A new kind of book to learn C++ computer programming

[Gary Labowitz]

OK. After reading all this criticism, I have decided to
replace

#include <iostream.h>

with

#include <iostream>
using namespace std ;

in every program of the book, and update the book.
Because this book is made with print-of-demand technology, it is not
a tremendous trouble to make a new version of it.

Does this mean that book versions are soon to have the same kind of
versioning that we see on Microsoft products. Example: "I was referring to
the 6.1027.3 version of the book."

 

[White Wolf]

E.g., in chapter 4 he (Bruce Eckel) starts off with a C-like library
that emulates some aspects of std::vector, called CStash, without
mentioning std::vector. CStash is gradually transformed into
something
that is purportedly the C++ way. Example usage of the final version:

[SNIP]

Oh my. Oh my. After reading that code I have to go and confess. And I am
still not sure if I will not go to hell for this.

 

[Kari Laitinen]

Does this mean that book versions are soon to have the same kind of
versioning that we see on Microsoft products. Example: "I was referring to
the 6.1027.3 version of the book."

It try to avoid too many versions of the book. It's not
that simple to make new versions, and it costs me money.
However, this book can be changed more easily than
a book printed with the conventional offset printing
technology.

 

[Attila Feher]

I have written a computer programming book that uses C++.
The book is for beginners in the field of computer programming,

[SNIP]

Hi again,

Running a looong ZIPping and looking at your example book pages in the
meanwhile. I will put my little suggestions here, some might be silly,
others more silly.

Page 12: you talk about "output stream" but does not really say what is a
stream. Unless you want the readers to wonder about what is a stream
instead of concentrating on the text I suggest that you include there some
sort of short description the concept. A really short one, just to give an
rough idea, maybe with a picture.

Page 13, example program, ballon: "Pairs of braces {} are used to delimit
the program statements in C++." This is simply not true. Braces are used
to *group* the statements and the semicolon is used to delimit them!

Page 15 example program. It is not a C++ issue, rather a usability issue.
The given program writes: Please type in an integer and when I did type in
one, I have pressed the enter it asks again the *same*. This confuses users
the best. "But I just did give you an integer!" I suggest to change the
second printout to something a bit different.

Same page: the description of the main function is confusing. It tries to
discuss functions *and* the restriction on main to return int at the same
time, and ends up suggesting that "In most of our programs, we will have a
function named main() whose type is int." While this is A OK, it does not
say that its type is *always* int. One might understand it as: we might
have a main or might not and it might have the type int or might not.
According to the standard language it must have the type int.

Well, that's all for today. I hope it helps.

 

[Kari Laitinen]

I have written a computer programming book that uses C++.
The book is for beginners in the field of computer programming,

[SNIP]

Hi again,

Running a looong ZIPping and looking at your example book pages in the
meanwhile. I will put my little suggestions here, some might be silly,
others more silly.

Page 12: you talk about "output stream" but does not really say what is a
stream. Unless you want the readers to wonder about what is a stream
instead of concentrating on the text I suggest that you include there some
sort of short description the concept. A really short one, just to give an
rough idea, maybe with a picture.

Page 13, example program, ballon: "Pairs of braces {} are used to delimit
the program statements in C++." This is simply not true. Braces are used
to *group* the statements and the semicolon is used to delimit them!

Page 15 example program. It is not a C++ issue, rather a usability issue.
The given program writes: Please type in an integer and when I did type in
one, I have pressed the enter it asks again the *same*. This confuses users
the best. "But I just did give you an integer!" I suggest to change the
second printout to something a bit different.

Same page: the description of the main function is confusing. It tries to
discuss functions *and* the restriction on main to return int at the same
time, and ends up suggesting that "In most of our programs, we will have a
function named main() whose type is int." While this is A OK, it does not
say that its type is *always* int. One might understand it as: we might
have a main or might not and it might have the type int or might not.
According to the standard language it must have the type int.

Well, that's all for today. I hope it helps.

Thank you for those comments. At least 50 % of them result in
a change in the book.

I hope people will keep sending you those long ZIP files.