[A89] Re: [OT] Anyone have any good books on C to reccomend?
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[A89] Re: [OT] Anyone have any good books on C to reccomend?
On Thu, 29 Aug 2002 19:18:41 -0500, you wrote:
>=20
>
>Having screwed with the various flavors of TI-BASIC, I've decided to =
grow up
>and learn a real programming language (namely C). I know this is kind of=
off
>topic, so if this e-mail pisses you off, then I'll buy you a beer the =
next
>time you're in Brewster, NY, USA. I promise. =3D)=20
I'm pissed, and I'm coming for my beer! ;)
>
>Anyway, I'm looking for good reading material from which to learn C =
(either
>print or online will work). Preferably something that assumes =
familiarity
>with the basic concepts of programming. I have a copy of K&R's "The C
>Programming Language", however, my particular copy was printed around =
the
>time when C was mostly used for the PDP-11, and I'm afraid it might be =
out
>ofdate (if I'm wrong, please tell me).=20
Very few of the numerous online tutorials are any good at all. Most
are absolute garbage.
K&R is the best book available for C programming. However, you may
have the first edition, which is only useful if you're interested in
the history of C. The 2nd edition covers the ANSI C standard (as
ratified in 1989). It should be easily identifies by the text "ANSI C"
displayed prominently on the cover. Also, I believe the first edition
has a chapter 0, while the second starts at chapter 1.
Once you've got the book, make sure you check the errata online.
There's a few mistakes that are pretty bad.
It's worth noting that a new C standard went into effect in 1999.
There is no K&R covering this standard, and support for it is very
poor currently (almost no compilers support it - GCC is an exception;
it has partial support).
=46or advanced C programming, C Unleashed is excellent. The comp.lang.c
=46AQ is a good source for some advanced information as well as info on
common mistakes.
I've heard some good things about the Deitel & Deitel book for
beginners. I have a personal bias against them, though.
-Kevin
References: