C that is !complicated. It's a great book from beginning to end.

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Product Description

while (dead—horse)

beat ():

If you’re like most people, the above seems like nonsense. Actually, it’s computer sense—C programming. After digesting C For Dummies, 2^nd Edition, you’ll understand it. C programs are fast, concise and versatile. They let you boss your computer around for a change. So turn on your computer, get a free compiler and editor (the book tells you where), pull up a chair, and get going. You won’t have to go far (page 13) to find your first program example. You’ll do short, totally manageable, hands–on exercises to help you make sense of:

• All 32 keywords in the C language (that’s right—just 32 words)
• The functions—several dozen of them
• Terms like printf(), scanf(), gets (), and puts ()
• String variables, numeric variables, and constants
• Looping and implementation
• Floating–point values

In case those terms are almost as intimidating as the idea of programming, be reassured that C For Dummies was written by Dan Gookin, bestselling author of DOS For Dummies, the book that started the whole library. So instead of using expletives and getting headaches, you’ll be using newly acquired skills and getting occasional chuckles as you discover how to:

• Design and develop programs
• Add comments (like post–it–notes to yourself) as you go
• Link code to create executable programs
• Debug and deploy your programs
• Use lint, a common tool to examine and optimize your code

A helpful, tear–out cheat sheet is a quick reference for comparison symbols, conversion characters, mathematical doodads, C numeric data types, and more. C For Dummies takes the mystery out of programming and gets you into it quickly and painlessly.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #98208 in Books
• Published on: 2004-05-07
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 408 pages

From the Back Cover
Find out how to tell your computer what to do

Design and develop programs, compile and link code, fix problems, and more

Come "C" what all the excitement’s about! C programs are fast, concise, and versatile, and you’ll be writing them in no time. This friendly book unlocks the mysteries of coding, compiling, adding comments, and using keywords, I/O, variables, integers, and all the rest. You’ll write your first C program before you finish Chapter 1!

The Dummies Way

• Explanations in plain English
• "Get in, get out" information
• Icons and other navigational aids
• Tear–out cheat sheet
• Top ten lists
• A dash of humor and fun

Discover how to:

• Understand the entire program development cycle
• Link code to create executable programs
• Debug and deploy your programs
• Use floats, integer variables, and if statements
• Write functions and use loops

About the Author
Dan Gookin (Coeur d′Alene, Idaho) wrote the first–ever For Dummies book, DOS For Dummies, as well as the bestselling PCs For Dummies and Word For Dummies. He wrote C For Dummies Volumes One and Two. Dan′s books have been translated into 32 languages and have more than 11 million copies in print.

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Customer Reviews

Great Book - Easy to read
I have got this book since last week, I have been reading it day or night if I feel like that, it's absolutely great.

I am still a C beginner, I tried to read K&R as a first book, forget it, C for Dummies is just great, it explains C from scratch, even for the less computer literates, and goes up to detailed explanations, keeping a constant pass, and an easy to follow langauge, too funny and intriguing to put it away on the dusty shelf again...

I would recommend this book if you are just starting with C, then move to C all in one Desk Reference for Dummies, and then K&R for more advanced stuff.

Have fun ;)

Too superficial for the serious student
I bought this book as a total newcomer to C. Easy to read it introduces the student to the foundations of C. Because it lacks exercises and more seriously skips over many important features of C it is difficult to recommend this work to anyone other than the casual reader. The serious student would be well advised to purchase the author's other work frequently recommended in this book i.e. C All-in-One Reference for Dummies - far better, comprehensive and capable of delivering a working knowledge of all features of the language. Nonetheless the book demonstrates the capability of the author to explain difficult concepts in easy to understand plain English, refreshingly peppered with American humour.

Fantastic for absolute beginners
I have nearly zero programming knowledge. I tried to jump in at the deep end, and learn C++, but found this too hard, as it assumed a knowledge of C, so I went back to the beginning, and bought this C book.

This book assumes you know nothing, and takes you through all the steps of how to type in a program, and how to install a compiler on your computer to allow you to create the working program, and then run it. It assumes you can create a directory on your hard drive for this process, and get to the DOS prompt. The author's website is also very helpful for this. Details in the book.

The book is very slow moving, but I consider this to be a good thing for a beginner. You write programs in chapters 1-3, and run them, and all seems OK, but I was asking "Yeah, but why does that work like that?" and then everything starts to get explained from chapter 3 onwards; a great way to start I think. If you find the book slow moving, you can modify the example programs, or lengthen them as you see fit, as you gain confidence. The American humour (lots of this) is quite a relief, even for a Brit, as it breaks up some of the lengthy explanations of issues.

Some of the examples I just read through, understood them, and moved on, rather than spend more time typing programs in.

If you're an absolute beginner, or last did C programming a long time ago, this book is ideal. If you have a little more experience, you may prefer the quick reference book. I now use the quick reference book almost exclusively. The two books, as a pair, are a fantastic resource. As soon as I'm ready, I'll buy the C++ for dummies book (although this is a different author).