Customer Reviews

Starting Out with C++: Early Objects (7th Edition)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am a long-term veteran of the debates over whether computer science students should take C before C++ as well as the more recent move to introduce objects early in introductory programming classes. The two debates are intimately related, for if the student takes C before C++, then there is no need to cover the basics in C++ and objects can be introduced very early. However, if the student has not taken C, then the initial coverage in the C++ class must be variables, fundamental data types, control constructs, the structure of functions and how to call them and pointers. Objects in C++ simply cannot be understood until these matters are firmly in mind, which renders the phrase "early objects" largely unfulfilled.
In this book, the authors are operating on the assumption that the reader has not had C, so there is a great deal of coverage of the fundamentals. Classes are not introduced until page 379 (chapter 7), which renders the title claim of "early objects" somewhat inaccurate. Matters are also rendered somewhat worse as the topic of chapter 8 is "Arrays", chapter 9 is "Searching, Sorting and Algorithm Analysis" and chapter 10 is "Pointers." Objects do not significantly reappear until chapter 11, which is a tactic I strongly disapprove of. The deep understanding of classes and objects is so necessary that in my opinion, all of the background material needed to explain them must be covered before they are mentioned. To introduce them and then leave to cover other non-OOP material is extremely counterproductive. Once OOP is introduced, that should be where the coverage stays, there should be no backtracking.
It is for this reason that I would not use this book as a text in a course in introductory programming with C++.

I took an online C++ class, and was almost entirely able to teach myself with this book despite extremely limited programming experience. The code examples in the book are fully explained and complete. Also, they build up in complexity, using only keywords and structures that have already been explained. Some reviews say the book is too wordy, but I found the reading to be very useful for explaining each concept. Additionally, the book's layout makes it easy to quickly find relevant passages and skip those you may already know!

Like another reviewer, I too am currently using my book as a reference for a Data Structures class. It is much clearer than the official book for that class and covers a surprising amount of the material. I would recommend this book to anyone learning C++.

I like this book because it gives at least a vague explanation of every part of the program structure, rather than leaving parts entirely to faith until later. The book can be a bit wordy, especially if you're already familiar with programming, but what else can one expect from a textbook?

The book also does a good job of gently guiding the reader to understanding, using plenty of code examples throughout.

I love this book! I am in my second semester at college with C++ and we have moved into a new book on Data Structures, and yet I use this book more than the new book for the class. Gaddis does a great job at explaining things, and covers a lot of stuff from your first "Hello World" program all the way to Binary Trees. I would recommend this book to anyone looking to learn C++ programming. It's a great read, with great examples, and some great exercises. Worth the money!

I only read the first chapter or two of the book. It was gifted to my son. This is the textbook being used in his Programming Principles I class in college so, I cannot really comment on the contents, style, and the like. Although it seems obvious in retrospect - you don't get the included disk as it is a downloadable Kindle book. The thing that bothered me was that as the book says - "you can download most of the content of the disk". Well, 'some' isn't quite 'all'. I don't know what was missing or for sure that there was anything missing (my son downloaded the online content), but without the disk - it's hard to tell. Plus, something like half of the Appendices are on the disk. Granted you can download these - but does this make sense for a Kindle version? Just included them in the Kindle book! Anyway, I think when these Kindle books cost as much or near as much as the printed books, it wouldn't hurt them to included all of the electronic book-like content (like the appendices) and maybe have an option for getting a copy of any included disks that would normally come with the paper book. Just my two cents... And, just as a last thought - one, Amazon customer service didn't seem to understand why this might be an issue and two, this Kindle includes (2 downloads) - I don't know what this means, how you do it, and neither did Amazon customer service - soooo... Annoying!

A great read! Excellent examples!
The author has a way of making
the complicated simple. I'm using
the book for self-study and am not
disappointed.

This book is the newest edition for C++. It is very expilicit and colorful unlike the older editions. It is easier to understand and contains more examples and exercises to facilitate more understanding. This is a great book to purchase.

Excellent book for beginners learning C++ programming. It is very informative and includes interactive video notes. I am using this book for a programming class and it has helped me to understand the basics.

I bought this for an intro C++ course in college.

The book itself is an easy read, and pretty clear.
However, with a decent professor, this book is an almost useless supplement when you can just use Google.

If you're trying to learn C++ on your own, and prefer a physical book to reading on google, this is pretty good, though expensive.

If you're getting this for a class, and it isn't required for assignments, this is one you can skip.

I needed this book for my introductory computer science class at college, and given that all the upper level CS classes are in C/C++, this will be a great tool to have with me for 4 years. It was really cheap on Amazon, given that Amazon usually has good prices for textbooks and more recent versions have been released which aren't much different (my professor explicitly asked for this version). It comes with a CD to install programming software, but it is only Windows compatible. The only gripe I have is that the front cover has a crease in it from being bent. Amazon appears to have shipped it very well, so I'm not sure how this happened. Not a huge deal, I just like the aesthetics of my books.