Programming in C++

Rating:
Summary: Programming in C++
Review: Needed this book for my college class. As college books go this one was pretty good to understand. I did need a companion book when it started to get really heavy duty, but only because my instructor failed to fill in the gaps. I do think that for the price though the publishers could have included a CD-ROM with info and links for the student, this might have eliminated me having to buy a companion book. Over all as a beginner this book helped me grasp the fundamentals of C++. I have since gone on to use the book in other classes as a refresher.

Rating:
Summary: This book starts out great, but ... in the end disappoints
Review: The authors did a great job of introducing the student to C++ in chapters 1-6, but after that the careful and thorough explanations with complete programming examples are no longer found. Instead, the authors in covering Functions, Control Structures, Data Types, Structured Types, Data Abstraction, Classes, Arrays, Array-based lists, Object-oriented programming, and Recursion seemed to have gotten lazy or just don't know how to present the information to a student "new" to programming or "new" to C++. Practical examples of how these techniques can be used are lacking. The programs presented to go along with the text are incomplete and / or error-ridden. I found myself consulting other C++ textbooks just to get through the last two-thirds of this textbook. This book also lacks a CD to go along with the book with the code for the programs presented. (...) there are better books out there to learn C++. For the student who has to buy the book for a college course, buy a companion book such as Jesse Liberty's "Sams' Teach Yourself C++ in 21 Days", Deitel & Deitel's "How to Program C++", Holzner's "C++ Black Book", or one of the Waite Groups books such as "C++ Primer Plus". All of their programs work, plus they have corrections or updates to their book or programs at their web site (their publisher's site). Also, there are many good web sites out there that are in themselves a pretty good intro course to C++.

Rating:
Summary: This book starts out great, but ... in the end disappoints
Review: The authors did a great job of introducing the student to C++ in chapters 1-6, but after that the careful and thorough explanations with complete programming examples are no longer found. Instead, the authors in covering Functions, Control Structures, Data Types, Structured Types, Data Abstraction, Classes, Arrays, Array-based lists, Object-oriented programming, and Recursion seemed to have gotten lazy or just don't know how to present the information to a student "new" to programming or "new" to C++. Practical examples of how these techniques can be used are lacking. The programs presented to go along with the text are incomplete and / or error-ridden. I found myself consulting other C++ textbooks just to get through the last two-thirds of this textbook. This book also lacks a CD to go along with the book with the code for the programs presented. (...) there are better books out there to learn C++. For the student who has to buy the book for a college course, buy a companion book such as Jesse Liberty's "Sams' Teach Yourself C++ in 21 Days", Deitel & Deitel's "How to Program C++", Holzner's "C++ Black Book", or one of the Waite Groups books such as "C++ Primer Plus". All of their programs work, plus they have corrections or updates to their book or programs at their web site (their publisher's site). Also, there are many good web sites out there that are in themselves a pretty good intro course to C++.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent for Novices
Review: This book has a very strong emphasis on good programming practices. It spends a lot of time on problem solving and coding style. It moves very slowly, and only introduces classes at the very end. It does not go in depth, but for a person with no programming background, it is ideal. The authors, especially Nell Dale, have been teaching programming for well over twenty years at the University of Texas at Austin, and her experience shows. The only reason I doin't give it five stars is because I feel it sould have covered some more advanced topics. Also, this was written before the ANSI/ISO C++ Standard.

Rating:
Summary: Great book for beginner programmers
Review: This book is great for beginners who have never done any programming before. It goes into the basics of programming and focuses on good programming practices. I used it for my Computer Science class introduction to programming. This is not a book to learn C++ so much as it is to learn good programming practices based upon the C++ language. Everything you learn here can be applied to any other language. There are many better books for the C++ language, especially if you are interested in learning Object Oriented Programming.

Rating:
Summary: Good book for Introduction to Programming
Review: This is our textbook for my first-year college course in Programming, CMIS 102. It serves its purpose fine for what I need it for, it has decent examples, and it's organized quite well. I didn't give it five stars simply because I think it could have expanded on some topics a little more, and it's not much of a good reference book, the appendixes in the back are very basic.