C++ All-in-One Desk Reference for Dummies (Paperback)

by Jeff Cogswell (Author) "It's your lucky day..." (more)
Key Phrases: abstract virtual function, executable project, mailbox container, Solution Explorer, Window Help, Watch Expressions (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
There are almost as many programming languages these days as there are dialects at a Washington cocktail party. Among them all, however, C++ remains a favorite, especially for beginners. C++ is fast, powerful, fully compiled, and portable. If you’ve thought about learning programming, it’s a great place to start. And if you’re already experienced with C++, you probably know a well-organized reference guide makes a programmer’s life a lot easier.

C++ All-In-One Desk Reference For Dummies is a guide that grows with you. It’s organized into seven convenient minibooks, each devoted to a particular aspect of C++. So whether you’re a beginner just learning the lingo, or a veteran who wants to find out how to write a Web service in C++ .NET by using the Managed Extension to C++ (and who actually knows what that means!) you can find the answers quickly and easily.

If you’re about to venture into C++ programming for the first time, Minibook I begins at the beginning and covers all the basic stuff you need to know. You’ll be ready to join the big kids when you reach the subsequent minibooks, which cover

• Understanding objects and classes, including UML and design patterns
• Fixing problems, debugging your code, and choosing a good debugger
• Advanced C++ programming
• Reading and writing files, with coverage of stream programming
• C++ .NET, which shows you how to program for Microsoft’s latest product, create Web services, build assemblies, and more
• Visual Studio 6.0 and MFC, featuring a discussion of writing software for Windows with Microsoft Foundation classes

No matter how accomplished a C++ programmer you are – or aren’t – there will always be times when you need a reference guide. C++ All-In-One Desk Reference For Dummies gets you started with C++ programming, takes you as far as you want to go, and makes it easy to find out more whenever you want.

From the Back Cover
7 books in 1– your key to C++ programming success!

Your one-stop guide to C++, from getting started to getting going with .NET

Congratulations! You are, or soon will be, programming in the most popular language used for software applications today. Don’t do it alone! This handy guide will stick by you from the moment you write your first C++ program all the way through the challenges of C++.NET, Visual Studio, and the MFC. It even includes a compiler on the CD-ROM.

All this on the bonus CD-ROM

• All the source code from examples in the book
• C++ Builder 6 Enterprise, Trial Edition and C++ Builder Compiler
• Dev-C++, Text Pad shareware, cygwin, and more

System requirements: Windows 98SE or later. 128 MB RAM. 750 MB free hard drive space. See the "About the CD-ROM Appendix" for more details.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 854 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies (December 2, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764517953
• ISBN-13: 978-0764517952
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #187,557 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Computer Science Students - You Need This Book!, March 27, 2003

By	"jpowel10" (Clearwater, FL USA) - See all my reviews

I have been struggling with the computer courses in a Computer Science Degree program that is completely online. I have read over 20 C++ programming texts and I wish I had read this one first. Along with the usual frivolities that accompany "for Dummies!" books, Jeff Cogswell is able to explain all those fun little things like polymorphism and UML and object-oriented in ways that no one else has been able to do.
I would buy another book by this author in a heartbeat. With no prior computer programming experience, the concepts in C++ had me pretty much beat. Jeff was able to bring my hopes of graduation back to life.
Thanks, Jeff.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent writer, GREAT book..., June 30, 2003

By A Customer

Do NOT judge this book by the phrase "for dummies" in the title. Jeff Cogswell created a very comprehensive 800+ page book that runs all the way through C++. If you worked through this book from start to finish (and with his pleasant writing style, you could), you'd have the entire language at your disposal -- not just a beginner's knowledge. Also note that it begins assuming you have no programming experience, yet it does advance to the heart of C++ (and around it). I had some prior experience, so I started later on in the first "mini book." (see the table of contents.)

Cogswell also walks the tight-rope of hard-core technical teaching and pleasant "conversational" teaching quite well. And being a "for dummies" book, you'll find the typical comic relief every now and then.

If you're like most, you have more than one book on any programming language. Save time and money -- make this one your first. His writing style helps C++ go down a lot smoother.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simplifying Difficult Concepts, June 30, 2003

By	Donald Rorabaugh (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews

I have been a computer programmer for a long time, working on IBM mainframes. I have been wanting to learn C++ and Object Oriented techniques, but have been intimidated by the complexity of them. This book presents in clear, easy to understand language everything I needed to know. The fact that it's entertaining is just a bonus. Do yourself a favor - buy this book and then go get a better job.