Can Novices Jump Directly in C? (Books)

[marwk at levels.sait.edu.au]

In article <39182 at cup.portal.com>, ekalenda at cup.portal.com (Edward John Kalenda) writes:
> peregrin at hulaw1.harvard.edu writes:
>>      Can anyone recommend an introduction to programming book that uses C?
>> I'm not referring to C-For-Pascal-Programmers etc. kind of books.  I'm aware
>> that most introduction to programming books use Pascal, Basic, or Scheme as
>> their language, but I haven't seen anybooks that start a novice out directly
>> with C.
>
> I must differ with all the other postings about C being a poor language
> for the first time programmer to learn. It is a complicated language,
> IF you dump all the features on the student at once. I have successfully
> taught several people with NO programming experience the C language. The
> trick is to convince them the computer will not do what you want it to do,
> only what you tell it, and you must tell it in GREAT detail.
>
> Most of the time I only use the K&R white book and the runtime reference
> manual that goes with the compiler in use. "Learning to Program in C" by
> Thomas Plum (Plum Hall, Inc.  ISBN 0-911537-00-7) is not bad.
>
> Teach them the basic constructs, add structures about 2/3 through the class,
> spend the last two weeks discussing the power features like pointer
> arithmatic (sp?), passing addresses of scalers to functions, hardware
> details like short/int/long relative sizes, unions, typedefs, pre-processor
> macros, and mixed language programming. They can always get into the stuff
> that will confuse them in an intermediate C class.
>
> Ed
> ekalenda at cup.portal.com

K&R has got to be the worst book for learning C for a beginner that I have
seen!  I used it to advance my knowledge, but it gave me headaches years ago
when I wanted to learn the language.

The book by KELLY and POHL: TUBO C: The Essentials of C programming
is one of the best I have ever seen (for the beginner).

Its method of explaining programs by dissection is excellent - voluminous
details for each line a program.

The problems in each chapter are nice and easy adn complement the chapters
extremely well.

There is no need to use TURBO C as there is very little that pertains to
it specifically.  I believe there is also a product-nonspecific book
available too.

Ray
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