Big C++ with WeL Total Java CD Metrowerks Codewarrior 8 and Sleve for Horstmann Big C++ Set (Paperback)

~ Cay Horstmann (Author)
Key Phrases: operator overloading, travel clock, binary search trees, Case Study, Programming Exercises, Review Exercises (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

* Serving as an ideal introduction to C++ programming, this updated edition balances ease of learning the latest thinking on cognitive processes, current theoretical approaches, and innovative research techniques
* Shares additional guidance in the form of how-tos and walkthroughs throughout the chapters --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From the Back Cover

The modern coverage you want—and the practical programming focus you need.

Big C++ surveys the breadth of today’s C++ landscape, but always from the viewpoint of good programming practice. Horstmann and Budd combine their professional and academic experience to guide you from the basics of programming to an understanding of the complexities of C++ memory management, operator overloading, exception handling, and more. More than a reference, Big C++ offers well-developed exercises, examples, and case studies that engage you in the details of useful C++ applications.

• Modern C++. Big C++’s extensive coverage focuses on the modern features of the C++ standard, such as the stream library, the string class, and detailed coverage of the STL. This focus minimizes the use of error-prone and confusing constructs, so you can become a more productive programmer faster.
• Principles First. Organized to manage the complexity of C++, the book’s foundation chapters present basic concepts and C++ essentials. As you master the fundamentals, later chapters add depth and serve as a unified reference on key topics such as exception handling, memory management, polymorphism, name scope management, templates, and more.
• Object Orientation. C++ is introduced as an object-oriented language, so you learn to use objects from the start. Once you are comfortable with creating objects and calling member functions, you’ll learn to implement your own classes and member functions. Later chapters present object-oriented design methodologies and tools, expand your knowledge of UML notation, and introduce design patterns.
• Flexibility. Designed to be modular, Big C++ lets you follow your interests. Choose chapters to create an emphasis on advanced topics, the STL, graphics programming, or object-oriented design. Or, choose from three applications chapters—relational databases, graphical user interfaces, and XML—to extend your knowledge of C++ in real-world programming situations.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 1186 pages
• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons (June 18, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471679623
• ISBN-13: 978-0471679622
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 2.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,252,139 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Modern treatment of C++, January 16, 2005

By	Bruce R. LaPlante (Green Bay, WI USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Big C++ (Paperback)

This is an excellent textbook written by knowledgeable authors. Horstmann teaches at San Jose State University in California. He has in-depth knowledge of C++, having written the Safe STL library. He also writes for the Sun Core Java series of books.
Although the book is large, it can be used for a 2 or 3 semester sequence of courses in software development using C++. After covering fundamentals, the authors cover advanced topics with modern relevance. Chapter 13 on Object-Oriented Design discusses the software development life cycle, Class-Responsibility-Collaboration using CRC cards, and gives practical tips for implementing class associations. Other advanced topics include templates (similar to generics), the C++ Standard Template Library, design patterns, GUI's, Relational Databases (using MySQL), and XML. Appendices cover C++ Language Coding Guidelines, and legacy C/C++ topics.

The authors' writing style is very clear and easy for college freshmen to understand. The Random Facts sections help make the textbook interesting, and cover topics such as: Computing History, the First Bug, the Therac-25 bug (an ethical issue), the Ariane Rocket incident, etc.

Sample code can be found at the author's website at:
http://www.horstmann.com/bigcpp.html
and also at the Wiley publisher higher education website:
http://he-cda.wiley.com/WileyCDA/ (search by author for Horstmann). The book is well organized with a good set of end-of-chapter exercises, programming problems, and references for further reading.

We have adopted this textbook for a 2-sequence course in object-oriented software development. I highly recommend it.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars javaboy, March 4, 2004

By	Dan (Waterloo, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Big C++ (Paperback)

Lots of examples, very easy to follow along. A big downside that I noticed is that there is no website for the book to find the necessary libraries for the examples. I now found that I can find them on the site of the previous book the author wrote. After wich I had to find more libraries wich were either missing or incomplete. This come down to skipping chapter 3 and subsequent programming exercises that require the knowledge gained from chapte 3. Very frustrading, but I hope that that the author will create the site soon, making this a 5/5 book. Great otherwise.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great way to start, along with some advanced topics, January 16, 2010

By	calvinnme "Texan refugee" (Fredericksburg, Va) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Big C++ (Paperback)

I don't know what some of these reviewers are talking about when they say that this book is not for beginners. The author starts out very slowly, covering in almost ten chapters and with numerous examples the parts of C++ that are virtually the same as C. It is not until late into the book that he hits upon GUIs, the standard template library, exception handling, and XML. I like the book because it covers so much and covers it so well. I'd highly recommend it to anyone who is a novice C++ programmer, or even someone with experience who wants a good example-based reference and some material on the more advanced parts of C++ to boot. If you've read Mr. Horstmann's "Core Java" series of books, you know what to look forward to - a book that starts at the beginning but does not sacrifice details for a slow take-off approach. Highly recommended.