Rating: 
Summary: Does the book include a C++ programming language software?
Review: Can one buy and practice with the book without buying a C++ programming language software?
Rating: 
Summary: Too many errors, just not worth the money
Review: If there's one thing I can't *stand*, it's a book that teaches incorrect information. When i spend 30 minutes typing in one of his examples, I expect it to work. Many times, it doesn't. I had some background experience and was able to debug the worthless code that's presented in this book, but a beginner will have no idea why he's getting compilation errors on examples copied straight from the pages of a $30 book that isn't worth the paper it was printed on. Plus, if you look at an example and don't try to compile it, you will assume it's correct and will be further confused in the future. I'm baffled on how this badly written volume has received more than two stars. Authors, take note: COMPILE YOUR EXAMPLES AND MAKE SURE THEY WORK BEFORE PRESENTING THEM TO AN AUDIENCE OF THOUSANDS OF READERS. Mr. Liberty, thanks for giving me a hefty paperweight.
Rating:
Summary: not a great one
Review: This book is definately not the best one. There were countless errors in its code. Many things were not explained clearly. However, for beginners, it's a considerable choice. It still takes time to understand some awkward explainations.
Rating: 
Summary: About as good as a programming book can get
Review: This has been just the book for me. I found Jesse Liberty's writing to be very clear and his presentation format well-thought-out. In this day when "authors" slap together 1000-page books in a few weeks, filling them with incoherent, redundant writing and bug-infested sample code just to meet some publisher's deadline, Jesse Liberty's book is a breath of fresh air.I join those who are rather puzzled about some of the other user's comments. All I can say is that you have to expect a challenge. Learning C++ is a pretty daunting task, and anyone who is expecting it to be easy is in for a rude awakening. If you're used to VB, and are expecting that you'll be able to jump right in and "just wing it", referring to the text only when you need to learn some new tricks, you'll either have to slow down and change your approach or stick with VB. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wishes they could take a good, intensive one-semester college course in C++, but, for whatever reason, doesn't have the option to do so. If you read everything carefully and in sequence, concentrate hard, do all the exercises, and don't try to take any short-cuts, you should gain a solid understanding of not just the C++ language, but of the more general principles of Object Oriented Programming. I think that this is about as much as anyone has a right to expect from a $30.00 book. To borrow one of Jesse's presentation constructs (which I liked a lot): DO buy this book. DO read it thoroughly and carefully. DON'T skim through or try to use it as a quick-reference handbook--it is a course in book form, and should be used primarily as such. --Erik
Rating:
Summary: a zero star book
Review: i hate this book!!! it is not for a beginning programmer because good ol' jesse liberty doesn't explain ANY of the elements in the source code. i like sam's teach yourself c in 24 hours better. author was GREAT.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding and coherent work!
Review: Jesse has created a very readable book with good advice and a superior set of examples, summaries, do's & don'ts, and quiz questions with solutions. The various Bug Busters were cool as well. Plenty of small but important little tips and warnings scattered throughout the chapters. Most importantly, it's not BORING. As a new student of C++ I am mystified by some of the remarks about this book. One reader mentioned two-dimensional arrays but that is just not a big deal...they're handled through arrays of pointers normally. However, I agree that Ivar Horton's book form WROX press is also an excellent choice. And for the reader who couldn't grasp the examples using the cat class because he didn't like cats...please. If you're new to C++ and you can't sit down with this book, study it carefully, compile the programs and tweak them, and generally understand the concepts, then unfortunately it may be that programming is just not for you because it's one of the most straightforward, useful books on C++. Jesse recommends reading Effective C++ by Scott Myers as your next C++ book and I'm looking forward to reading that one as well. BTW, I found no significant errors, possibly because I have the 2nd edition.
Rating:
Summary: THE BEST
Review: the best starting place for learning c+
Rating:
Summary: Only the first five days are for beginners,don't buy it
Review: This is not a good book.When I was on the first few days,I said to myself,"this book is wonderful,it's certainly worth my money."But as soon as I got to day 6,I started getting lost.The worst part of this book is Day 11-"Arrays".It doesn't give you enough information on how to declare multidimentional arrays(I finally figured out within one minute at a bookstore when I was reading Ivor Horton's "Beginning C++"),and the sections on linked list and array classes are just a disaster,and unfortunately,if you don't fully understand Day 11,this book becomes worthless when you get to week 3. What I don't like about this book is that it doesn't tell you enough when you might need to use the things on week 3,which I never finished because I had no idea what it was all about. I strongly recommend Ivor Horton's "Beginning C++".It gives you all the information you need,everything is covered in detail.For example,as I mentioned earlier,this 21days book doesn't give you enough information on multidimentional arrays,but in Ivor Horton's book,multidimentional arrays has its own section. Do not buy this book if you are like me,an absolute beginner to C++.
Rating: 
Summary: Great book for initial, solid foundation in C++
Review: I used this book to help with the transition from electrical to software engineering. Jesse's logic of developing and teaching were comfortable to me as an engineer. The material is well explained and challenging. Doing the exercises was absolutely necessary in order to get a good understanding of the material. His sidebars, e.g., discussing the placement of * and & operators, are complete. They encourage the student to develop his or her own style. I used an earlier edition, that did have some errors. I found that trying to figure out the errors helped my learning. It has turned out to be a lot like software development in the real world, where the answer is not "in the back of the book". I used this book along with others to prepare me for my current engineering position. Regular reference to the book has been common.
Rating:
Summary: Way too many mistakes
Review: I learned a lot from this book, but it was not easy. The book is riddled with errors, especially in the code and in the critical parts of the text describing the code. I spent more time browsing through the errata than reading the book or coding.
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