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Should I use this book to learn C?

R

RESmonkey

Diamond Member
http://www.amazon.com/Programm...Software/dp/0131103628

I got this thing off a cousin's old bookshelf. I need to learn C for a programming class next semester, involving stacks, pointers, memory, etc.

If not or if I should use another book or website to go along with it, please explain.

Thanks 🙂

edit =

I should mention my programming skill is noobish (I understand functions, if/else, loops, while, etc. but never did stacks, pointers, memory, etc.).
 
Originally posted by: RESmonkey
http://www.amazon.com/Programm...Software/dp/0131103628

I got this thing off a cousin's old bookshelf. I need to learn C for a programming class next semester, involving stacks, pointers, memory, etc.

If not or if I should use another book or website to go along with it, please explain.

Thanks 🙂

edit =

I should mention my programming skill is noobish (I understand functions, if/else, loops, while, etc. but never did stacks, pointers, memory, etc.).
Click to expand...
Or/and this one: http://www.amazon.com/Referenc...&qid=1242810283&sr=1-1

I haven't looked at the 'new' batch of c books in a while. There might be some other good ones. I've found, as with most subjects, having more than one is better.

You might also consider the "___ in c" books: "algorithms in c", "data structures in c", etc.

"code complete", published by microsoft, offers some useful insights.
 
I really like King's C Programming: A Modern Approach, but looking at the reviews of this and the two books mentioned above you really can't go wrong with any of them. King's book is much more modern.

Code Complete (by Steve McConnell BTW) isn't going to be much use for learning the basics of pointers, memory management, data structures etc. Despite it being one of my favourite books, it's not really a beginners guide and isn't intended to teach fundamentals.
 
I'd be terrified if the _only_ thing you learned from was K&R. It's a good book, but it has some anachronisms.
 
I've been wondering this myself. Isn't this book too outdated to learn from? I'd imagine due to its publishing date it doesn't follow the C99 standard.
 
I honestly do not understand the ongoing fascination with finding 'the right book for language X'. There is so much information available on the Internets, for any language, that the need for a book is puzzling to me.
 
K&R is more like a reference manual in my opinion. It's not that great for learning the language, but rather to refer to when you forget some stupid little detail.

Now learning how to program, well... you need a non-language oriented book to do that. Once you know the fundamentals of programming, you can apply it to any language just by learning the syntax and constructs of the language itself. The programming fundamentals don't change much between (most) languages.
 
Originally posted by: SunnyD
K&R is more like a reference manual in my opinion. It's not that great for learning the language, but rather to refer to when you forget some stupid little detail.

Now learning how to program, well... you need a non-language oriented book to do that. Once you know the fundamentals of programming, you can apply it to any language just by learning the syntax and constructs of the language itself. The programming fundamentals don't change much between (most) languages.
Click to expand...

I used to tote around a copy of the ARM back when C++ was new and exotic, but I agree that it wasn't a book to learn from. Its primary utility was in settling arguments between language lawyers over beers, often involving the precise syntax of pointers to methods in specific arcane contexts.

I don't see much utility in any "learn the XX language" book these days. Google is much more valuable.
 
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