Book Details
| Publisher: | Apress |
| By: | Ivor Horton |
| ISBN: | 978-1-4302-4881-1 |
| Year: | 2013 |
| Pages: | 688 |
| Language: | English |
| File size: | 5.9 MB |
| File format: |
Book Details
Beginning C, 5th Edition teaches you how to program using the widely-available C language. You'll begin from first-principles and progress through step-by-step examples to become a competent, C-language programmer. All you need are this book and any of the widely available free or commercial C or C++ compilers, and you'll soon be writing real C programs.
C is a foundational language that every programmer ought to know. C is the basis for C# used in Microsoft .NET programming. It is the basis for Objective-C used in programming for the iPhone, the iPad, and other Apple devices. It is the basis for the C++ that is widely used in a great many contexts, including the GNU Project. It underlies the Linux operating system and many of its utilities. Learning C provides a strong foundation for any programming care, and will even help you better understand more modern languages such as Java.
Beginning C is written by renowned author Ivor Horton. The book increases your programming expertise by guiding you through the development of fully working C applications that use what you've learned in a practical context. You’ll also be able to strike out on your own by trying the exercises included at the end of each chapter. At the end of the book you'll be confident in your skills with all facets of the widely-used and powerful C language.
C is a foundational language that every programmer ought to know. C is the basis for C# used in Microsoft .NET programming. It is the basis for Objective-C used in programming for the iPhone, the iPad, and other Apple devices. It is the basis for the C++ that is widely used in a great many contexts, including the GNU Project. It underlies the Linux operating system and many of its utilities. Learning C provides a strong foundation for any programming care, and will even help you better understand more modern languages such as Java.
Beginning C is written by renowned author Ivor Horton. The book increases your programming expertise by guiding you through the development of fully working C applications that use what you've learned in a practical context. You’ll also be able to strike out on your own by trying the exercises included at the end of each chapter. At the end of the book you'll be confident in your skills with all facets of the widely-used and powerful C language.
- The only beginning-level book to cover the latest ANSI standard in C
- Revised to cover C99 features newly-supported by language compilers
- Emphasizes writing code after the first chapter
- Includes substantial examples relevant to intermediate users
What you’ll learn
- Make use of all core language features such as for loops and branching
- Dynamically manage memory using pointers and indirection
- Modularize your code through controlling scope and creating functions
- Move data in and out of your program via keyboard, display monitor, and data files
- Have the computer write your code for you via preprocesser directives
- Properly type your data and create structures to manage it efficiently
Who this book is for
Beginning C, 5th Edition is aimed at programmers aspiring to work with C and C-like languages on platforms ranging from mobile devices such as phones and tablets to desktop environments to server hardware. The book is also helpful to programmers working in the field of embedded software, such as that used to control microwaves, toasters, and other home appliances. Any programmer seeking mastery of possibly the most fundational language in existence will find in Beginning C an excellent, sound, standards-based introduction that will serve them well in their career.Table of Contents
- Programming in C
- First Steps in Programming
- Making Decisions
- Loops
- Arrays
- Applications with Strings and Text
- Pointers
- Structuring Your Programs
- More on Functions
- Essential Input and Output Operations
- Structuring Data
- Working with Files
- Supporting Facilities
- Advanced and Specialized Topics
- A. Computer Arithmetic
- B. ASCII Character Code Definitions
- C. Reserved Words in C
- D. Input and Output Format Specifications
- E. Standard Library Headers
About the Author
Ivor Horton is self-employed in consultancy and writes programming tutorials. He worked for IBM for many years and holds a bachelor's degree, with honors, in mathematics. Horton's experience at IBM includes programming in most languages (like assembler and high-level languages on a variety of machines), real-time programming, and designing and implementing real-time closed loop industrial control systems. He has extensive experience teaching programming to engineers and scientists (Fortran, PL/1, APL, etc.). Horton is an expert in mechanical, process, and electronic CAD systems; mechanical CAM systems; and DNC/CNC systems.Most Helpful Customer Reviews
By Tony Pittarese on November 10, 1998
Format: Paperback4 Comments
I've taught C classes using this as the textbook and find the students generally receptive to the book. As a previous reviewer mentioned some of the things the author does (such as define main with a void return type) are not correct, and he picks up the pace of coverage significantly in difficult areas such as pointers.
If you do buy this book, buy a good reference book such as "The C Programming Language" by Kernighan and Ritchie to go with it. Many library functions are not well documented in the Horton book.
If you know nothing about C and want to pick it up on your own, this book is one of the best I've seen at making it approachable. Its few errors are just (relatively) minor annoyances.
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
By Charalambos on November 17, 2000
Format: PaperbackComment
Ivor Horton is a great writer. A friend of mine who is a guru in Unix suggested this book to me. If you are like me, learning best by studying examples, this book is a must!
I had no idea what C language was all about. After finishing with chapter 1 I had a clear idea what the structure of C language is and what I should expect to see in the rest of the book.
The examples are great if you work them out (can not learn otherwise). What I like the best is that the examples are in bold letters so that they stand out from the rest of the text. It is easier for the reader to visually keep things in order. Do I make sense?
This book makes you want to read more and more!!!
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer on August 28, 2001
Format: PaperbackComment
I have read several beginners? books on C, including K&R's "The C Programming Language", and found Beginning C to be the best!
Beginning C is very easy to read, well organized and contains clear examples. If you really want to learn C without too much fuss, this is the book.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer on March 6, 1998
Format: PaperbackComment
Mr. Horton does a fine job of providing numerous code examples throughout his book, and examples files are available from the Wrox Web site. Although the book is designed for individuals who do not have any programming experience, there are a few complex subjects that he tends to gloss over a bit (such as pointers). After leading students into the language slowly during the first few chapters, the book suddenly begins to accelerate and skips over steps in getting to certain conclusions. It would be helpful to have illustrations in some areas (there are few except for the code examples), such as when pointers are discussed (e.g., memory addresses, indirect addressing). Diehard ANSI standard programmers would probably disagree with his definition of the main procedure as void, and there is no adequate explanation of this presentation.
11 of 13 people found the following review helpful
By R.E.M. on September 29, 2000
Format: PaperbackComment
I am very new to programming. I've been toying around with computers since 1985, and only dabbled in BASIC. I went on to become a lawyer, so I was never formally trained in any programming languages. Within the last year I took it upon myself to learn HTML. I then thought about leraning Java 2. Along the way I wanted to learn the Palm OS to start programming on a small platform. To do that, I discovered (the hard way) that I should have a foundation in C.
That is where Mr. Horton's book came in. Of all the books I looked at, his approach seemed most appealing to me (introduce a concept/function, show an example, explain the example STEP-BY-STEP, sprinkle in more concepts, build on examples with more examples, summarize). Mr. Horton succeeds in doing just this. While many of his examples are mathematically related (reason one for 4/5 stars), I found that I could follow along most of the time. It appeared to me that some of his sample code had a few misprints/errors (reason two for 4/5 stars), but at least he taught me well enough to recognize that!
Overall, this is a great introduction to the language. The layout of the book helps the reader to understand. It is not overwhelming. My only other gripe (reason three for 4/5 stars) is that there were times I wished Mr. Horton had given more detail to certain concepts. Just as simple example: all statements in C appear to need a ";" to end them. I only know this because the author points out several times that the ";" is required, but without explaining why. By reasoned deduction I have realized why, but it would have been nice to know that bit of important information.
Clearly, any programming language is difficult to learn for a "newbie". But if you are reasonably intelligent, you should have no problem, and this book certainly helps.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer on January 15, 2000
Format: PaperbackComment
I found this book a great teaching guide from which to base my programming knowledge. It gives a clear explanation of everything from the very basics of the language to the more complex. By the author doing so, he provides the reader with everything needed to pursue an in depth knowledge of C. I highly recommend this book to people beginning to learn the C syntax.
Format: PaperbackComment
This book was pretty well organized, as well as having good excersies and a nice program to do at the end of each chapter. I still go back to this book for reference on topics that I can't quiet remember. Also this book is a great thing to have around if you don't want to study C but just want to know how C works and how to make structs and all/
No comments:
Post a Comment