51–60 of 109 posts
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For 272 pages written by probably the best person to be writing modern C books, from a small publisher who is known for quality books, sixty dollars doesn't sound unreasonable at all
Not to be rude to the author but what makes him the best person to be writing modern C books?
Can any more experienced C developers give an opinion on the author/contents of this book? I'm a Python/Julia developer starting to learn C. I have K&R already, and Test Driven Development for Embedded C (Grenning). I did order 'Modern C' by Gustedt but the publisher never delivered to Waterstones so they had to cancel the order (about 6 months ago, book still unavailable from Waterstones as of today).
Looking over the contents, it seems expensive for what you get and what not might be the most practical day to day C issues. If you want to use C more effectively, I'd look at a systems programming book for what ever system you prefer. When hiring engineers knowing C isn't the issue, knowing how to code daemons in Unix, how to use sockets, pipes, io, handle signals, etc etc is the issue. Contents are: * How to identi…
>"You'll learn how to develop correct, portable, professional-quality code and build a foundation for developing security-critical and safety-critical systems."
So the stated aim of the book is to build a "foundation" from which you could then go on to digest and effectively use advanced things like the Stevens book.
What is going on with the sudden profusion of books on C? 21st century C, Modern C, Understanding and Using C Pointers? Okay, I realize "profusion" might seem a bit overblown, but honestly, in C world (and in comparison to other languages), this is practically a publishing boom. Not that I'm complaining; C was my first programming language (back some time in the mid-90s), and it's still my favorite. But I wonder why…
>> What is going on with the sudden profusion of books on C? 21st century C is 2014(?) and Understanding and Using C Pointers is from 2013, so it is not exactly sudden profusion. Edit: Using C Pointers is from 2013
I'm sorry, $60? I'm all in favor of fair remuneration for an excellent piece of work, but this is really too much. $30 would be much more fair. (And it doesn't matter if it's a physical book or e-book, the cost of printing nowadays is ca. $1 for each 100 pages.)
It's a luxury item. For comparison K&R2 sells for $51.99 new on amazon.
I think a fair price would be $49.99.
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>> What is going on with the sudden profusion of books on C? 21st century C is 2014(?) and Understanding and Using C Pointers is from 2013, so it is not exactly sudden profusion. Edit: Using C Pointers is from 2013
Understanding and Using C Pointers is 2013 not 2003.
I'm sorry, $60? I'm all in favor of fair remuneration for an excellent piece of work, but this is really too much. $30 would be much more fair. (And it doesn't matter if it's a physical book or e-book, the cost of printing nowadays is ca. $1 for each 100 pages.)
Get the ebook for $47 with a ebook 30% discount on their site? $33.
I'm sorry, $60? I'm all in favor of fair remuneration for an excellent piece of work, but this is really too much. $30 would be much more fair. (And it doesn't matter if it's a physical book or e-book, the cost of printing nowadays is ca. $1 for each 100 pages.)
I have a 295 page book in production. The print cost for paper bound is $5.46 for case laminate $10.02. Contrary to what you may think, print costs are not going to limit $0. Quite the other way, they have risen over the past seven years from $4.72 and $9.82 (roughly inflation for the paper bound).
This is what has annoyed me about pulp paperback fiction. They skyrocketed from $5 to $15 in 15 years. Then you can buy the eBook for $12 and feel like you're getting a "deal" on a product with near zero production costs.
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> for a book you're going to spends dozens of hours on. Is that a feature? I'm constantly frustrated by books that use many words to say little. Wasting hours on such books tends to be negative value, and I shouldn't buy them even for two cents..
This book has a very concise writing style. I really wanted to keep it small enough to carry on an airplane (when we are allowed to fly again). I'm really proud of the final product and very happy with the editing staff at No Starch who helped me produce a very polished product.
Many books nowadays, also from NoStarch, are released as early access books. Your book does not run under the early access program, or at least not yet.
Is this a decision made by you as an author? Or is the kind of book not really suited for early access? I could imagine that introductory books work well as early access books; readers could work through the first couple of chapters, while later chapters are still being written or refined.
Just curious...
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Mastering C and systems programming on Unix-like systems might be the best long-term career effort, since the field is not moving as fast as other technology stacks and old knowledge is still valuable knowledge. C jobs might not be the most widespread, but once you land one, it is highly-likely that it would be a stable one and you wouldn't be easily replaced by koolaid-drinking youngsters.
Exactly! To be blunt, knowledge of C gives you "programming cachet" like no other language.
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Looking over the contents, it seems expensive for what you get and what not might be the most practical day to day C issues. If you want to use C more effectively, I'd look at a systems programming book for what ever system you prefer. When hiring engineers knowing C isn't the issue, knowing how to code daemons in Unix, how to use sockets, pipes, io, handle signals, etc etc is the issue. Contents are: * How to identi…
These seem like really odd criticisms to level against a book which is clearly not about systems programming. The title itself makes it clear it's an introductory text on the subject of C. And from the overview: >"You'll learn how to develop correct, portable, professional-quality code and build a foundation for developing security-critical and safety-critical systems." So the stated aim of the book is to build a "fo…
Safety-critical and security-critical are interesting for an intro book. I'd like people to be aware, and conscious of of them. Anyways, we could debate this one. It really depends on how paranoid a beginner programmer becomes.