Who's Afraid of More C++? (Who's Afraid of...)

Rating:
Summary: A Fantastic Book & Wonderful Method of Truly Learning C++
Review: ** NOTE: If you are a beginner, this book is not for you just yet, read "Who's Afraid of C++?" first. **

Steve Heller has done it again! This is C++ for the masses. Imagine having a personal C++ expert teaching you and answering every C++ question you have... in real time! Well, this book is the next best thing -- and not too much different. "Who's Afraid of More C++?" (like its predecessor) is written more as a novel than a technical tome, every page taking you deeper into the intricate world of C++ and revealing the mysteries of this powerful language. Once I opened my copy of the manuscript, I could hardly put it down!

However, at the core of the this very readable book is a technical masterpiece! I found each page packed with indispensable hints, tips, and revelations. Some books teach C++, while others specialize in "Effective" programming techniques -- this book does BOTH superbly. Save some money and get this DOUBLE WHAMMY! Last year I thought "Inheritance" was just something I wasn't going to be getting from any of my relatives; no longer!

What makes this book so special is that Steve's wife, Susan, is the C++ student that Steve is teaching throughout. As you read, you can imagine her reading, too, because just as you read something you're not so clear on, Susan pipes up and asks the question for you. Her knack for doing this is uncanny! What ensues is a dialog (originally Email-based) between Steve and Susan. Steve answers Susan's questions until she understands the topic thoroughly -- and by that time, I did too. Steve's style will appeal to the C++ novice, as well as those C++ gurus looking to tune up their skills.

By the way, this is much more than just a book. Steve answers his Email! So if you have a question that you can't find an answer to, help is just an Email away. Better yet, there is a mailing list (see the link on Steve's home page) for readers to discuss C++ and object oriented programming topics. You can't go w! rong!

Rating:
Summary: A Must Read for any C/C++ programmer
Review: Although I have not read too far into this book, I can tell that is a great success, just the same as the previous book, "Who's Afraid of C++". If you are a beginner, I strongly recommend that you read "Who's Afraid of C++" first. Then move on to this book. It will make much more sense. If you have already read "Who's Afraid of C++", or you know a decent amount of c++, then you must read this book. When you read reviews on the cover of it, it says that it starts off just where "Who's Afraid of C++" left off. This is nothing but truth. It even continues using the same example that it had left off with. Steve Heller explains everything in great detail. If you still don't understand it, Susan, his official test reader will come in and ask the question for you. The entire dialogue is written out in the book, so you are sure to understand it. It strongly recommend this book to anyone who wants to advance his/her C+! + knowledge. If you want to e-mail me, remove the "nospam." in my e-mail address.

Rating:
Summary: The long-awaited sequel - demanding, but highly recommended!
Review: This is the long-awaited sequel to "Who's Afraid of C++?," in which Steve Heller introduced the unique idea of not just teaching, but learning by example, inviting the reader to follow along with Susan, a total novice to programming. By the end of that volume, we had gone from the basic mechanics of writing and compiling simple C++ programs to an understanding of classes and object-oriented programming. Steve and Susan showed that these "advanced" concepts, approached from the standpoint of a novice, were really no more difficult than other programming issues like data types and flow control, usually regarded as more "basic." Tantalizingly, the first volume seemed to end just when the story started getting really good - when the reader just started getting a glimpse of the full power of C++.

This second volume immediately plunges ahead into new conceptual territory, laying out in the first three chapters what will become the core of the book - the ideas of encapsulation, inheritance, and polymorphism. Building upon the classes developed in the first volume for the "grocery store inventory" scenario, the conceptual leaps from object-oriented classes, to inherited classes, to virtual functions and polymorphic objects occur so fast I almost felt assaulted by them. In fact, by the end of the third chapter, I had to put the book down, go back and reread the last 100 or so pages of "Who's Afraid of C++?" and then come back to the beginning of chapter 3. On the second reading, it clicked!

The remaining four chapters flesh out the ideas presented in the first three, showing the development of a small home inventory application, with some interesting digressions on the Year 2000 problem and on the nature of software development in general.

Although much of this material is somewhat tricky and even elusive, especially when objects begin "morphing" into one another, I never found a line of code in the many listings that I could not understand for want of adequate explanation. (In fact, some apparently simple lines generate many pages of explanation.) The intricacy of this, in fact, lends this book a very different flavor than that of "Who's Afraid of C++?" Whereas that volume was more of a wide-eyed learning adventure, in the sequel, we find out that there are indeed plenty of pitfalls, tricks, and subtle errors to be afraid of in C++. Instead of the almost playful banter between expert and novice in which the expert learns as much as the novice (after all, by the beginning of this book Susan isn't, strictly speaking, a novice), here we are led, gently and carefully, by a mentor through some complicated and treacherous passages. Heller is even at great pains to present a method of using polymorphism in which pointers are "hidden" from the user of polymorphic classes (as opposed to the more usual "dangerous polymorphism").

As a result, I feel that should I ever want to retrace the steps of this journey and develop applications using these principles on my own, I have in "Who's Afraid of More C++?" an absolutely indispensible road map. Although this might make it sound more like a textbook or reference work than a "technical novel", the presentation is not dry or academic. Heller states his intention is to provide the reader with a solid foundation for using C++, and he uses his obvious wealth of "real world" programming experience to do so. If, like me, you were intrigued by the first book enough to want to embark on this more demanding, but rewarding journey, I highly recommend "Who's Afraid of More C++?," with only one qualification - be sure to bring along your copy of "Who's Afraid of C++!"

Michael Evans

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Beginners Book
Review: This was probably my 3rd or 4th "Teach Yourself C++ Book" , but it was definetly my last. After numerouse failed attempts to learn and complete the exercises presented in other books, Heller, the author, presented each concept in a clear and concise manor.

Unlike other C++ books, this one actually begins inside the computer, a great refresher course for techies and an excellent overview for beginners. After you understand HOW the computer will work with your code, its time to actually BUILD code.

Heller accomplishes great personal attention through an assistant who is supposedly learning C++ with you. "Susan", the woman learning with you, asks Heller question relevant to the current exercises and he answers them with examples and descriptions.

This books is definetly for beginners to C++ and will make you an accomplished console programmer. The book does venture into deeper subjects which will take some time to digest, but again, with Heller and Susans help you will be chugging along.

Only complaint is with the sometimes incomplete code examples. Most of the time they fit right in, but a few snippets seem out of place. Not bad enough to detract from the otherwise exceptional work.

5 stars for the great intro, fantastic code examples (provided on CD! ), and excellent dialog Q and A with Susan

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Beginners Book
Review: This was probably my 3rd or 4th "Teach Yourself C++ Book" , but it was definetly my last. After numerouse failed attempts to learn and complete the exercises presented in other books, Heller, the author, presented each concept in a clear and concise manor.

Unlike other C++ books, this one actually begins inside the computer, a great refresher course for techies and an excellent overview for beginners. After you understand HOW the computer will work with your code, its time to actually BUILD code.

Heller accomplishes great personal attention through an assistant who is supposedly learning C++ with you. "Susan", the woman learning with you, asks Heller question relevant to the current exercises and he answers them with examples and descriptions.

This books is definetly for beginners to C++ and will make you an accomplished console programmer. The book does venture into deeper subjects which will take some time to digest, but again, with Heller and Susans help you will be chugging along.

Only complaint is with the sometimes incomplete code examples. Most of the time they fit right in, but a few snippets seem out of place. Not bad enough to detract from the otherwise exceptional work.

5 stars for the great intro, fantastic code examples (provided on CD! ), and excellent dialog Q and A with Susan