions I had about setting up projects, compiler optimization and use of the Wizards. Some of these features are intuitive, others are not. This book got me up and running in a very short time, with minimal pitfalls. This is the book that Microsoft should have included with the Developer Studio, but didn't. I hate that I had to go out and purchase it on my own, but it is a great reference tool for those who are new to the IDE.

This book is for programmers who knew C++ and window programming. I must switch from borland C++ to VC++ and this book made the whole process really easy.

If you are an experienced C++ programmer with extensive knowledge of the Win32 API, MFC, ATL and COM and you somehow obtained this knowledge without using any of the recent previous versions of Visual C++, this book is for you. Most of the information about the IDE is very basic and similar to previous versions of Visual C++, but the examples are fairly complex with little or no explanations.

This book will only be useful to you if you already know Windows programming, and just want to learn how to use the GUI and Wizards. I have been programming iN Unix c/c++ for a while, and all I am lookign for is a that describes how to use/create some of the basic objects in Windows, I would love to hear of this book if it exists.

This book gives an in depth tutorial on using Visual C++ and Developer Studio. There are a lot of useful tricks for using the built in editor, and Project Settings. It is not a C++ or MFC tutorial.

Well, after finishing my C++ for dummies book, I was looking for something a little more advanced and visual c++ based. This was a great purchase. It is easy to understand and does not babble on and on about random topics like some of the other programming books I have read. I really enjoyed this book. And for reference, it has an appendix in the back of c++ commands, for those of us that are a bit rusty. I wouldnt say this is the best programming book I have ever read, but I think its a good book to read if you are looking for a programmer's guide to visual c++, as what it says on the cover.

This book is a guide to the environment of VC++. Not a book teaching you how to program. It is a fairly good book. Of course, probably all the information in the book are available in MSDN. I give it 4 stars.

This book is not for learning Language C++, If you want to learn how to use the Microsoft Visual C++ 6.0 Integrated Development Environment (IDE) this is an excellent book. I thing that those who did not like the book was because they pretend to learn C++ Language or they are familiar with other development tools such a Borland C++, my apologizes for those that aren't familiar with Microsoft technologies.

Ivan Torres 18 June 1999