Customer Reviews

Sams Teach Yourself C++ in 21 Days, Third Edition

5 star:		(97)
4 star:		(53)
3 star:		(24)
2 star:		(22)
1 star:		(34)

 

 

Coming from a primarily VB/VBA background into the world of C++, I needed something that would help be get up to speed on the syntax and concepts of C++. Because I had a programming background, I found myself using this book as more of a spot reference on how to do specific things in C++. However, there were many sorts of items that I was NOT used to using in programming at all that this book did an admirable job of helping me out with. Among those were the chapters on templates and specifically the STL. After moving through that chapter, I am now comfortable with actively using list, vector and queue containers.

My wife, on the other hand, has had zero programming experience or training. She has worked more than half way through the book (often covering 2 "days" in a few hours) and now has a decent knowledge of the contents of those chapters. Certainly, no book will ever replace actually DOING stuff over and over... but you can't know what to do until you have seen it in action. This book provides that.

The examples they use are simple when possible and complex when necessary. There is a nice format to this book in that there is a review section at the end of each chapter ("day") and then questions allowing you to actually create/debug code - with the answers in the back. Most of the time... if not close to all of the time... she was able to get those answers right on the first attempt.

I believe that, between the two of us with our vastly different experience and knowledge levels, we have found a book that covered both of our needs very well. Will it cover everything? No book can. Will it solve every little quirk you could ever have as a programmer? If you expect a book to do that, you shouldn't be a programmer in the first place. Will this book give you many tools - ranging from basic to advanced - with which you can become a serious C++ programmer? I believe it will.

My boss gave me the assignment to learn C++. He gave me a couple of books that he though were good. I banged my head against the keyboard many a night in pure frustration trying to absorb the material and searching the Web for additional help. I next tried an on line computer course by a noted and popular school. Everything was geared to people who already knew C. The material was dated. It was like trying to learn rocket science by studying the notes the Wright brothers wrote when they were trying to figure out which way a propeller should turn.

I finally came across Jesse's 3rd edition of "Leaning C++ in 21 Days" and life if beautiful again. His examples and easily read text gave me the knowledge to read code, and more important to understand it. The book takes the time to explain terms, definitions and the why's and wherefores of the C++ language. Particularly interesting to me was memory management and why I should be concerned about it. I no longer bang out code that "just" works. I assimilate the books ideas into programs that one may call an art form.

You will never know how grateful I am to have this book as a resource. I have scribbled in the margins, highlighted, dog-eared, paper clipped important pages, made a file of example programs and on long study nights used it as a pillow. I can't wait to get "C++ Unleashed" and abuse it in the same loving way!

If you don't have prior programming experience this book is a must. If you are a C programmer you need this book to get with the new way of doing programming!

Any review is only useful to people with similar backgrounds, so here is where I came from: 1 semester of a beginning (non-comp sci major) university C++ course, a lot of (gasp) FORTRAN, a little PASCAL, and some BASIC.

I used the 2nd edition of this book which had a lot of code errors, although I found that finding the errors was also an excellent (unintended) learning experience, even if it did take me longer to get through the book and cause some undo frustration.

Pretty much every topic is backed up with code examples, which really helps me - a hands on type of person. I took extra time and went over some sections more than once to get a good hold on the info, especially pointers and the object oriented sections like inheritance and polymorphism. These topics can be confusing for people without experience in C++, so I wouldn't expect to get it the first time -- expect to spend extra time on some subjects, especially the traditional killer of C/C++: pointers! I know feel like I have a very good understanding of how they work.

After reading this book, I went on to do a lot of WindowsAPI and XWindows programming and found the foundation I gained from this book invaluable.

Reading the reviews for this book it has become apparent that there are two very contradicting views on it. I must agree with the steep learning curve and the poor quality examples. The first few days (chapters) of the book I found were well written and easy to get a grasp of. However towards the latter part of the first week and the beginning of the second, the complexity of the examples and the explanations increased dramatically. Each of the later chapters really needs to be read over several days in order to properly understand it. It is a long haul, but ultimately I found it useful. Liberty backs up every point with at least one code example that really need to be written in and compiled in order to understand fully. The typos and errors in the code are suprising in a proffessional publication however identifying and correcting them I found helped me to understand better.

After finally finishing this book after 2 and a half months, I found I had just the sort of understanding of C++ that the book seems to promise. It is long winded and for the most part, difficult if you are inxperienced in programming but the very 'in depth' explanations do actually help you to really get to grips with the overall language. I feel that this book cannot really be given an x/5 rating. If you want a book that is an easy read and relatively smooth to get through this is not for you. However if you have the time (and patience) to work through it, you will definately be on your way to being a good C++ programmer.

I would recommend the Complete Compiler Edition of this book. The included CD's come with some useful exams to take after each chapter and all the source code (error free, thankfully) and some exercises using what you've learnt.

This book is targeted toward programmers who have no previous experience with programming (as stated in its Introduction), but it misses the mark. It might be a good reference for programmers who are already familiar to some extent with C++, but then the first 8 chapters would be too simplistic for individuals who have some knowledge of the language. Here are my observations:

1) The first 9 chapters are fairly straightforward and flow pretty well for a beginning programmer, but after that point the flow of learning is interrupted by an odd sequence of chapters and a dramatic decrease in the amount of explanation for example listings in the book.

2) Example listings often utilize new syntax that is not discussed or explained sufficiently, leaving the student thoroughly confused. Sometimes there is no mention of new syntax at all, leaving the student to wonder if it is tied to the current concept being presented or is irrelevant.

3) Complex concepts are not explained thoroughly enough for new programmers to understand it without going to other sources for information.

4) A good textbook will test the student's understanding by requiring them to apply the concepts that have been presented, and to build upon previous topics. Unfortunately, there are not enough exercises at the end of each chapter (especially ones dealing with complex topics) to allow the student to master the topic or to fully explore the current programming subjects.

5) There are many locations in the book where irrelevant topics are introduced with sketchy detail - sometimes even including an example listing -- then the student is told to wait until it is covered more thoroughly later. These topics are sometimes not covered until several chapters later (when it becomes relevant to the topic at hand).

6) Even the latest printing (4th) of the book still contains a large number of errors that are not listed in the errata sheet (available from the author's Web site).

7) New programmers often appreciate reviewing the d! efinitions they've covered, but there is no glossary in the book to assist in learning the new terminology.

8) I find it doubtful that most new programmers will be able to learn C++ very well in 21 days, as the book's title suggests.

Beginning programmers who purchase this book should be aware that they will probably need other references available to clarify certain complex topics that are introduced in the book. I would be much more pleased if the book included more thorough explanations (with accompanying examples, of course) in the latter half of the material and the chapters were re-sequenced.

Being skeptical at learning a programming language in 21 days I was a bit hesistant to buy this book. However after buying it I soon dropped my skepticism. With the author's in-depth explainations of key concepts, he not only goes over what each particular line of code does, but he also goes over some concepts to help you use your code better!

Just by reading I got all my questions answered and found that programming was really very easy to learn once you got the right teacher =D. I'll definitely buy the rest of the C++ books that Jesse Liberty makes!

I am a novice programmer who has decided to learn a development language through a self-study effort, basing all of my formal introduction to C++ squarely on the abilities of various authors to illuminate the subject for me. Let me reiterate: I have NO previous programming experience. With anything. Period.
The reason for buying Liberty's book was the inadequacy of the books I had used previously. They all seemed geared to individuals who had previous programming experience, irrespective of what the editorial remarks about the book may have claimed. I had just thrown Horton's book away in disgust, and I was feeling as if I would never get my arms around a development language without attending an actual course and studying with a learned professor.
Jesse Liberty changed all of that. His approach is definitely the right one for my level of developmental aptitude, and he walked me through the language in such a graduated and careful manner that I was learning subjects with ease that had previously seemed too daunting to grasp when described by other authors.
The book is well-written, and does what it is designed to do: teach you sufficient C++ in 21 days to enable you to begin OOD using C++. This was invaluable for me, as it prevented me from giving up my self-education efforts in disgust. It was exactly the morale builder I needed.
As far as any downsides, I have two major complaints: first, each chapter (which coincides with a single days' lesson) is huge and cumbersome; don't even try to adhere to the schedule intimated by the title as a novice programmer, unless you have at least 8 hours a day to devote to reading, problem solving, self-exploration with your own 'made-up' development scenarios, and end-of-chapter test taking. Secondly, it is far from a comprehensive format for learning C++, so be prepared to continue on to the more difficult texts to learn the real meat-and-potatoes about the C++ language. This book allowed me to graduate onto the Deitels' latest version of their introductory text for C++ programming.

I didn't even finish the second week of the book, and I already know about fifty times more than I did before I bought it. This is coming from a person with a short attention span.

I make no bones about it: if you want to learn a programming language such as C++ you must be very dedicated and serious about doing so. As much as ANY book claims otherwise, this is not a simple task. However, Jesse Liberty's Teach Yourself C++ in 21 Days comes closest to making this long journey a great deal shorter and easier to understand. In programming, obviously, knowledge is power. Mr. Liberty takes no shortcuts in outlining the foundation of an excellent C++ programmer. There is a point where too much knowledge can overwhelm, and this book rarely, if ever, does this. Learning a computer language can be overwhelming in itself; a book such as this is supposed to provide clarity. Teach Yourself succeeds with flying colors covering mandatory basics such as operator overloading, templates, and polymorphism. All of this with colorful analogies that make programming an easier to understand experience. How a few reviewers came up with a one star rating for this book is baffling. I feel those persons to be looking for some kind of miracle to turn them into instant C++ authorities. I hope they can read this next paragraph and learn a few things. Is programming difficult? Yes. There is not another book that will make it any easier. This book is like a college course rolled up in 21 long chapters. I'm not talking about a college course you sit there and just try and pay attention to, I'm saying to take notes, participate, and re-read the material if you need to. This book has been a total inspiration and it's been with me through the thick and thin of the pages of code only to come out shining. Do NOT pass this up.

I am a student finishing my second quarter of C++, and I have used this book more than I have used the textbook that we were assigned. Over half of the students in this class have bought this book also; not because the instructor has in any way endorsed it, but because of word of mouth from other students. I can't think of a better recomendation than that. Thanks to the author for making a very difficult subject easier to understand.