Learning to Program in C++ (CD-ROM) (Paperback)

by Steve Heller (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
There has never been an introductory C++ book like this. It actually consists of a live dialogue and email correspondence between an expert C++ programmer and a complete novice: a dialogue that continues until the novice truly understands -- and so do you. First published as Who's Afraid of C++ and Who's Afraid of More C++, this book brings together carefully crafted material proven to teach novices every key concept involved in C++ programming. Informally written yet disciplined in approach, it doesn't just teach you syntax -- it teaches you how to think like a programmer. Along the way, you'll understand everything from the absolute basics (how programs are converted from a high-level language to machine instructions) to challenging topics like inheritance, polymorphism, and the effective use of pointers.

From the Author
No one book can be right for everyone. If you are an accomplished programmer, especially one with prior object-oriented programming experience, you may find this book too slow... although many experienced programmers have told me that they find it enjoyable to read.

Of course, no book is perfect. I welcome feedback from readers as to how my books, including this one, can be improved. Nonetheless, if you are a true novice, that is, someone with no previous programming knowledge or experience, I do not believe there is another book more appropriate for you. It is the only one that I know has been tested successfully on many occasions with such students/readers.

Therefore, if you are considering buying a C++ tutorial book, and you have no previous programming knowledge or experience, I believe this is the book for you.

If you do read this book, please let me know how you like it. I have received many positive comments on my books (and a few negative ones), and have responded to all of them.

Good luck with your study of C++.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 1120 pages
• Publisher: Pearson Education; 1st edition (November 27, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0130324108
• ISBN-13: 978-0130324108
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 7 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #124,876 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You get out what you put in, September 6, 2001

By	Dave B (Oregon) - See all my reviews

C++ is a very rich language, so there is no way to thoroughly cover all its features in an introductory text. There are two obvious ways to deal with this fact: an author can give very shallow coverage to almost all of the syntax, or he can give deeper coverage to a smaller subset of the language (and I'm ignoring the large number of books that really don't teach programming at all, but just have you connect the dots on a visual interface). For some reason, almost all authors take the first path. After finishing their books, the reader knows three ways to write a loop, five ways to write a branch, and very little about classes or object-oriented programming. In fact, most readers don't finish, because it's too boring to read endless chapters of syntax, without learning to write useful programs.

Almost uniquely, Steve Heller takes the second approach. He gives you one way to write a loop, one way to do a branch, and then starts in on classes. I doubt you'll find many other C++ books that have the reader learning sophisticated virtual class techniques before encountering "while" loops. This could be risky, but Steve pulls it off, for two reasons. One is that he is a very good writer, and an expert in the subject. The other is that whenever a tricky concept is discussed, the questions you are likely to have are asked for you --- the narrative of the book contains a concurrent correspondence with an intelligent beginner, who got drafts of the chapters as they were being written, and asked for alternative explanations whenever something wasn't clear to her.

The time Steve saves by not discussing redundant language features is used to go into more depth about what it really means to program. A sample project is built from the ground up, with successive chapters adding features and refinement to the basic concept. By the time you finish the book, you'll have an idea of how much work it takes to write a real application, and also the sense of accomplishment you get from doing it.

This book isn't for everyone. If you just want to dabble in programming, and let the visual compiler wizards do most of the work, you won't like it. If you aren't willing to put some work and study into it, you won't get as much out of it as you could. But if you want an excellent introduction to programming, and an excellent foundation for intermediate books, you could hardly do better than to read this book.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ever had an author answer your e-mail Question? Well I did!, May 17, 2001

By	G. Tripp (USA) - See all my reviews

This is one of the best programming books I have read. I was in the middle of my second semester of C++ programming in college when I bought this book. I learned more from "Learning to Program in C++" than I did reading the required textbook for the course. Mr. Heller writes and explains things so that anyone can follow the logic. While reading this book I had a couple of questions that my instructor was not even clear on, so I sent Mr. Heller an e-mail. He wrote back an explanation in less than an hour. Then he followed up on my question to make sure I truly understood the process that he had clarified for me. I found this to be most impressive. I have never learned from a book where I was able to actually question the author, and have him respond to my question. What a great experience. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to get started in computer programming or needs to expand on what they already know about C++. Sincerely, G. Tripp

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars To understand the basics start here. Fantastic book!!!, May 4, 2001

By	"silentobserver" (Boise, Idaho United States) - See all my reviews

This was an excellent book for C++ and programming fundamentals. I have been a software engineer for a large technology manufacturer for a few years. I have been programming for 4 years after leaving college. This book covers the foundations of computer science in such a way that you CANNOT NOT UNDERSTAND. These basics are absolutely critical to understand before you can really begin to hope to understand complex systems programming. I would recommend this book to anyone at any level looking to tighten up their skills. It is a great refresher for things I did in school and it is a great introduction for first time programmers. Sometimes the dialogue is heavy but only if you don't need it. If you need it, it is everywhere and it really helps you to understand the current topic better; Susan asks every question you can imagine. I would put this book in the hands of anybody. It is truly an idiot proof explanation to computers/software and the underlying architecture that supports both.