M Programming: A Comprehensive Guide [Paperback]

Richard Walters (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1555581676 | ISBN-13: 978-1555581671 | Publication Date: June 19, 1997

M Programming: A Comprehensive Guide is a complete update to ABCs of MUMPS. While ABCs of MUMPS was an introduction for novice and intermediate M programmers, M Programming: A Comprehensive Guide has a new section containing advanced material. This new section addresses features such as transaction processing, networking, structured system variables, and interfaces to other standards. Five new chapters have been added, covering an overview of M for readers familiar with other languages; M and the Windows environment; interaction between M and the underlying system; transaction processing; interfacing M with other standards; and error handling. Sections on interactive programming and futures have been extensively updated. M Programming: A Comprehensive Guide is an invaluable resource for everyone who is learning or using M.



· Includes section on advanced programming
· Completely updated for the 1995 standard

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

M Programming: A Comprehensive Guide is an invaluable resource for everyone who is learning or using M.

About the Author

Professor in the Department of Computer Science, University of California at Davis

Product Details

• Paperback: 407 pages
• Publisher: Digital Press (June 19, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1555581676
• ISBN-13: 978-1555581671
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #142,309 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The book I've been waiting for., October 5, 1997

By 

Daniel P. Smith "Daniel P. B. Smith" (Massachusetts, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: M Programming: A Comprehensive Guide (Paperback)

M is a delightful applications language. Recently I've been struggling with C++ STL, trying to use the "map" container to get perhaps a tenth of the functionality you get from an ordinary M variable, and, believe me, I miss M.

This is the M book we've all been waiting for, and it delivers exactly what it promises. It is, as the blurb says, "the only source M programmers at all levels need."

The style and presentation reminds me a little of Stoustrup's book on C++: the organization and style are tutorial, but not elementary. It is up-to-date with the current standard.

What I particularly admire about it, and what is all too rare in computer books (especially those written by professors of computer science) is that it displays an intelligent awareness of real-world commercial implementations of M. Too many books either describe a pure-standards abstraction on the one hand, or a specific vendor extension on the other. Walters identifies popular M implementations by name and calls attention to variations where appropriate. Like M itself, Walters' book is directed at real programmers trying to solve real problems in the real world.

There are a few places where one can see that the book is an (extensive) rewrite of his older book, rather than a completely new work. I thought it was harder to locate the "argumentless DO" than it should have been, and I felt there should have been a coherent discussion in one place explaining the (historically weird) relations between the various forms of DO, and when $T is and isn't stacked. Similarly, it is disconcerting to see on page 199 that the "NEW" command is described as a "recent extension... not yet formally included in the standard." These are cosmetic problems that do not seriously mar the book I've been waiting for.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars M programming - A comprehensive Guide, April 14, 2000

By 

Butch Jones (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: M Programming: A Comprehensive Guide (Paperback)

This book provides the needed instruction for a beginner with no knowledge to learn the fundamentals of M programming. Combine the book with a free M program downloaded from the internet and you are on your way to becomming a beginning programmer.

10 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars So many typos and bad text formating, July 13, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: M Programming: A Comprehensive Guide (Paperback)

This book does a good job of explaining the reasoning behind the language's (sometimes strange) behavior--most of the time, anyway. The book suffers from numerous typos in the code fragments. Also, it would be nice to have a nice reference section where each command's syntax is explaned succinctly; this is important, especially because M is not a free-form language, i.e., the white spaces are significant.