C: The Complete Reference (Osborne Complete Reference Series)
C: The Complete Reference (Osborne Complete Reference Series) by Herbert Schildt
- Binding:
- Paperback
- Number of Pages:
- 805
- ISBN:
- 0072121246
- Product Group:
- book
- Publisher:
- McGraw-Hill Osborne
- Publication Date:
- May 1, 2000
- BooksForGeeks.com ID:
- 1077
C has been justly popular since Kernighan and Ritchie developed it, and continues to be so despite the increasing popularity of its offspring, C++ and Java. The release of the ANSI/ISO C99 standard, replacing C89, triggered the fourth version of Schild's massively successful--and massive--C reference. Naturally, though, C99 is only the reason for a new edition, not the whole content. What you get is a six-part book which starts with C's foundations, details the C99 additions, discusses the C libraries, introduces useful algorithms, looks at C environments and--best of all--creates a small C interpreter.
In practice, much of the information in the book remains identical to previous versions and, as at the time of writing, few compilers support all of C99, it might seem unnecessary to buy the new edition at all. However, complete means what it says. Schild keeps all the C89 material (the basis of C++ after all), adds the C99 material and also updates the book to reflect changes in programming practice and style. The C99 additions discussed include new keywords, variable length arrays, complex maths support, the long, long int (64-bit integers), more flexible array structure members and more, all of which are demonstrated in code fragments.
C has the advantage of being a relatively simple, compact language and Schild knows it inside out. If you plan to be a C programmer this is probably the only book on the C language you'll need. --Steve Patient
Reviews for C: The Complete Reference (Osborne Complete Reference Series)
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VERY useful - almost essential!
Rated out of 5 stars, September 12th, 2000
I already know C and can't say how much use it would be to someone learning it for the first time. BUT, when it says complete reference it really does mean complete. It covers things I've never even heard about before - explains them in a way that is understandable to everyone, including those of us who aren't gurus! The algorithms he supplies a a big bonus, they are well explained dispite being some of the more conceputally complex ones (qsort, AI based searches). The inclusion of of a C interpreter allows you to look at the language from another angle if you're brave enough. -
This is the single best book on C that you can buy.
Rated out of 5 stars, July 12rd, 1999
This is one great book. It is fully compliant with Microsoft's Visual C++, thorough, and well organized. It is loaded with hundreds of examples. Schildt is one great writer! -
Thumbed through daily
Rated out of 5 stars, July 12nd, 1999
I find myself turning again and again to Schildt's book. As a new user to C its proved invaluable. The bad reviews of this book no doubt will receive more attention than the good ones, but you'll find they are very unspecific.This book is excellent if you want
A clean, clear acessible manual for the beginning C programmer.
A book which stands far above the Dummies series with little chattiness and lots of good information.
Shortening down the mailing list example would be nice, but that's about my only complaint.
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A Tutorial, NOT a Reference
Rated out of 5 stars, March 12th, 1999
Having come across Schild's book when starting out as a programmer I believed it to be one of the best I've read. In this respect it is very good for a beginner, but searching now for a reference manual (I've misplaced the misnomer: "C, A Complete Reference") as a more experienced programmer I realise this is really a tutorial.Comparing it against other C reference books I now see the deficiencies. Schild's book tries to be all things to all men:
oOo Tutorial: A very chatty manner as it leads you through the workings of each area, I like the description of "make", albeit brief.
oOo Reference manual: It covers most of the C language, but there is incomplete coverage of the C language (eg errno, and bzero).
oOo Algorithm book: It describes the use of Artificial Intelligence, but this is such a huge area it only wets the appetite. A reader attracted by these areas would better off buying a book which concentrates on these areas specifically and in greater depth.
I was disappointed to discover the third edition of this book had the C++ overview removed. The new section, "a C interpreter", which I suspect is to pad out the book after removing the useful chapters from previous editions is practically useless. It would have been better to write something similar to Steel's coverage of writing 'clean C' where a C program runs in a C++ environment to distinguish the conflict areas between C and C++.
Another failing of Schild's book is the all too brief coverage of some areas summarised with the cop out "consult your manufacturer's manual for details".
In the format of a good reference book, Schild lays down many parts of the C language under function headings such as "signal". However, towards the end of each description is a section entitled "see related functions" with an incomplete list of references; for example under "signal" it is "raise", but missing "ssignal, psignal, gsignal". Instead of spreading descriptions around like this it would be easier to read if related functions were grouped under a similar heading, so the reader isn't distracted searching for them.
Schild's book has moved from discussing C in a DOS environment in his first edition to a Windows environment in the third edition. Although Schild does cover UNIX, the platform where C originated, he has skimmed the surface like a pebble across a pond.
In conclusion Schild's book is suitable as a tutorial for beginners but cannot be classed as a reference manual. I would recommend the following books instead:
Reference: C : A Reference Manual, Samuel P. Harbison, Guy L. Steele (September 1994), Prentice Hall; ISBN: 0133262243
Tutorial: C : A modern Approach, K.N. King, (April 1996), W.W. Norton & Company; ISBN: 0393969452
Algorithm: Algorithms in C : Fundamentals, Data Structures, Sorting, Searching Robert Sedgewick, 3rd edition (October 1997) Addison-Wesley Pub Co; ISBN: 0201314525
The Algorithm Design Manual, Steven S. Skiena, Steve Skiena (November 1997), Springer Verlag; ISBN: 0387948600
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A good book for C learners
Rated out of 5 stars, March 12th, 1999
When I contact C, its this book that led me into the entrance of C programming. And I like its 1988 version more than the 1995/1998 version. I think the Dos-based graphic skill is important for anyone who want to lean more about the machnism of computer graphics