S
Steven T. Hatton
Last year I picked up TC++PL(SE) because I wanted to learn to develop with
Qt. After a month or so, I became discouraged, and went back to Java. I
was making great headway with Java when the book reviewed below came out.
I expected it to be heavier on the C++ side than it turned out to be.
Though the authors do provide very good guidance for C++ programmers
regarding style and fanness, they don't teach C++ from the bottom up.
I only made it through the first part, and a bit of the second part before I
decided it was time to go to a more fundamental C++ text. From the parts
of C++GPwQt I did read, I discovered these are people who think a block of
code is a paragraph. That is, that don't say 'the following code shows how
to do such and such'. They simply present the code as if it were
sufficient introduction to the ideas contained therein. They then elaborate
on what the code does using English prose, and code snippets.
There's nothing really wrong about that approach. It's just a bit
unconventional. It actually worked well for me after I adjusted to the
style. It means thinking in code is the primary emphasis. I found it
quite amazing that they were able to take the reader through the creation
of a very basic, but fully functional spreadsheet program as the very first
significant example.
TC++PL(SE) is a monster of a book. C++ is a dauntingly complex language.
Simply reading the book once is not a sufficient means of gaining full
mastery. I read the core language section twice, and could certainly learn
much by reading it again. The second time I read many of the chapters, I
realize how much I failed to comprehend the first time through. I am fully
aware that I still do not have complete mastery of all the material. But
for the time being, now that I've read Stroustrup's tome, excluding much of
the appendices, I plan to finish the book reviewed in the following:
C++ GUI Programming with Qt3 by Jasmin Blanchette & Mark Summerfield
http://www.accu.org/bookreviews/public/reviews/cp/cp003567.htm
Just like you know when you have a really dire book, you definitely know
when you have an excellent book and this one is definitely an excellent
one.
It starts off with the usual "Hello World" using straightforward,
uncomplicated language. Everything is explained and explained in enough
detail to convey not only what happens on the surface, but also slightly
deeper down. This "taking by the hand" approach is incredibly effective and
with the clear graphics and writing style demonstrates how to create
applications quickly and efficiently.
As you go further into the book, the level of complexity increases, but at
the same time, so does the explanation.
All of the main classes are covered - windows, menus, messages, slots and
signals and covered in understandable language.
The book comes with a CD containing all of the source code as well as Qt 3.2
for Windows (non-commercial licence - in itself worth more than the value
of the book), Linux and MacOS. It also comes with Borland C++ 5
(non-commercial) and Borland C++ 6 (trial version).
With Qt being one of the main widget sets on Linux (due to the amount it is
used with KDE) as well as growing in popularity on the Windows and MacOSX
platforms, this book is not only great value, but a very good way into
learning about one of the premier cross platform widget libraries.
Okay, it's not much use if you don't understand C++, but then if you don't
understand C++, why would you buy this book?
Qt. After a month or so, I became discouraged, and went back to Java. I
was making great headway with Java when the book reviewed below came out.
I expected it to be heavier on the C++ side than it turned out to be.
Though the authors do provide very good guidance for C++ programmers
regarding style and fanness, they don't teach C++ from the bottom up.
I only made it through the first part, and a bit of the second part before I
decided it was time to go to a more fundamental C++ text. From the parts
of C++GPwQt I did read, I discovered these are people who think a block of
code is a paragraph. That is, that don't say 'the following code shows how
to do such and such'. They simply present the code as if it were
sufficient introduction to the ideas contained therein. They then elaborate
on what the code does using English prose, and code snippets.
There's nothing really wrong about that approach. It's just a bit
unconventional. It actually worked well for me after I adjusted to the
style. It means thinking in code is the primary emphasis. I found it
quite amazing that they were able to take the reader through the creation
of a very basic, but fully functional spreadsheet program as the very first
significant example.
TC++PL(SE) is a monster of a book. C++ is a dauntingly complex language.
Simply reading the book once is not a sufficient means of gaining full
mastery. I read the core language section twice, and could certainly learn
much by reading it again. The second time I read many of the chapters, I
realize how much I failed to comprehend the first time through. I am fully
aware that I still do not have complete mastery of all the material. But
for the time being, now that I've read Stroustrup's tome, excluding much of
the appendices, I plan to finish the book reviewed in the following:
C++ GUI Programming with Qt3 by Jasmin Blanchette & Mark Summerfield
http://www.accu.org/bookreviews/public/reviews/cp/cp003567.htm
Just like you know when you have a really dire book, you definitely know
when you have an excellent book and this one is definitely an excellent
one.
It starts off with the usual "Hello World" using straightforward,
uncomplicated language. Everything is explained and explained in enough
detail to convey not only what happens on the surface, but also slightly
deeper down. This "taking by the hand" approach is incredibly effective and
with the clear graphics and writing style demonstrates how to create
applications quickly and efficiently.
As you go further into the book, the level of complexity increases, but at
the same time, so does the explanation.
All of the main classes are covered - windows, menus, messages, slots and
signals and covered in understandable language.
The book comes with a CD containing all of the source code as well as Qt 3.2
for Windows (non-commercial licence - in itself worth more than the value
of the book), Linux and MacOS. It also comes with Borland C++ 5
(non-commercial) and Borland C++ 6 (trial version).
With Qt being one of the main widget sets on Linux (due to the amount it is
used with KDE) as well as growing in popularity on the Windows and MacOSX
platforms, this book is not only great value, but a very good way into
learning about one of the premier cross platform widget libraries.
Okay, it's not much use if you don't understand C++, but then if you don't
understand C++, why would you buy this book?