C Programming for Engineering and Computer Science (B.E.S.T. Series)

Rating:
Summary: Useless Waste of Money
Review: C programming made simple by simple minds. If brevity is the soul of wit and failure is the ingredient that gives success its flavor, then we have a winner. Don't bother to look behind door number 3.

Don't expect a quick authoritative desk reference unless you are under the impression that you can make shortcuts through hard work and study. Why anyone would need to use this tome at all is excruciatingly hypothetical unless he/she has no idea about the C programming anyway, un which case Why would you need this book?

The authors' focus is unfocused. Again, why beginning students in C computer programming would even need to use a book for refernce is unclear. And if a reader cannot discern the differences between subtle symbology, he probably isn't getting the big picture and should re-read the manual that came with the software.

According to those recipients of a huge injustice that has been done by the students of C, they are sloppy with their arbitrary set of symbols--"pointers" notwithstanding. Solving problems shouldn't be so intangible that way. Don't believe anything that this book will try to tell you unless you happen to be one of these students and never want to master C programming.

Grately helping beginning students isn't the purpose of this book. The purpose is to understand the C without using a crutch, and so why would you buy the book unless you weanted a crutch? One plus: there's no sloppiness at all in terms of terms and symbols and nothing about the actual text is careless. The learning curve is not long and not tedious to undergo any nuances in the dialect.

Sometimes I even feel that C++ should be added to the appendices of books like this. Can we get a soul langauge for all beginning student computer programmers? If ebveryone wasn't of the mindset to change anything, just like the insidious attempts of hackers to use dimentional hardware.

So a star remains for clarity in text, and if you look for sloppiness, that's something this book doesn't have. All other areas, I must admit, aren't as forthcoming. Look elsewhere and quickly. Essentailly, it's a herculean task to explain something like this to someone who wants easy answers. Work hard with the software and your reward will be great. There are no shortcuts to knowledge--which, in my view, most technical people ignore. to. Don't go looking for a bridge to understanding this language which, in my view, isn't in need of a crutch all together.
Those with ideas about a book clarifying confusing and thus, difficult langauges are expecting something for nothing and should get a better work ethic. You won't get it from this book.

Rating:
Summary: Useless Waste of Money
Review: This computer programming text will serve students well both as as a text or as a quick authoritative desk reference.

The authors'focus on answering the most common questions asked by beginning students in C computer programming is great. They also spend quite a bit of effort showing the differences among subtle symbology.

Note I think the people who invented C language did a huge injustice to all students of C by being very sloppy with their chosen set of symbols especially for "Pointers" -- which is often used in solving most intermediate and advanced programming problems.

This book tries to get to the root of all the confusion and sloppiness of the orignal inventors and thus end up greatly helping beginning students. Once students overcome all the sloppy terms and symbols carelessly adopted by the original designers then they can begin to enjoy the C langauge and make it do some wonderful things. But the learning curve is typically long and tedious to slowly overcome all the nuances in the language.

Sometimes I even feel that C language should be phased out completely and allow C++ to be the sole langauge for all beginning student computer programmers. But people are reluctant to change anything -- just like the '80's attempt trying to phase out English dimensional sytem with the Metric system.

Again this text understands all the areas of sloppiness that lead often to confusion and then goes to work at clearly explaining them all.

Normally it's a tough job to clear up others confusion but these 2 authors apparently were highly motivated and committed at trying to take a good stab at all inherent problems in communication -- which, in my view, most technical people don't pay enough attention to. They seem to think that after they design some complex system it's someone elses problem to figure out what they designed.

The original designers of C language certainly have caused a lot of unnecessary headaches for many beginning students trying to learn C; and this book focuses on being a Bridge to understanding this shadowy language which, in my view, again should be phased out altogether, or the designers should fix the confusing symbology and often unnecessary cryptic shorthand for almost everything in their C language. Note C was designed when computer memory was [more money] and limited, and the designers got very creative at working under this environment. But did they think about future students trying to learn this often confusing and thus, difficult langauge?

The only suggestion for the book is that the publisher should have used larger font for titles and subtitles and theoretically should have aimed for new page for each subsection. I could never undestand publisher's use of the bottom of a page for major subsection.

G. Jerry Sagliocca, P.E.
Schenectady, New York

Rating:
Summary: textbook_critic
Review: This computer programming text will serve students well both as as a text or as a quick authoritative desk reference.

The authors'focus on answering the most common questions asked by beginning students in C computer programming is great. They also spend quite a bit of effort showing the differences among subtle symbology.

Note I think the people who invented C language did a huge injustice to all students of C by being very sloppy with their chosen set of symbols especially for "Pointers" -- which is often used in solving most intermediate and advanced programming problems.

This book tries to get to the root of all the confusion and sloppiness of the orignal inventors and thus end up greatly helping beginning students. Once students overcome all the sloppy terms and symbols carelessly adopted by the original designers then they can begin to enjoy the C langauge and make it do some wonderful things. But the learning curve is typically long and tedious to slowly overcome all the nuances in the language.

Sometimes I even feel that C language should be phased out completely and allow C++ to be the sole langauge for all beginning student computer programmers. But people are reluctant to change anything -- just like the '80's attempt trying to phase out English dimensional sytem with the Metric system.

Again this text understands all the areas of sloppiness that lead often to confusion and then goes to work at clearly explaining them all.

Normally it's a tough job to clear up others confusion but these 2 authors apparently were highly motivated and committed at trying to take a good stab at all inherent problems in communication -- which, in my view, most technical people don't pay enough attention to. They seem to think that after they design some complex system it's someone elses problem to figure out what they designed.

The original designers of C language certainly have caused a lot of unnecessary headaches for many beginning students trying to learn C; and this book focuses on being a Bridge to understanding this shadowy language which, in my view, again should be phased out altogether, or the designers should fix the confusing symbology and often unnecessary cryptic shorthand for almost everything in their C language. Note C was designed when computer memory was [more money] and limited, and the designers got very creative at working under this environment. But did they think about future students trying to learn this often confusing and thus, difficult langauge?

The only suggestion for the book is that the publisher should have used larger font for titles and subtitles and theoretically should have aimed for new page for each subsection. I could never undestand publisher's use of the bottom of a page for major subsection.

G. Jerry Sagliocca, P.E.
Schenectady, New York