Re: C help please - C newbie

Alan Balmer <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message news:<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>...
> On Mon, 17 Nov 2003 23:14:23 +0000, Chris Hills <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> wrote:
> 
> >In article <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, Bryan
> >Bullard <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes
> >>
> >>"Bradley" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
> >>news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> >>
> >>get a copy of K&Rs The C Programming Language. 
> >
> >Do NOT get a copy of K&R
> 
> You'll find a lot of people here who disagree with you. 

Yes, he will, but I'd bet that all of those are already 
highly proficient in C or masochists, not that those are 
mutually exclusive conditions.  After a 3-month brush with 
K&R in 1983, I recently (well, in the last 8 years, recently) 
made the transition from 25 years of asm to C.  Both times 
I found K&R's approach to be fragmented and occasionally 
obscure.  In addition, it contains now outdated forms and 
style to add to a newbie's confusion.  

My experience puts me firmly in Chris' camp on this.

>I still
> recommend K&R as the best C tutorial available, for those who are
> willing to take the time to read and understand it.
> 
> It's also one of the best day-to-day reference books available.

To the OP, free advice being worth exactly what you pay 
for it, here's mine:  Get a tutorial book, any tutorial 
book but K&R.  Get a bunch of those little post-it flags 
and an indelible pen and make your own day-to-day 
reference book!  Then, in a year or so, read K&R.  It 
makes a lot more sense once you know what they're saying.  
BTW, there's a gorgeous niche market for people who are 
bilingual in asm and C.  

C++?  Well, that's for another (long and highly contentious) 
thread.

Regards to all,
Ken Asbury