C++ Primer Plus

I was learning C++ in order to program music applications. I found this book to be the clearest computer book of any I have ever read. He orders his thoughts clearly. The examples maintain interest. Unlike the "learn c++ quickly"-type books, he goes into great detail on subjects like dynamic memory allocation etc. You will be programming simply in hours (my ten year old could program the first few chapter exercises), but can go the the high intermediate level with this one book. Don't waste your time with any other c++ book. Get this one first!

If you are new to C++, this is THE C++ you need to read. There is another book called "C++ Primer" (no plus). The following comment is what I wrote for the book C++ Primer, which may give you some idea of the difference between these two: This is a great book for anyone who want to enhance his/her knowledge on C++, but this is by no means a primer book. If you are new to C++, read the book "C++ primer plus" first. It is so funny that the book "C++ primer plus" (which is also a great book) is really an introductory book. The names of these two books should be swapped because C++ Primer introduces more advanced topics and the topics that an experience programmer should know but a student does not need to. From my teaching experience in a state university, I would suggest students to read C++ books in the following order: C++ primer Plus C++ Primer Thinking in C++ (great book, free on the internet) The C++ Programming Language (by Stroustrup) Then you may want to read some books on special topics such as Visual C++, Database, etc.

This book is the reason I decided to become a computer scientist. The deepness of information provided, the great examples, and particularly useful exercises were instrumental in getting past my fear of "coding". I still use the book from time to time to read over basic c++ concepts that I may have forgotten. It's the best beginner book out there!

This is the first time I've felt a need to actually defend a book that not only was great but wrongly accused of being horrible.To the professor who used the book as a text book: A couple of things. First, you are right, its not ANSI C compliant -- because it is a C++ book that is ANSI/ISO Standard C++ compliant. Are you sure you are teaching the right class? And while C++ does inherit alot from C, they are not the same language. Try posting "C == C++?" on comp.lang.c++ sometime and see what kind of response you get. Second, Borland and Microsoft Visual C++ compilers are not perfect and do suffer from some deficiencies in their implementation of the standard. Again, post that question to c.l.c++. The book does a decent job of pointing out some of these problems and tells you what you will need to do to correct them but of course it can't cover every single problem for every version. If you are going to teach Standard C++, use a compiler that implements the standard fully.To the person who felt slighted because the "plus" should have meant something more: The plus in C++ Primer Plus does not indicate a more advanced book over another beginner guide but that it is a book that covers all the beginner (primer) information plus some more advanced information like the STL. Don't attack the author of the book because you can't read a table of contents. Flip through the book. Does it contain information that you already know about? Then don't buy it.Enough ranting. C++ Primer Plus is an excellent beginner's guide. Stephen Prata's explanation of programming concepts and ideas are top notch. Not only does he explain a topic throughly at each point that it becomes important, he uses examples later that reinforces your knowledge of the subject. Also, he doesn't overwelm you with dense text but steps through each aspect and gives sufficient explanation of each step so you know exactly what is going on.Another plus are the Review Questions and the Excercises. Every beginning programming book should have them, maybe even some of the advanced ones. By actively learning by answering the Review Questions and doing the Excercises rather than passively learning by reading the book, you understand the concepts more fully and can better grasp the more advanced concepts as they are presented.Two gripes I do have. Yes there are some typos and code errors but I have never read a programming book that didn't. Even the highly respect books by Bjarne Stroustrup, father of C++, contain errors. Unfortunately you can't "compile" a book and hand checking can only do so much. Then there are editors and typesetters who can add mistakes. They happen. The difference is that most publishers provide an errata to their books so readers can find out the corrections to the copies of the books they have. Sams Publishing, as of this writing, doesn't do that -- but at the same time, that's the fault of the publisher, not the author.Second, and this really is for most b

This a great book for those who have no programming experiance. It teaches the basics of OOP and C++, as well as good programming style. Questions with answers and programming exercises make this a great book for teaching or self-directed study. However, since it assumes no programming knowledge, it can be tedious for those who already know C. If you already know C another book would be a better idea.