Learn C the Hard Way: Practical Exercises on the Computational Subjects You Keep Avoiding (Like C) (Zed Shaw's Hard Way Series) 1st Edition

This is a great book. It's not an easy book, and the title reflects that.For my first job programming C in 1988, a TA for one of my classes asked me if I knew C, and I said "sure" even though I didn't. I crammed with a C book for a week and got the job, my first "real" programming job.This book is one of those books that, if you can make it through this book and understand the concepts inside, you could probably get a job as a C programmer. I've written a C++ production web server almost from scratch (in 1998, before ASP or even PHP was widely used), and I still learned new tricks from the network server code in this book. Information on GDB and advanced Makefiles was also new to me, since gcc wasn't around when I was programming C way back then.I can't imagine a beginner learning C from this book, at least not exclusively from this book. Perhaps a more traditional reference-type beginner book would be a good companion for Zed's book. I've taken semester-long CS classes that covered less content than this book. For me, this was a great refresher on topics I had forgotten, and reminded me of why C is still one my favorite languages (despite the fact that I make my living as a full-stack Javascript / Node.js programmer).

I attempted to learn C years ago, but the tedious nature of pointers, memory management, and most importantly, the unawareness of the tools needed to competently develop in C (ie. Valgrind) kept me away from it for a long time. But in order to be a competent programmer, you really need to be able to understand C, even if you don't develop in it often. It is the language of all system calls and libraries on any Unix variant (Linux, BSD, Mac) that your "scripting" language links to. Even Windows has essential system calls (Win32 or Win 64) that export an interface to C. C is everywhere. You need to be able to at least read C code, and understand what is going at a basic level, and how higher level, garbage collected languages relate to C. For better or worse, C code will continue to be around a very long time.Zed Shaw's course is like having a mentor guide you through not just the language, but the modern C development environment. Included aretips on what tools to use, and traps for the naive.This book, by no means, should be your only C book. This book is for you if you have modest programming experience in a high level, garbage collected language on a Unix-like system (ie. Python, Perl, Ruby, etc.), and need to learn how to speed up parts of the program by writing in C. Given the audience it is written for, certain things are oversimplified. But that does not mean the book is bad.On the contrary, it is likely the best introductory book for new C programmers. If you are a kernel hacker who has dreams that correctly compile, you are likely to be disappointed.Some caution about getting a used copy: make sure you get one that has the DVD, as it has info not contained in the text. They supplement each other, and the book isn't nearly as useful without it.Other texts worth study (after this) include: 21st Century C: C Tips from the New School and Practical C Programming: Why Does 2+2 = 5986? (Nutshell Handbooks)

This is a darn good intro to C as well as some of the general programming topics that are typically neglected in an introductory book. Of course the author intends this for someone who has previously learned some language previously, so it's not quite a raw beginner's book. The approach, commensurate with the title, puts a lot of the onus on the reader, but doing so forces you to begin making use of the same resources you're going to use after you've finished the book. "Teaching a man to fish" so to speak. In addition to introducing the C language, the author introduces a number of tools you should become comfortable with and gives you enough information to use the tools without subverting the course into one on any specific tool. This book is much more practical than almost any introductory course I've read.If you search around the internet, you'll find a lot of recommendations for this book and some criticism, some of it pretty harsh. Having read at least the most prominent of the critical reviews I will warn you that most of them are clearly based on a review of the author's website, where a 'beta' version of the book exists (more on that in a minute), and they didn't bother to read the explanation of the teaching approach.If you've visited the "Learn C The Hard Way" site, you've seen the foundations for this book, but you have not seen this book! The author does himself a disservice by not updating the site, or making clear that the book is substantially better. Then there are the videos. The book comes with a DVD and 56 videos that are easily the best part. The demonstrations can go a little quick, but the explanations and additions are fantastic, and the kind of thing you just won't find elsewhere.So a lot of the critiques go something like "OMG, the author tells you to use "Make" but doesn't regurgitate the entire Make manual before telling you to use it!" That's true. But also very beneficial. You can learn a bazillion new tricks in Make later, but the author does give you enough to do what you need to do without burying you in a bunch of nuance that won't matter until you're much, much further down the road.This book is also up-to-date. It might not have this month's popular library, but at least it's moved well into the newer C standards rather than dwelling on C89 which is now two standards out of date.So, that's all pretty glowing, and as I said starting out, I really like the book. However, it is valid criticism that it could benefit from some more editing. There are references that weren't adjusted transitioning from the beta version on the site. E.g. in the chapter on debug macros, the text says something to the effect that you've already used .h files, when the book hasn't introduced them yet. In another place there's a reminder (for the author) that says something like "add some more explanation about ..." (I don't recall what it was). I didn't find any show stoppers, but it does take some of the polish off the book. A good follow on to this book is "21st Century C" which is in the same vein, but assumes you're a reasonably competent C programmer.It's worth noting the cost versus value of this book as well. I found this book to be much better than many books costing 2-4 times as much.If I could do half stars, I'd have given "Learn C the Hard Way" 4.5. The more I look at other learning C texts, the more I like it. While it's not perfect I can think of no book I would recommend more to someone with some programming experience, but new (or new-ish) to C.

no viene el dvd!!!ACTUALIZACIÓN:Solicito el cambio por ese motivo pero el siguiente libro viene en las mismas condiciones, sin el companion DVD.Al final, siguiendo el consejo de otro comprador (en estas reviews) consigo descargarme los vídeos de la web del autor.

Excellent book for experienced as well as freshers. The book is laid out logically. Important installation requirements are covered comprehensively. The book comes with a CD that contains video lectures as well as notes. Highly recommended.

Se não sabe NADA de C talvez você precise de um livro texto primeiro. Esse livro ensina C mas não do jeito usual. É como aquele professor carrasco que coloca a matéria e diz pra VOCÊ pesquisar. O trabalho faz você pensar e sair do modo: "só olhando" do livro texto e entrar no modo "ralando". E no meu caso, eu já sabia C, mas aprendi lendo um livro escrito por professor universitário. Nem precisa dizer que o código que o autor escrevia era primário e meio teletubbie. Já o autor deste livro o Zed, é um programador profissional com larga experiencia. Aprendi a fazer projetos maiores, a escrever um código mais seguro, organizado, sólido e profissional. Pra mim o livro foi 10.

si vous ne connaissez rien du sujet au début du livre, après avoir lu ce livre vous serez presque incollable.

It is excellent book! It will take you on really painful journey but it will be worth every bit of it. This book will not teach you basics of C, instead it will teach you how real-life programming in C is done. You will spend a lot of time outside of this book looking for resources and finding information. I think it is by design because that's how you will have to do when writing programs on your own. Some readers complained about it, I think it is one of the most useful features of this book: to push you out of comfortable zone and make you work hard. Personally I do not think it should be your 1st book on C, probably more like advanced course after you know basics.