Hello everyone,

I am just wondering if anyone has any track record with the C++ for Dummies all-in-one. I think it is the really thick book divided into 7 sections. I know that the Dummies series tend to hold your hands and spoon feed you with information. This is what new programmer needs. I only looked at this book twice at the store and I couldn't find much help on the things I was after each time. The book may be super great overall, but I couldn't find enough information on the 2 things I was after; therefore, I hestinate to buy it.

It is never about the money spent on the book. The knowledge is priceless if the book can serve some purpose. If it is just one of those book reserved for those slightly smarter folks, then it may as well join my other books in the corner of "why you make me think harder than i should".

In addition, does anyone have any good recommendation for Visual Basic 6 books. I know Borland is a little strange to setup. I have Borland 5 and VS 6. I type in the exact same thing on both software, VS 6 produced output while Borland claim it can't create the .exe file to continue. I will stick with VS since it seems to be easier to run. Actually, I like g++ and Unix C++. I just don't have access to Unix any where else beside school lab. I wanted to install Linux on the laptop, but all of the mandrate attempts fail to complete successfully. It has always been my dream to be my own super user.

Thanks,

Kimber

Hi Kimber.

You seem to have a programming background and understand the basic structures of programming. The back-bone of C or C++ is pretty straightforward. I think with your familiarity with the language, the C++ for dummies may be too elementary.

The other thing that you need to decide is what platform/compiler you are looking to use. If you want to use Microsoft Visual C++, I would really look for a book specific to that compiler/environment. On the other hand, if you are not sure, a good reference book for C++ would be really handy.

As for Linux, you may want to peruse that forum here. I have been messing around with knoppix for a few days and I am going to do a write-up for it. If you want to use gcc/g++ for a compiler, this may be an excellent way to do it. Additionaly, one nice thing about Linux is the never-ending amount of man pages. Most of the C/C++ library functions are included in the man pages, so by typing
you can get a detailed explanation of this function.

Good luck.

This one particular C++ for Dummies book is at least 3 times thicker than the the second largest Dummies book out there. It suppose to be 7th books combined into one. It does start from the kindergarder material and lead up to very advance material.

My only problem with programming is that I tend to forget things I learn. This is mainly because I am trying to learn so many things and obtain so little. For example, I have probably forgot all of the Matlab things I learned last year because I had no hand-on experience with it. It was just one of those "I like it. I think it is cool. So I am going to learn it" type of attitude. I also have way too much other hobbies to concentrate on school and other more important stuffs. This is why I am I am having a very hard time at school. Therefore, I decided to concentrate on the 2 most important software I will definitely need. They're Matlab and C++. Of course, Excel and Powerpoint are very powerful tool also. I have seen and done a few amazining things with Excel. I couldn't believe that people can actually do Finite Element, Fluid Dynamic, and Vector study with Excel. Now I know Microsoft must have contract this work out because it can't be possible that Gate's crew can create something that powerful and have no needs for patches and errors.

I am trying to install Linux on my laptop too. I am running on XP right now, which seems to work very very well. I had Me earlier and it is probably is the worst window platform I have ever encountered. I need a new computer and a faster connection to be more productive.

Thanks,

Kimber

Hey everyone,

I finally did it. I went to Border and got my first C++ reference book. It's C++: The Complete Reference by Herbert Schildt. I like it a lot. As mentioned in earlier post, I need, want, and must have a easy to use reference with enough straight forward information. There were many books to choose from. Since I don't know how to review one yet, I just pick a few topics I am currently working on and went to the index for it. 5 books actually never mention the word RAND_MAX and only briefly mention rand(). I know that rand() isn't exactly a complex function by itself, but it can be quite powerful when employed with in array and loops. Therefore, I left those books where they belong; on the shelves. This book I pick up has a very clear definition of rand(), RAND_MAX, and the explaination is very clear. The fact that it cover some of the C stuffs that always seem to find themselves in C++ is an extra plus.

As you can see, I am very excited. I'll be a good program yet because of this book. The price is quite high and is probably cheaper online, but I hate to have to order online just to save a few bucks. I'll probably do that for mas quantities, but this first book deserve a personal pick-me-up.

I just wanted to share that with everyone. I'll be sure to give follow up of how good this book is. I strongly recommend people buying at least 3 C++ reference books from different author and style. 2 C++ book and 1 Visual Basic book is a nice combination as well. I got a Sam's 21 days book from a friend in addition to a C++ of Deitel book. I couldn't believe the price of those Deitel book; 80 bucks is very stiff for a reference book when other good books fall into a less than 60 bucks market.

Best Regards,

Kimber

this book is quite good for those beginner

object-oriendted programming in C++ 4th edition
by Robet Lafore
SAMS

this book all talk about the new way or type for writing C++ code