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C Programming Absolute Beginner's Guide
Updated for C11
Write powerful C programs…without becoming a technical expert! This book is the fastest way to get comfortable with C, one incredibly clear and easy step at a time. You’ll learn all the how to organize programs, store and display data, work with variables, operators, I/O, pointers, arrays, functions, and much more. C programming has neverbeen this simple!
Who knew how simple C programming could be?
This is today’s best beginner’s guide to writing C programs–and to learning skills you can use with practically any language. Its simple, practical instructions will help you start creating useful, reliable C code, from games to mobile apps. Plus, it’s fully updated for the new C11 standard and today’s free, open source tools! Here’s a small sample of what you’ll
• Discover free C programming tools for Windows, OS X, or Linux
• Understand the parts of a C program and how they fit together
• Generate output and display it on the screen
• Interact with users and respond to their input
• Make the most of variables by using assignments and expressions
• Control programs by testing data and using logical operators
• Save time and effort by using loops and other techniques
• Build powerful data-entry routines with simple built-in functions
• Manipulate text with strings
• Store information, so it’s easy to access and use
• Manage your data with arrays, pointers, and data structures
• Use functions to make programs easier to write and maintain
• Let C handle all your program’s math for you
• Handle your computer’s memory as efficiently as possible
• Make programs more powerful with preprocessing directives
Write powerful C programs…without becoming a technical expert! This book is the fastest way to get comfortable with C, one incredibly clear and easy step at a time. You’ll learn all the how to organize programs, store and display data, work with variables, operators, I/O, pointers, arrays, functions, and much more. C programming has neverbeen this simple!
Who knew how simple C programming could be?
This is today’s best beginner’s guide to writing C programs–and to learning skills you can use with practically any language. Its simple, practical instructions will help you start creating useful, reliable C code, from games to mobile apps. Plus, it’s fully updated for the new C11 standard and today’s free, open source tools! Here’s a small sample of what you’ll
• Discover free C programming tools for Windows, OS X, or Linux
• Understand the parts of a C program and how they fit together
• Generate output and display it on the screen
• Interact with users and respond to their input
• Make the most of variables by using assignments and expressions
• Control programs by testing data and using logical operators
• Save time and effort by using loops and other techniques
• Build powerful data-entry routines with simple built-in functions
• Manipulate text with strings
• Store information, so it’s easy to access and use
• Manage your data with arrays, pointers, and data structures
• Use functions to make programs easier to write and maintain
• Let C handle all your program’s math for you
• Handle your computer’s memory as efficiently as possible
• Make programs more powerful with preprocessing directives
868 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 28, 2013
209 people are currently reading
615 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
January 26, 2015
This is the textbook for one of the courses I teach. I recently read it to review the changes between this (3rd) edition and the 2nd edition of the text. I was pleased to find that some, but not all, of the corrections I had made to the text in my lecture notes were addressed in the new edition.
Greg Perry is an amazing man. His disability did not hold him back one bit. He is an accomplished programmer and a prolific author. His authorship isn't limited to computers either. He wrote a book about the unintended consequences of the government's protection of the Handicapped which led to him being featured in an episode of Penn and Tellers TV show titled, "Bullshit". He's an amazing author and this is a very effective book for beginners to learn how to program in C.
Greg Perry is an amazing man. His disability did not hold him back one bit. He is an accomplished programmer and a prolific author. His authorship isn't limited to computers either. He wrote a book about the unintended consequences of the government's protection of the Handicapped which led to him being featured in an episode of Penn and Tellers TV show titled, "Bullshit". He's an amazing author and this is a very effective book for beginners to learn how to program in C.
September 19, 2016
Still reading this book, but am using it in the CS50 course (online auditing) The nice thing about the book is that it is fairly simple to follow, and it also works with a free compiler (CodeBlocks) that you can download and code along with the programs the book shows.
The course uses another book which I find more methodical and detailed but not as easy to get through.
If you're looking for a book to use- and I mean use, to learn coding basics this is pretty good. You learn basics but not more. The downside of reading this is that you do need to try some projects that push your skills and that the book doesn't cover to really get an understanding of coding. (This is where the CS50 course helps.)
Would recommend though since I refer to it all the time.
The course uses another book which I find more methodical and detailed but not as easy to get through.
If you're looking for a book to use- and I mean use, to learn coding basics this is pretty good. You learn basics but not more. The downside of reading this is that you do need to try some projects that push your skills and that the book doesn't cover to really get an understanding of coding. (This is where the CS50 course helps.)
Would recommend though since I refer to it all the time.
March 24, 2020
I found the book (3rd edition) very helpful as a supplement to the CS50 course on EdX which does not always provide a sufficient level of information to tackle the tasks it presents. Fundamental concepts in programming are very simply explained, occasionally too simply, but in general, it does a good job in making things digestible and practical.
I was surprised to find that it included gets() as a normal, commonly used function despite it being deprecated for its severe security oversights.
Used in conjunction with Stack Overflow for details on the nitty-gritty, it is a valuable resource.
I was surprised to find that it included gets() as a normal, commonly used function despite it being deprecated for its severe security oversights.
Used in conjunction with Stack Overflow for details on the nitty-gritty, it is a valuable resource.
March 17, 2016
Blown away by this book! Reading it as a beginner, I must say everything is explained so well that I just have to recommend it to anyone starting out. Plus, when you finish it, perhaps read it 2 or 3 times, you are not only no longer a beginner but already an intermediate programmer! Amazing book. Superbly written so that it is easy to understand. 5/5!
March 13, 2022
Great step by step intro to C.
Learning from books can be challenging as the pedagogy is not dynamic. They can't set you a problem, and then provide feedback on your progress. So much learning is through making mistakes and learning from them, and this book is not able to set you problems that you inevitably learn from, via trial and error.
However, in conjunction with an online course, this book has been really helpful.
I'm currently doing the CS50 online course, which has been very engaging but challenging at the same time. The CS50 course is great as it can provide you with extensive videos and problem sets, within a coding environment, which are marked (automatically). Even so, every now and then I would get quite stuck on new concepts as they were introduced in CS50. I would watch and rewatch the video lectures and shorts but still be stumped. However, being able to read about the concepts I was stuck on, from a different perspective, proved very helpful.
Note, the CS50 course, does use a slightly different approach to C and simplifies a few concepts initially. However, eventually the CS50 course and the book converge on the more orthodox approach.
So while I think I would struggle if I tried to learn C from this book alone, due to the limitations of text based teaching, it is highly recommended as a companion to any online course.
Learning from books can be challenging as the pedagogy is not dynamic. They can't set you a problem, and then provide feedback on your progress. So much learning is through making mistakes and learning from them, and this book is not able to set you problems that you inevitably learn from, via trial and error.
However, in conjunction with an online course, this book has been really helpful.
I'm currently doing the CS50 online course, which has been very engaging but challenging at the same time. The CS50 course is great as it can provide you with extensive videos and problem sets, within a coding environment, which are marked (automatically). Even so, every now and then I would get quite stuck on new concepts as they were introduced in CS50. I would watch and rewatch the video lectures and shorts but still be stumped. However, being able to read about the concepts I was stuck on, from a different perspective, proved very helpful.
Note, the CS50 course, does use a slightly different approach to C and simplifies a few concepts initially. However, eventually the CS50 course and the book converge on the more orthodox approach.
So while I think I would struggle if I tried to learn C from this book alone, due to the limitations of text based teaching, it is highly recommended as a companion to any online course.
July 9, 2016
It's a great book for ABSOLUTE beginners, as the title suggests.
You can read this even if you've never even heard of programming before. When you finish it, you'll be comfortable with the language.
I'm really glad that this happened to be the first book I decided to read on the subject. And when i say "subject" I mean not only the C programming language, but coding in general.
If you have previous experience with the language, though, maybe you should look for other sources.
You can read this even if you've never even heard of programming before. When you finish it, you'll be comfortable with the language.
I'm really glad that this happened to be the first book I decided to read on the subject. And when i say "subject" I mean not only the C programming language, but coding in general.
If you have previous experience with the language, though, maybe you should look for other sources.
October 17, 2016
You do not need to have any programming knowledge to understand this book. It is what it is, an absolute beginner's guide. It offers an amazing learning experience for the reader. With the free code block compiler available online you are good to go.
May 8, 2023
(update 5/8/23) Used alongside my Computer Systems course which used C.
Love how simple it is. It doesn’t try to delve into the details too much, which complemented well with the harder class in itself.
Love how simple it is. It doesn’t try to delve into the details too much, which complemented well with the harder class in itself.
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February 26, 2023C Programing Absolute Beginners Guide
Very well written with lots of good examples and explanation to show the concepts. Starts from very basics and goes deeper and deeper
Very well written with lots of good examples and explanation to show the concepts. Starts from very basics and goes deeper and deeper
July 22, 2024
En general, una muy buena introducción que no te abruma. He echado en falta ejercicios y más ejemplos para entenderlo todo mejor.
August 16, 2020
It is a good overview, but really basic.
It's not an absolute beginner's guide for "C Programming" it is an absolute beginner's guide for programming in general, and it happens to use C as the instruction language.
So, in general, I would recommend the book for someone who hasn't touched programming before and wants to start with C. I wouldn't recommend starting with C, though. Java is a better entry point in my opinion.
If you have programmed before, go for a different book or you risk being as underwhelmed as I was over this past week.
It has no practice problems, just the examples in each chapter, so I wouldn't count it as a textbook. I also spotted one error in the code, but I most of the code examples so there could be more.
It's not an absolute beginner's guide for "C Programming" it is an absolute beginner's guide for programming in general, and it happens to use C as the instruction language.
So, in general, I would recommend the book for someone who hasn't touched programming before and wants to start with C. I wouldn't recommend starting with C, though. Java is a better entry point in my opinion.
If you have programmed before, go for a different book or you risk being as underwhelmed as I was over this past week.
It has no practice problems, just the examples in each chapter, so I wouldn't count it as a textbook. I also spotted one error in the code, but I most of the code examples so there could be more.
April 27, 2020
Very well written! Great starter book.
I am not a beginner in C; nevertheless, there were some concepts I could not get. This book filled those holes. What I like about it is the size of each chapter. I did not get bored. I highly recommend if you are a beginner or if you just need to fine tune on your C programming skills. Great job!
I am not a beginner in C; nevertheless, there were some concepts I could not get. This book filled those holes. What I like about it is the size of each chapter. I did not get bored. I highly recommend if you are a beginner or if you just need to fine tune on your C programming skills. Great job!
August 22, 2017
Complements CS50 well, but I find it lacking in itself as there are no exercises or problem sets in the book, and just copying code is not a very efficient way to learn. On the other hand, it did clear up some things from CS50, so ultimately it was worth reading.
Read
November 28, 2020Yeah
This book was of GREAT help when I decided to try my luck with programming. As the title suggests, if you don't know shit about programming, this book will help you a lot as an introduction to coding in C and in general.
This book was of GREAT help when I decided to try my luck with programming. As the title suggests, if you don't know shit about programming, this book will help you a lot as an introduction to coding in C and in general.
April 9, 2024
this book was helpful, as a person who has absolutly no background about programming, this book explained the concepts in a simplified way thats easy to grasp.
even tho its messing some subjects like complexity and recursion, but its still a good beginner friendly book :)
even tho its messing some subjects like complexity and recursion, but its still a good beginner friendly book :)
August 19, 2018
Spectacular for beginners.
October 20, 2019
A great start to C. You'll need somewhere to go from here.
August 30, 2020
Great intro to C.
March 1, 2021
It has typos.
Read
July 5, 2021iam still not yet completed
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 28, 2019
Ooooh math scary!
OOOoooh reading literature books scary!
Tame the magical computer to help you keep INVENTORY, print out the SALES from the last trimester!
This book is very, very, very basic, and only should be read by people who are actually barely able to spell C, as the author warns in the beginning (although I think he meant it as a selling point). And then only if you want to be patronized about how scary math, computer and fancy computer words are every few paragraphs (Oh, those Computer Programmers trying to feel superior with their Fancy Words!).
It is feels very, very, very dated. Like it was written in the 80s. And a few references to 2013 movies and Facebook don't really help hide it. You can also find many mistakes in the text and the code that were never corrected through the few editions.
I only finished it out of sheer stubbornness and I regret it.
If you're an absolute beginner, but you don't fancy being treated like an absolute moron, the first few chapters of the Big Nerd Ranch Objective-C book will be infinetely more enightening, actually explain things instead of making a joke about how crazy such and such feature is, and leave you better prepared for expanding into more advanced topics.
OOOoooh reading literature books scary!
Tame the magical computer to help you keep INVENTORY, print out the SALES from the last trimester!
This book is very, very, very basic, and only should be read by people who are actually barely able to spell C, as the author warns in the beginning (although I think he meant it as a selling point). And then only if you want to be patronized about how scary math, computer and fancy computer words are every few paragraphs (Oh, those Computer Programmers trying to feel superior with their Fancy Words!).
It is feels very, very, very dated. Like it was written in the 80s. And a few references to 2013 movies and Facebook don't really help hide it. You can also find many mistakes in the text and the code that were never corrected through the few editions.
I only finished it out of sheer stubbornness and I regret it.
If you're an absolute beginner, but you don't fancy being treated like an absolute moron, the first few chapters of the Big Nerd Ranch Objective-C book will be infinetely more enightening, actually explain things instead of making a joke about how crazy such and such feature is, and leave you better prepared for expanding into more advanced topics.
July 25, 2016
Really well done short book introducing actual beginners to C Programming. Uses analogy and examples to walk you through concepts. writer definitely understands how to teach. (I wish i wouldn't have looked at his author page though, sheesh, more programming books and less of the others, please.)
September 14, 2015
Fun to go back and re-learn some things.
July 18, 2015
Only gives you a glimpse of what the language is about..which is perfect for beginners. managed to finish this in two slacking workdays.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews