C++ Primer Plus

If you've taken any STEM courses in college, you might have noticed a focus on practicality and quick solutions. Professors only have a few weeks to teach you and justifiably want you to learn as much as possible (many think like engineers and seek tangible accomplishments). This often comes at the expense of a rigorous theoretical understanding of the matter at hand. In the case of calculus, students might be expected to have already learned the underpinnings of the field, which have hardly changed in hundreds of years. Computer science is a very different field - it can be more specialized and segmented than the traditional sciences. Most students lack prior technical experience with programming (the specialization problem), and if they have any it might be with an entirely different language (the segmentation problem). Thus, any student would do well to pick up the fundamentals before delving into advanced topics. At my university, at least, the computer science department couldn't care less about teaching you critical thinking or reasoning; they want you coding from the first day, no questions asked. What am I getting at? This book helps me understand the code I would otherwise be typing mindlessly. This primer walks you through the steps to create a C++ program, and details its components. Whether you're picking up C++ as an additional language or using a command line for the first time, you will have the tools to confidently produce your own work. I find it preferable to (or in tandem with) the associated college course, which others have justifiably lamented for its illusion of learning. I talk generally of the philosophy behind the book; not only do I find that angle more interesting, but I'm also just getting started with the primer's 1000+ pages. I can already highly endorse it. Looking through forthcoming chapters, the range of content extends far beyond the scope of my introductory computer science course; thus, reading through the entire book is an impressive accomplishment and one that should serve as a real benchmark. The author is serious and yet witty, avoiding the "clinical" sort of programmer speak you might encounter if you're browsing online help forums. (On that note, pick up this book before you're inundated by the contradictory and often hostile answers people give to beginner questions). He adapts his tone and content to the level of the reader, who neither expects an easy way out nor wants to waste time on arcane terminology. He strikes an effective balance that rewards you for learning and challenges you to keep going. While you can certainly refer to the sections of your interest and jump around as you please, there's a cumulative sort of "narrative" that allows you to build on SKILLS rather than KNOWLEDGE. That's a key distinction -- the book trusts you enough to deal with significant concepts, even if it takes a while to fully grasp their implications. If you think this approach takes more time, you are definitely correct. While entirely engaging and reasonably paced, this book is not meant to be devoured in one sitting. The upshot is that you will develop a more thorough understanding of the principles involved. Thus, when the deadline is looming on your massive project and you're faced with ten compiler errors, you will have the discipline to dissect the program's components and identify the problem in a predictable way. Rather than change a few lines of code and hope your tentative understanding of the subject material will get you by. Remember: while it's possible to re-learn a field, it's so much easier to get it right the first time around. Like a good book and a good education, this primer serves as an investment in your future. It will help you understand both basic and intricate concepts, and actually apply some of your knowledge to problems outside the field. If you've read to this point already, you clearly have the willingness to learn the right way. This book will serve you well. I greatly admire the author's approach and hope that other technical writers will adopt a similar one. His balance between the technical and theoretical is compelling. Ultimately this book is a great value not because it will land you a job at Microsoft tomorrow, but for its careful and comprehensive approach that will enhance your long-term value as a programmer. The language is free to use, the software is freely available -- all that's left is the right learning tool. With this one, you really can't go wrong. A note about my review: Others have thoroughly covered the errata, which you can download online. Be aware of these mistakes and go ahead and correct them when you buy the book. They shouldn't stand in the way of a truly fantastic learning tool. I choose not to penalize my rating for something the aggregate score already reflects.

I'll start by saying I date back to mainframes and Fortran days and my background is in circuit design, assembler and much later in Pascal. I had always balked at 'C' and now in retirement++, I wanted to make a go of some minor projects for which I had to learn 'C++'. I looked carefully at the reviews before going with this book. It is amazingly straightfoward and even for an "oldie", I can follow and work through it quite easily although I am only in the earlier chapters so far. The listings, tips and exercises are good. It's indexing indicates that it will be a good reference manual as well as a teaching book (it's primary aim). It is thorough to the point that I think it would cover all that budding programmers would need. I consider that Stephen Prata is a gifed writer and he can view his work from the perspective of the learner unlike some nerdy tomes I've encountered. I have the sixth edition, third printing July 2012 and I think much of the earlier errata etc mentioned by earlier reviewers has been cleaned up.

Having never programmed seriously before (I dabbled in BASIC when I was younger), this book has been an incredibly valuable resource! I feel very comfortable now in the basics of C++, and can approach the multitude of online resources now without a great amount of head scratching. The code examples are excellent and abundant, and the end-of-chapter exercises are very good -- after going through each chapter and completing them, I feel like I have a good grasp of the previous concepts. And, the book certainly will be a great reference in the future - it is squarely both a valuable learning book as well as a resource afterwards. There are several typos in the book, but nothing that is a showstopper. I wouldn't even count then as a nuisance, just a few bumps along the road. I highly recommend this for anyone learning C++!

Questo libro è perfetto per chi come me sta iniziando ora a muovere i primi passi nel linguaggio di programmazione C++, mentre per chi invece è già avvezzo potrebbe risultare sin troppo prolisso. Infatti la spiegazione avviene in modo molto discorsivo, come se invece di un libro avessimo davanti un professore, e dopo ogni piccola spiegazione segue un esempio, che viene perfezionato man mano che la spiegazione viene portata avanti, mettendo in risalto gli errori più comuni. Unica pecca di questo libro, almeno a parer mio, è la mancanza di una traduzione in Italiano. Anche se devo ammettere che è scritto in un Inglese non troppo complicato consiglio prima dell'acquisto di provare a leggere qualche pagina da una delle versioni di prova (con pagine mancanti) del libro, che è possibile trovare comodamente online, per capire se l'Inglese utilizzato nel libro si adatta alle proprie conoscenze.

This Primer Plus series of books (as I also include in this Stephen Prata's book on C) is simply extraordinary. Having bought a substantial number of books on programming over the years, I have rarely come across such a well-explained tutorial. Because of Mr Prata's professional background in the field of physics, he never *assumes* that some of us know this or that in order to quickly move on to ever more complex algorithms, in the way many programmers would; instead, he treats programming as a true science, therefore starting from scratch and slowly building up, providing us with explanations and demonstrations that are very thorough, highly detailed yet fun and very easy to read and follow. The exercises at the end of each chapter are very well paced, and the whole book is up to speed with the latest trends and practices in the field of C++ programming. It can either be an ideal companion to those who already have a programming background or an excellent A-to-Z, step-by-step tutorial to those who have never written a line of code in their life. What more is there to say other than: get this book! I guarantee you will thoroughly enjoy it.

Purchased for my son. Great price for these text books.

Ouvrage didactique .

O conteúdo é muito bom, praticamente a bíblia do C++, o único pecado forem ter enviado em um pacote comum um livro tão grande, tanto que uma ponta ficou amassada mas acabei conseguindo resolver.