Customer Reviews

C++ Without Fear: A Beginner's Guide That Makes You Feel Smart

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1 star:		(1)

 

 

There are many "beginner" books on C++, but many of them assume some proficiency in C or another programming language. If you're new to programming (or have some background in C) and want to learn C++, you will do well with this book. The author doesn't make you learn all the features and syntax of C++ before getting started. He starts you writing useful programs right away and explains how things work in simple language and with the help of very good illustrations. The book also focuses on the core language, the basics of C++ that will not only get you writing useful programs, but will prepare you well for the more advanced features that this book doesn't cover (templates, STL, generic programming). Don't have a compiler? The CD contains GCC, the GNU Compiler Collection C++ compiler. This compiler is standard for Linux and Mac OS X and is available free for MS Windows and many other computing environments. This book doesn't lock you in to writing Windows-only software. Overall this is a very good beginner book for learning C++. There may be more comprehensive books (Bruce Eckel's "Thinking in C++ is very good, but it comprises 2 volumes each with twice as many pages as this one.) but this one is a very good way to get your feet wet before going on to others.

Why should a beginner learn C++ instead of another language that is supposedly "easier" to learn or more popular? There are several good reasons, but here are a few: First, C++ isn't really that hard to learn. C++ was build upon the C language. It adds many advanced features to C and was first adopted by programmers who were already experts in C. For a long time it was thought that it was best to learn C first before moving on to C++. But that's just the C programmer's bias. Until recently, few people have taken the time to think about a beginner's approach to learning C++ directly. I'm glad to see that changing. Second, C++, in spite of all it's quirks, is probably the most powerful and versatile general purpose programming language. You can do anything with it. It supports 3 programming models (procedural, object-oriented, and generic programming). All have very useful applications. Finally, learning to program in C++ will get you closer to the machine than virtual machine languages like Java and C#. You'll learn more about how a real computer actually works while writing faster running programs in a high-level language. The C++ relationship to C is an asset, not a liability, since the C Standard Library and system APIs are ubiquitous. The C++ Language, and the compilers that support it, have continued to improve over the years and will continue to improve in the future. There's not a lot of industry hype behind C++ partly because many software companies and consultants make more money selling supporting software and services for Java and .Net. Time will tell how well these newer technologies really serve their early adopters. (The jury is still out, I think.) C++ is a good investment. There is quite a variety of open-source, free software libraries (including GUI programming) and software frameworks that support it. C++ isn't the only computer language you should learn, but it makes a very good foundation for learning others that may be more effective for certain kinds of applications.

This book is a terrific start for someone interested in computer programming. It is well written, easy to understand, and not boring at all. It took me about two weeks to get through it (part time in the evenings). If you work through each tutorial step by step, you'll get a basic understanding of C++. Once you've done that, then you'll be able to move on to more challenging material. This is NOT a book for someone with previous programming experience. All in all, I was very happy with it.

I actually learned programming in general and C++ in particular using this book. From my experience:
Pro:
1. I think this book do acheive its target of imparting programming knowledge using C++ to someone that know how to basically do email and stuff. However, I hold a MSc Fin and use spreadsheet frequently (but my macro skill is close to none :).
2. If you use this book, drill through all the examples and practice all the exercises (answers are in cd at the back of cover), you will build up a good base to tackle other higher level C++ books. Overland explain the basic concepts in pragramming and C++ quite succintly for the target audience.
3. Try to teach proper coding styles and practices along the way, ie. the use of {} braces, etc.

Con:
1. Overland employ the traditional bottom-up approach of teaching C++, eg. teach you to build class first instead of introducing the feature in C++ standard library right away. I'm currently reading Koening's "Accelerated C++" and Eckel's "Thinking in C++" and using Lippman's "C++ Primer 4ed" as reference. I find the top-down approach used in Koening's and Lippman's more appealing as I learn to write more powerful code quicker.
2. The coding style may not be standard compliant or up to date. Being a total novice when I read this book I did not know better. But things like: return 0; in main() when it's no longer required under the standard, use stdlib.h math.h instead of cstdlib cmath, etc. (This book is copyrighted 2004)
3. Examples may not be the most interesting for total novice. And some mistakes in the answers for exercises, which is however easy to notice if you follow the book properly.

Overall, I'm satisfied with this book. Learn the basic and move on. However, for a more interesting intro for novice, check out Glassborow's "You can do it: Beginners intro to computer programming". I guide my niece through Glassborow's and she is having lots of fun.

The thing I like most is not that the book presents an easy way to learn. It's that it is receptive to the fact that different people learn in different ways, and it presents a very hands on way that is applicable as an adult learning model. The best way to learn programming in any language is to do it, and it lets you get your hands dirty without getting overwhelmed.

It's not a perfect book (if that exists) but I think it exceeds in what it tries to do. Also,you may have problems with different compilers. This is not uncommon and you may have to do a little research and explore the code to get it to work properly. This isn't really a bad thing. I use Bloodshed's DevC++ and it provided a small extra learning experience in getting some of the programs to run. but if in doubt, use the compiler on the CD.

And last but not least, it's not very many books on programming that flow like this one. It's well written and doesn't make me yawn or sleepy.

I am a digital/fx artist, and wanted to actually advance my skills in computer graphics. What I learned is many scripting and expression languages in animation software packages are derived heavily from C and C++ languages. Hence my interest to learn about C++.

If you are a newbie to programming, specifically C++, then this may be a helpfull book. It is not meant to be an endall intro book to C++, but it does explane the basic logics in C++ fairly well. It includes decent diagrams, which are helpfull for those who tend to be more visual.

That said, the accompanying CD has issues with labeling where the solutions to the exercises in the book do not match...kinda confusing. In addition, so far, few of the samples seem to be buggy with syntax errors.

This is a great book if you are looking to get into programming. It is very basic, and the author gives excellent examples, along with the, "How and Why" it works. Like all beginner Programming Books, you are led through the basics and you gain the gradual knowledge as you go. The author provides many sidebars, but not too many as to distract you, which are designed to give you the added knowledge of the language.

One of the nice things about this book is the easy to follow language the author uses to explain how to program in C++. I have read many C/C++ books over the years, and this has been by far, the easiest books to learn from.

This is by far the best programming book I have read to date, but there are a few shortcomings. The author included a free C++ compiler, GCC, but doesn't talk about how to compile on Linux or through the command line. This was the biggest drawback for me.

When the author gives the excercises to do, he usually gives the answer away when giving the excercise. I feel that many of these excercises would be best handled if the user had to look it up his or herself.

This is a great book for the novice, and yes, if you are just beginning, why would you need an IDE and graphics if you have never programmed before? Buy this book, you will not be disappointed.

I was putting off learning C++ because I though it would be too difficult to understand. I have been learning Python for the last few years so I understood the basic procedural and object oriented programming concepts, then I got this book.

This book clarifies things on a level that elementary school kids can understand. At least the first half, it gets a little heavy towards the end, but takes the time to list complete code examples then steps through descibing each line as clearly as is possible when dealing with something as complex as this.

This book never expects you to know anything about programming before you start. A lot of books will try to explain things using terms they expect you to already know, but every term mentioned in this book is completely explained in this book.

The only cheap shot I can take at this book is that I don't like the Compiler/Development Environment that comes on the CD, I much prefer www.bloodshed.net free Dev-C++, which is easy to install and works perfectly with all the examples in this book.

This is the best first programming book for anyone interested in C++ I've ever seen. Although C++ is a little more difficult to understand than Python, most of the concepts in the languages are the same.

Topics like GUI (mouse based graphic environment) programming are not covered, but after this book you will be ready to tackle that next. Especially if you plan on using a cross platform graphic library like wxWidgets.

If you read this book and fiund it too difficult, I suggest stepping down to Python, maybe get "Absolute Beginner's guide to Python" by Michael Dawson.

That book uses simple games as examples to learning programming, then you can get a wxPython book to learn graphic programming which uses the same library as wxWidgets in C++, so it is a good stepping stone if you want to come back to C++.

There are scads of books on programming C++. There are two things that make this one unique. First is that it really is intended for the complete beginner. Many, if not most of the other C++ books assume that you have some programming experience and that now you are just looking to brush up your skills on learning this new language. What I'm saying is that this book includes the first sixty or so pages that most computer books don't have. These are the pages that explain just what it is that you are trying to do. Second is that it includes a free C++ compiler. By including the compiler you have much greater assurance that the examples being discussed will really run.

What's really important in this kind of book is the writing style. It is so easy to get bogged down in the technical aspects that you tend to forget that the reason you're really there is to solve some kind of real world problem. The author is able to come up with example problems that are easy to see would be applicable in a variety of situations. He first discusses the problem, using real world terms, then goes on to the programming aspects.

As the sub-title says, this is indeed a beginner's guide that makes you feel smart.

People have asked me about how to get into software engineering. I tell them to start with a language like Perl or Basic, and they just shake their head because they see that the money is in C++, C# or Java. The reason that I try to push people towards languages like Perl or Basic is that those languages allow you to concentrate on the logic of the program without worrying about the nitty-gritty mechanics of computers. I liken trying to learn programming through C++ to trying to learn how to ride a bike by learning how to smelt steel for the frame before you get on to building the bike you are going to learn on.

But, if you want to use C++ as your first language this is a reasonable book to start with. It has it's faults. The never references the colon syntax on constructors, which is important. And never touches on templates, which are very, very, important in modern C++. I don't think an introductory book should cover how to build templates, but there should be substantial content on the mechanics of templates and the Standard Template Library.

If you are thinking about this book you should seriously consider Thinking in C++ by Bruce Eckel. It's an excellent introduction that may not start with the absolute basics, but does provide an complete end-to-end introduction to C++ that includes templates.

Overland certainly doesn't waste any time. In his preface, he offers that shortly into Chapter 1, you will be writing your first program. Granted, it just prints something on the screen. But you get to do a full loop of writing, compiling and running. An approach I heartily concur with. It helps build up your confidence in yourself. By sticking to this method throughout the book, Overland keeps you motivated. No small thing, especially if you want to use this book outside a ickly get to showing you how to write complete programs, without having to know most of the C++ syntax. Indeed, classroom, where no one is telling you to keep going.

Think of the book as offering a continual stream of deliverables to you.

He steers away from advanced topics like templates and the Standard Template Library. These are vital. But later. Nor does he discuss "union". Not an advanced topic. But it tends to be so little used that he found he can reduce conceptual clutter by omitting it.