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

~ Brian Overland (Author) "There's nothing to fear about C++ programming-really!..." (more)
Key Phrases: greatest common factor, lowest common multiple, fraction arithmetic, Fraction Fraction, Operator Functions, We've Got Their Number (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

If you've always wanted to learn how to program a computer, or to learn the popular C++ programming language, here's the perfect book and CD to get you started. You'll find everything you need patiently explained and clearly illustrated, from general programming concepts and techniques to the particulars of the C++ language. In no time, you'll be writing your own programs! Yes, programming can be a complex task, and C++ is a language often used by professionals. In fact, many of the coolest games , graphics, and Internet applications are created with C++. But the language, like the monster on the cover, need not be all that fearsome. Broken down to its essentials, and enhanced by simple examples and practical exercises, you'll be amazed at the quick progress you can make.With C++ Without Fear, you will *Learn the basics of C++ programming *Get started writing your own programs *See how and why each piece of a program does what it does *Create useful and reusable program code *Understand object-oriented programming--for once explained in simple, down-to-earth terms Whether you wish to learn C++ programming for pleasure--and you'll discover here how much fun it can be--or might be considering a career in programming, this book is an intelligent first step. The accompanying CD-ROM contains a free C++ compiler for writing and running C++ programs, which will let you get started right away. It also includes all the examples and answers to all the exercises in the book. The CD-ROM will run on any PC running MS-DOS or Windows.

From the Back Cover

If you've always wanted to learn how to program a computer, or to learn the popular C++ programming language, here's the perfect book and CD to get you started. You'll find everything you need patiently explained and clearly illustrated, from general programming concepts and techniques to the particulars of the C++ language. In no time, you'll be writing your own programs!

Yes, programming can be a complex task, and C++ is a language often used by professionals. In fact, many of the coolest games , graphics, and Internet applications are created with C++. But the language, like the monster on the cover, need not be all that fearsome. Broken down to its essentials, and enhanced by simple examples and practical exercises, you'll be amazed at the quick progress you can make.

With C++ Without Fear, you will

• Learn the basics of C++ programming
• Get started writing your own programs
• See how and why each piece of a program does what it does
• Create useful and reusable program code
• Understand object-oriented programming--for once explained in simple, down-to-earth terms

Whether you wish to learn C++ programming for pleasure--and you'll discover here how much fun it can be--or might be considering a career in programming, this book is an intelligent first step.

The accompanying CD-ROM contains a free C++ compiler for writing and running C++ programs, which will let you get started right away. It also includes all the examples and answers to all the exercises in the book. The CD-ROM will run on any PC running MS-DOS or Windows.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 528 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall PTR (September 24, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0321246950
• ISBN-13: 978-0321246950
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #29,697 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Very Good Start for the Beginner, December 26, 2004

By	Paul M. Dubuc (Columbus, OH USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Start for Beginner's, February 7, 2006

By	J. Ramirez - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good but beware...., March 1, 2005

By	J. L. Y. Bing (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.