The Waite Group's C++ Primer Plus [Paperback]

Stephen Prata (Author)

Book Description

Series: The Waite Group | Publication Date: August 1998

A complete source for students on C++ programming. It covers the Standard Template Library, which is essential to be competitive in the C++ market. TWG's C++ Primer Plus makes learning and using important object-oriented programming concepts understandable. It illustrates how to handle input and output, make programs perform repetitive tasks, manipulate data, hide information, use functions, and build flexible, easily modifiable programs.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

This book includes coverage of the Standard Template Library, one of the most significant additions to C++, and a topic you will have to master to be competitive in the C++ market. All the listings and examples use the new std namespace and in some of the more difficult areas, such as inheritance, the examples have been made more lucid and straight-forward. Also included is coverage of the latest object-oriented programming techniques such as UML, CRC cards and design patterns. TWG's C++ Primer Plus, Third edition makes understanding and experimenting with important object-oriented programming concepts like classes, inheritance, templates, and exceptions both interesting and manageable. It shows how to handle input and output, make programs perform repetitive tasks, manipulate data, hide information, use functions, and build flexible, easily modifiable programs.

Product Details

• Paperback: 850 pages
• Publisher: Pearson Sams Publishing; 3 edition (August 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1571691626
• ISBN-13: 978-1571691620
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 2.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (63 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,128,997 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The only door I found open, February 15, 2001

By 

henrique fleming - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Waite Group's C++ Primer Plus (Paperback)

I am not a computer wizard. I am a physicist who uses computers and would like to have a modern language in his toolkit, for frequent, though not daily, use. I have some proficiency in C, though the discussions at comp.lang.c sometimes (often?) baffle me. I would like to build very specialized computer algebra systems, to help me with my burdens. My choice was C++. I tried all the standard, highly reputed, books, and was about to give up, when I first met Prata's Primer Plus. And I finally started to learn the language. Incredibly enough, what I've found in this book, and only in it, is an exposition of C++ which meets the famous "dictum" by Lewis Carroll (Alice in Wonderland): "Begin from the beginning. Go on till you reach the end. Then stop." What the hell is going on with C++ books, which do the opposite, a sort of "Begin from the end", or almost so? Why even the obviously highly qualified Stroustrup feels the need to give a premature overview of C++ which alienates many, even technically educated, people? Well, now I read Prata's book. I feel confortable with a reasonable subset of the language. I write code which has little to do with the previous code I wrote under C. So, I've met a few of the criteria used to gauge your expertise (well, that's too much, yet...) in the language and in object oriented programming. And I did it with the right mixture of pain (if you feel no pain at all, you are not learning) and pleasure. And, finally, I got a taste for the refined style of Stroustrup. Prata's Primer Plus is a very good book.

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Resource, February 24, 2000

By 

Ben (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Waite Group's C++ Primer Plus (Paperback)

This book has a wealth of information and is truely one of the few 5-star books out there that I have come across. I own over 12 books that cover C++ and by far this is the best one. My background in programming is PASCAL, BASIC, and C. BASIC was something that I toyed with in high school and PASCAL and C came to me while I was in college. After finishing college I decided that my language of choice was going to be C++ and thus I set out on teaching myself OOP and C++. This was one of the first books I obtained. It starts out pretty basic if you are familiar with C and programming in general, but it quickly moves into OOP topics and does an excellent job at covering those topics. It presents it in a class type atmosphere with review questions and programming assignments at the end of each chapter. If you are serious about learning C++ and are searching for that starting point, this is the book for you. It can't be beat for the price. A very precise book that makes learning the language fun. I would personally like to thank Stephen Prata for producing such a wonderful text.

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Clear, concise, and easy to read while staying informative., February 1, 2000

By 

Robert Gamble (Falmouth, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Waite Group's C++ Primer Plus (Paperback)

As a newcomer to C++ (and C), I had a previous background in Pascal and Quick Basic. I had looked through numerous books on the subject before checking the reviews here, and decided to pick up this book as my basic tutorial. One of the things that decided the issue for me was the apparantly extensive discussion of Classes and OOP.

Having had the book for 2 weeks now, and working through it while nailing down three jobs, I have to say that the money was well worth it. Complete examples are given, along with notes for the programs, for each new command and concept. The notable exception has been on the early section covering data formats similar to structures (Unions and Enumerations). I found this section to be confusing and thus skimmed it with hopes that they will be explained later.

The exercises in the back of each chapter are actually fun, mainly because they're manageable. As a side note, I do wonder how much material in this book overlaps that of the Waite's Guide to OOP using C++, since I am also thinking about getting that book. Any comments on this would be greatly appreciated (my e-mail is listed in this review).