
C++ primer plus
by Stephen Prata · first published 1995
26mentions
12recommended by
23HN commenters
2009–2022first – last mentioned
52% recommend35% neutral13% critical
Why HN recommends it
Clear, well-written, comprehensive C++ tutorial with plenty of end-of-chapter exercises. It helps programming click for beginners and suits newcomers to the language.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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Personal opinion - (in order from beginner) * C Programming Absolute Beginner's Guide by Perry and Miller * C Programming A Modern Approach by King * Programming in C by Kochan * C Primer Plus by Prata * Head First C by Griffiths & Griffiths * 21st Century C by Klemens * Understanding and Using C Pointers by Reese * Expert C Programming - Deep C Secrets by van der Linden
on ““Learn C the Hard Way” is no longer available for free” ↗C Primer Plus by Stephen Prata is the most complete i have seen, it does cover everything up to C11 and goes in details about stuff like array vs pointer. I don't like 21st Century C, it may have changed since then…
on “Actually Portable Executables” ↗…things behind web services can "resources" with different representations - rather than remote function calls. The original "Java In a Nutshell" - it was dry reading, but at the time is was sooo useful. C++ Primer Plus by Stephen Prata - this was the book that got me into programing "as a career" so to speak. I picked it randomly off the shelf and it turned out to be foundational :)
on “Which programming book you just couldn’t stop reading from start to end?” ↗Yes. But I'd also recommend getting Stephen Prata's C Primer Plus. It covers C99, and talks about more complicated topics such as multiple pointer indirection and the preprocessor.
on “C Language Resources” ↗I suggest C++ Primer Plus, by Stephen Prata. It's well-written, clear, and comprehensive. I don't know of any good C++ books specifically for Python programmers, but I've read/skimmed many C++ books and Prata's is easily the…
on “Ask HN: C++ book for pythonista?” ↗I don't know if there's such a site, but for C++, I had an awesome time with C++ Primer Plus by Stephen Prata. I love coding books with lots of exercises to do at the end of each chapter and this book has tons of them. Try it out! It's moderately easy for beginners to dive right in but I recommend…
on “Ask HN: Is there something like Codecademy for C++?” ↗…C++, and understand the concepts of C will make it a lot easier to pick up C++. I'd highly recommend Learn C The Hard Way ( http://c.learncodethehardway.org/book/ ). For C++, like Watabou, I really liked C++ Primer Plus, by Prata.
on “Ask HN: Is there something like Codecademy for C++?” ↗Recommended resources for learning C++ nowadays: "Jumping into C++" by Alex Allain, "C++ Primer Plus" by Stephen Prata, and Kate Gregory's C++ courses on Pluralsight. You can get a free 3 or 6 month Pluralsight subscription by signing up for Microsoft's free Dev Essentials program.
on “C++ Status at the end of 2015” ↗I think the best book for complete beginners is "Jumping into C++" by Alex Allain. From there, move on to "C++ Primer Plus" by Stephen Prata.
on “Starting a tech startup with C++” ↗I learned C from “C Primer Plus” about a decade ago and I thought it was terrific: C Primer Plus (6th Edition) (Developer's Library) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0321928423/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_bg...
on “Modern C, Second Edition” ↗Programming didn't make sense to me until I read C++ Primer Plus by Stephen Prata
on “Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?” ↗C++ Primer Plus by Stephen Prata
on “Ask HN: As a self taught programmer which books do you value the most?” ↗This is the first time seeing anyone recommend C++ Primer Plus with no mention of C++ Primer.
on “Reading lists for people who want to be software engineers at Blizzard” ↗Books I have read so can personally recommend are (in no particular order) Programming in C C Primer Plus K&R (obviously) 21st Century C Modern C (also mentioned in this post) Understanding and Using Pointers in C
on “Teaching C” ↗…school and before going to college. I always thought programming was cool but was never able to learn it (because of I bought some bad intro books to programming). Then one day I found out about the book C++ Primer Plus, it was wonderful :) My first attempt at a real program was a console based repository management program for my dad's apparel company. Considering my dad didn't even know how to send email, he probably…
on “Grasshopper – A coding app for beginners” ↗