The Art of Programming: Computer Science with C

A computer science prof. gave me a copy of this book to study up on C++ (I took the first semester last year but forgot it, and I need to take the second semester.) THIS TEXTBOOK IS AWESOME! Easy explanations in PLAIN ENGLISH, esp. about functions. THIS IS A MUST-READ IF YOU'VE NEVER HAD ANY PROGRAMMING EXPERIENCE. This book, unlike the others, has lots and lots of REAL programs (whole programs, not just snippets) that one needs to read through entirely in order to understand what's going on.

One line summary: "Better than any '21 day/6 week' book for students or seriously aspiring programmers."NOTE: Inheritance, overloading, polymorphism, namespaces, and in-depth class design are not covered in this book. The objective of the text is to teach the student the "building blocks" of C++.This book is being used as a textbook for an introductory class in computer science/programming at Foothill College (Los Altos, CA). From cover to cover it does a good job of teaching the students the syntax and concepts of C++, which makes up about 90% of the book. There are a lot of sample programs (which you can D/L from the internet), complete with execution charts and plenty of visual aids - very helpful in understanding the arrays and pointers - to reinforce the lessons. The remaining 10% is spent on guiding the reader how to CORRECTLY approach programming tasks as well - from analysis of the problem, to the design of the program, and examination of the code execution. Let's face it, most people who take up C++ are not "hackers" or natural born coders who can start banging away at the keyboard to make a program. The right way and proper habits of programming is a decisive factor in *getting hired* as a programmer, and also getting through one's classes in school. The book's continual demonstration of programming techniques is its greatest strength.Minor flaws are some mistakes in the exercises and code. However, they can be spotted once encountered and does not detract from the learning process.A wish list for future releases of this book would be the Student Compiler Handbook being included with the purchase price and bundled with the textbook, or include the all important information of adapting the programs to specific compilers in the main text (or future companion CD?). This is the problem that most students had with the book. Hopefully there will be a second edition that addresses all of this.