Customer Reviews

Practical C++

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I have read this entire book and there was never a point when you feel overwhelmed. I have used Fortran but never used C or C++ before. This book walks you through the basics and also goes in depth for most programming challenges. This book is the perfect companion for any C++ "Reference Book"

I gave this book 5 stars, even though it doesn't completely cover C++, and here's why: it accomplishes what it sets out to do. Like the back cover says: "Instead of ... having you gain mastery of C++, this tool focuses on ... the most commonly used features." It doesn't get into advanced topics, like multiple inheritace. It keeps it simple, and as a result it's very easy to read and understand. It helped me big time in college.

The only warning I would give is that the author is used to programming in a Microsoft environment, and so he uses conventions like prefixing class names with a "C" and pointer names with a "p", a few examples use the Visual C++ IDE, and many screenshots are of Windows message boxes, etc. But the code is largely standard C++.

This is a well written, and comprehensive C++ text. I have over ten C/C++ books(including a few by Lippman which I find overrated), but this is the one that I am forced back to time and time again. It is self-contained in that you do not find the author giving incomplete examples or explanations (a la Lippman) that force the reader to supplement his reading from other sources. Also, the explanations are clear and the examples are quite good at illustrating the material. Highly recommended!

As a newcomer to any form of programming, I struggled in finding a book that was writen for the absolute beginner. Most texts asume prior knowledge, but this one does not. It gives the basics of the C++ language in a clear way and with relevent examples. After reading this book cover-to-cover, you will have a strong foundation in the language.

It will be a great reference as you increase your skill level as well.

An absolute necessity for a newcomer!

This book is first rate. He gives massive detail, but keeps itdown to earth and comprehensible. Real world programming methodologyis all over this book. This book is great, but c++ is too difficult a topic for a total novice. If your starting from scratch I recommend "Who's afraid of C++" first. END

This was one of the first C++ book after an intro book. I found it a pretty good at discussing many of the easier concepts of C++. I was disapointed when std::sring and vector were not discussed. I found some dynamic arry that seemed to work. Some of the topics are useful and some are confusing. It is a pretty decent book for the intro programmer, the book is readable and many of the topics are broken into managable bits. It is not so good in trying to understand any intermediate programming or any useful guild for style and design.

This book is very well laid out! I sat in the book store for hours sifting through the barrage of C++ books before I decided on this one. For me, this is the perfect guide to the C++ language. I struggled to understand the language for years as a hack who vaguely understood the critical concepts, much less how to implement them. No longer! I think this book should be titled "Understandable C++". The only thing I would have him add to the book is a chapter on BSP, QUAD, and OCT, trees. All I need now is for Rob McGregor to write a book on how to handle MFC and Win32.

For anyone who has been frustrated by dietel and dietel this book is a breath of fresh air. The examples are simple and straight forward. The code shown is only long enough to get the point across. If you are new to C++ and want to learn the language this is for you.

Book looked very promising, however, not a single program involving strings works, author forgets to include crucial bit of instructions (header files anyone?). The book claims to have all the code on the web at the McMillan site, this is an outright lie, there is only a y2k information there. Repeated attempts to contact the publisher or the author have come to nothing. Do not buy this book, unless some serious changes are made.

Practical C++ is very well written and easy to understand for a beginner! My other textbook was indecipherable but Practical C++ kept me from throwing my keyboard out the window! Some reviewers complain about typing errors or mixed up pages which are ultimately the responsibility of the copy editor/proofreader. Of course syntax errors should be brought to the author's attention for correction in future versions. Remember that this book was written for beginners ten years ago, so what we bring to the book now is a much different experience/expectation set. Rob McGregor, your writing style kept me engaged and learning, so isn't it time to please revise this book to include corrections, updates, expanded examples and perhaps open the door to more advanced material?