I've been programming for over 12 years now in a multitude of different languages like C, C++, MATLAB, and JAVA to name a few. I remember when I took my first C class, and the problems that I came across as a young student. The books that we used in school were filled with jargon (so I thought at the time). Why was it jargon, one might ask? This is because we couldn't understand it. The ideas and concepts (at the time) were difficult to grasp (for a first-timer) and moreover, we had little or no help at all. This book will help you UNDERSTAND the "how to's", "when to's" and "why to's" in C programming.
This book encompasses the most basic fundamental rules of programming in C and stresses the importance of 'Style'. The use of comments, proper indentation and appropriate debugging is also described in detail.
I really like the book because Steve has made an effort to simplify programming in C. Novice programmers expect to have easy access to solutions (i.e. complete programs that compile and "work"). However, the approach that Steve has taken is, in my opinion, the best. There are some programs in the book that compile and run without any errors (or warnings). That is to say that they are complete. There are others which are incomplete. With whatever little experience I have, I can say that he has done this intentionally so that you work on your programs step-by-step. It can be a struggle to complete the programs, but the effort will pay off eventually.
I also like the fact that he has made the effort to point out how a simple mistake (or exclusion) can mess up your entire program. Like for example 5-10 (3rd edition 1997), where we have a program to calculate the area of a triangle. An end comment (*/) is excluded which gives you errors.
In an ideal world, one can expect solutions to every problem and any situation. In the "real" world, a programmer is faced with a host of problems when programming and solutions are not always available. One has to be creative to come up with a solution. This book teaches you to do that.
I think I've made my point. I'll just leave the curious readers with this:
For those who are looking to learn, be creative and are motivated to become good programmers, I highly recommend this book. Its one of the best! GOOD LUCK. :)
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