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Title: Accelerated C++: Practical Programming by Example by Andrew Koenig, Barbara E. Moo ISBN: 0-201-70353-X Publisher: Addison-Wesley Pub Co Pub. Date: 15 January, 2000 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $39.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.49 (49 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: The fastest way to learn C++
Comment: There is a running debate as to weather this book is a book for beginners. The answer is yes and no. If you're an experienced "professional" programmer looking to learn C++ then this book is excellent. If you are new to programming and want to learn your 1st language then this book will be over your head. This is NOT an introduction to programming. It's a solid introduction to C++.
I'm a 16 year developer who has worked in COBOL, Visual Basic, Delphi and Java. I ordered this book on the recommendation of a colleague and I started reading it on a Saturday morning. By mid afternoon I had completed the entire book and had a firm grasp on C++. The book is clear, concise and effective. After reading this book, your C++ foundation will be laid and anything else you need can be looked up on a reference basis. It's an excellent way to learn the language and get up to speed quickly.
Rating: 3
Summary: Good Book But Not My Style
Comment: I used this when I was in my first year studying in Turku AMK. Well, this book saved me! I passed! Some things are complicated and some examples are too short. It wasn't clear how to write a program with c++. You have to be really good in C++ if you make programs with this book.
Rating: 5
Summary: Probably the Best C++ Tutorial
Comment: If you have programmed before--not necessarily in C++ or C--_Accelerated C++_ is probably the best C++ tutorial for you. If, however, you have never programmed before, you will probably want to do the exercises of an easier tutorial before using _Accelerated_. Not a primer to teach you how to programme, it is a primer to teach you the fundamentals of C++. _Accelerated_ is revolutionary, because, unlike typical primers, it uses C++'s standard library often and early. To get a better idea of how revolutionary, an explanation is necessary.
Earlier versions of C++--known as "C with Classes"--have been in use since 1980. But many so-called C++ tutorials still treat C++ as an extended form of C instead of the completely separate language that it is today. It has its own idiom. These tutorials, for example, use C-style string literals instead of C++'s string type and use arrays instead of C++'s vector type. This traditional way of teaching C++ results in errors and frustration among beginners--a major headache when trying to learn C and an unnecessary burden when trying to learn C++.
Fortunately, as implied, C++ has evolved, and a library--the standard library--has been developed to help programmers become productive more quickly and with less errors. _Accelerated_ is one of those few tutorials that uses this standard library early and often to quickly allow the beginner to write nontrivial programmes. On page 9, for example, you are already introduced to the string type. On page 12, you are already introduced to a member function of the string type. Compare this with common primers that tack on a chapter at the end about the standard library as an afterthought.
The authors let you in on subtleties that most experienced C++ programmers know but may appear strange to novices. You learn, for example, why it is better to count from _0_ than from _1_ in for-loops. The authors never condescend. Their explanations are clear and convincing. The range of material covered and the depth of the coverage go beyond what you will find in an average tutorial. The discussion of controllable handles, for example, will probably be quite abstract for some beginners. Both authors are respected for their knowledge of C++. (Koenig is the Project Editor of the C++ standards committee.)
Not only are their technical skills outstanding, they know how to teach. Who would choose to introduce pointers at the halfway point in the book and describe them as a kind of random-access iterator and only after you have had plenty of experience using iterators? The result is an easier time learning pointers. The authors have taught C++ at Stanford University, and this ability to teach is revealed throughout the book.
At only 336 pages, you may wonder how such a small book can revolutionize learning C++, especially when other outstanding books like the special edition of _The C++ Programming Language_ by Bjarne Stroustrup is 1040 pages, and the third edition of the _C++ Primer_ by Stanley B. Lippman and Josee Lajoie is 1237 pages. Part of the reason is that the authors are excellent technical writers who have mastered the art of conciseness.
Where example code is presented, if needed later, you are asked to refer to earlier pages clearly indicated instead of the code being reproduced verbatim. Sometimes you are briefly asked to rewrite the material in a chapter using classes that the authors have provided and that you have extended. Conciseness. Koenig and Moo say that they have concentrated on those parts of C++ that "are so universally important that it is hard to be productive without understanding them."
The authors present standard C++ and ignore proprietary extensions. From the book's web site you can download source code for UNIX and similar systems, .NET, Visual C++ 6.0, and Borland C++Builder version 5 or later. There is also some support for Macintosh users. And how difficult are the exercises? The overwhelming majority is of no more than moderate difficulty, with some challenging ones sprinkled in. But this is only if you do the hard work of concentrating on what is written and doing your best to complete each exercise. Many of the exercises build on your answers to previous exercises. Be extra careful, because no solutions are provided. There is no answer book. The authors should, however, have indicated each exercise's level of difficulty, as this will give you some idea of what to expect.
Do not let the long errata list discourage you. The authors are perfectionists. It is better, moreover, to have all the errata posted on the book's web site than to be pulling your hair, because just about every technical book is going to have errors. Neither the book nor, as this is written, the book's web site mention how to get started in using a compiler, so if you do not know how to use one, you will have to read the documentation that came with the compiler, ask someone, or use the Internet to find the answer. Near the end of the book, the authors recommend, for further study, _The C++ Programming Language_. I disagree. You should buy it along with _Accelerated_ not after it. It is useful for reference and for solving some of the exercises, as you can often find hints and helpful information in this book which is considered mandatory by many professional C++ programmers.
_Accelerated_ and _The C++ Programming Language_ are widely regarded as the best as regular readers of the Usenet discussion forums alt.comp.lang.learn.c-c++, comp.lang.c++, and comp.lang.c++.moderated already know. When book recommendations are requested or the best C++ books are commented on in these forums, these books are, invariably, mentioned the most. They also received the Association of C & C++ Users' highest recommendation. These books are difficult and demand effort, patience, and persistence.
A tremendous amount of thought and care and planning went on behind the scenes before Koenig and Moo approached their word processors. If you are serious about acquiring a solid C++ foundation, there is nothing better.
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Title: The C++ Standard Library : A Tutorial and Reference by Nicolai M. Josuttis ISBN: 0201379260 Publisher: Addison-Wesley Pub Co Pub. Date: 12 August, 1999 List Price(USD): $59.99 |
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Title: The C++ Programming Language (Special 3rd Edition) by Bjarne Stroustrup ISBN: 0201700735 Publisher: Addison-Wesley Pub Co Pub. Date: 15 February, 2000 List Price(USD): $64.99 |
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Title: Essential C++ by Stanley B. Lippman ISBN: 0201485184 Publisher: Addison-Wesley Pub Co Pub. Date: 26 October, 1999 List Price(USD): $33.95 |
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Title: C++ Primer (3rd Edition) by Stanley B. Lippman, Josée Lajoie ISBN: 0201824701 Publisher: Addison-Wesley Pub Co Pub. Date: 02 April, 1998 List Price(USD): $49.99 |
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Title: Exceptional C++: 47 Engineering Puzzles, Programming Problems, and Solutions by Herb Sutter ISBN: 0201615622 Publisher: Addison-Wesley Pub Co Pub. Date: 18 November, 1999 List Price(USD): $37.99 |
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