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C++ book

General JUCE discussion
#1

what i’ve learned c++ so far was only myself by doing try compile test (usually the testing part was crappy so the code wasn’t that good either).

Anyway i’d like to do it properly, though i know some and i some practical knowledge i need to find out about mose advanced topics in c++ like memory handling (pointers in c++ new delete, when to do static), what’s a singleton, templates. I’m looking for a book in english ofcourse, as with any other programming language there always exists the “you have to read it” book i was wondering what book is like that for c++. I never got to c++ cause i studied telecomunications and electronics and am a SA right now, so i didn’t get any programming education, just what i was able to get for books and code examples.

I wish jules would write a book id’ definetly buy that, from what i see in his code and how JUCE is done, that would be something.

Any suggestions guys?

#2

My favourite C++ book is Bruce Eckel’s “Thinking in C++”, which is available to read for free online. I was so impressed with it that I bought the bound copy of the book, which came with a very neat set of audio/visual lectures teaching the fundamentals of C to set you up for C++ (a number of slides with accompanying spoken lecture mp3 played alongside in media player). This CD’s content is now also available online for free, and both the C++ book and the C lectures can be obtained from http://www.mindview.net:

Thinking in C++ free eBook and purchase links
Thinking in C: flash lectures

#3

There are a couple of books that people recommend (like C++, How to program) but these days there’s really quite a lot of good books.

You can find books online too, especially on syntax and stuff. Look here: http://www.thefreecountry.com/documentation/onlinecpp.shtml
(Bruce Eckel’s books are popular…as Haydn said…)

Also, you may want to look into design patterns. I suspect Jules is a fan of formal patterns, you can find many of the most common ones in JUCE anyway.
And a singleton is considered a design pattern that can be implemented in a few different ways. So it’s not a language feture like templates.

OReilly’s “Head First: Design Patterns” is a pretty good introduction, if a bit chatty.
Personally though, I think Design Patterns is a bit over hyped. The good ones are obvious anyway.

#4

Just saw this one:

http://www.programmerworld.net/books/c++.htm

They have SAM’s C++ Unleashed available for download. It’s not a good first book, but an excellent second.

The site looks a bit shady though.

#5

thanks for your help, i’ll look for some real books, i don’t like reading off the screen/pdfs and printing so many pages is a mess, i’ll just get a hard copy. thanks again.

#6

Even though it doesn’t get very good reviews, I liked Practical C++ Programming. It’s a book aimed at the beginning programmer, rather that an experienced programmer who wants to learn a new language. It is in textbook format, and is very is to read. I think it’s a good first C++ to get someone up to speed.

#7

It pays to sort yourself out with a hardcopy of a C++ reference book. More commonly nowadays I do tend to nip online when I need to quickly remind myself of some complex concepts of standard C++, but having a trusty chunky manual to hand can do wonders.

It may sound like a masochistic approach, but when I learned C++, the very first thing I read was Herb Schildt’s “The C++ Reference”. Some people don’t really like Schildt’s books compared to Bjarne Stroustrup’s ‘official’ reference, but I can see no problems with it. While it may seem like a scary prospect (reading an actual reference book to learn) it is delivered with a useful education chronology. That teaches you the core syntax, and gives you a very technical understanding of the language, while the more common tutorial-type books breathe more life into the subject.

I recommend getting equipped with such a book - if you’re that into programming you’d probably find enjoyment in reading bits of it in your lunch break. Well, maybe not everyone finds it quite as interesting as I do… :oops: but it’s nice to keep the brain active! Whilst it’s not the most portable category of book, it does at least fit into the bottom of a bag, ready to be dug out when you’re bored (and away from the computer).

#8