C Programming

Jeff Vian jvian10 at charter.net
Sun May 9 13:34:28 UTC 2004



fredex wrote:

>On Sat, May 08, 2004 at 10:46:37PM -0400, Wade Chandler wrote:
>  
>
>>Gene Heskett wrote:
>>
>>    
>>
>>>On Saturday 08 May 2004 06:27, Trevor McNamara wrote:
>>>
>>>      
>>>
>>>>Hello,
>>>>
>>>>I am unsure if this is the correct post for this sort of question.
>>>>If not can someone please direct me in the right direction?
>>>>
>>>>I was wondering if anyone would know anywhere that I can download a
>>>>guide for an INTRO to C programming, As I would like to know C, then
>>>>I can understand some of the source code for UNX/LINUX?
>>>>
>>>>I have done a little bit of VB programming but nothing in C.
>>>>
>>>>Any help on this would be great.
>>>>
>>>>Thanks.
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>I think most of what I have came from the bookstores.  I've got 
>>>probably 500+ dollars in so-called C textbooks on the shelf right 
>>>now.
>>>
>>>Start with the one from Herbert Schildt, then fill in the gaps with 
>>>      
>>>
>
>Not to be a negative-sounding force here, but I would urge you to NOT
>ever use any of Herbert Schildt's books.
>
>Mr. Schildt is a skillful writer, his writing is clear and lucid. He
>writes books on C and  C++ that very easily and clearly lead you down
>the path to writing programs that are WRONG. he teaches bad practice in
>C and C++ in clear and easily understood ways, such that if you follow
>his advice you will learn his bad habits. one minor example is that he
>is one of the many people who incorrectly teach that it is permissible
>to declare main() as being of type void:
>	void main (void)
>		{
>		...
>		}
>A little web searching, or spending a little time on groups.google.com
>reading comp.lang.c will find you plenty of examples of why his books
>are not a good way to learn C or C++. You can learn, in the same way,
>of many other books that do teach the language(s) correctly.
>  
>

Please explain why main cannot be of type void.

Unless it is returning a value [ void main () ] or receiving a value [ 
void main( argv, argc ) ] , it should be void.

Main should be declared as any function within C.  It should be typed to 
returhn a value *if* it does, and to accept parameters *if needed*.

While I agree main is most often typed to int for the purpose of 
returning a value designating completion with no errors or an error, 
there is no *requirement* for that.

If you can provide *definitive documentation* of your statement that his 
teaching is wrong in the requirements for function main() I would like 
to see it.

>  
>
>>>whatever pulls your trigger standing in front of the rack at Barnes & 
>>>Noble etc.  The first purchase should also include a copy of K&R #2.  
>>>It should be used as the argument settler in case of confusion.  
>>>Everything else is just so much, often way more verbose, frosting on 
>>>the cake.
>>>
>>>I looked at some VB code the other night that a friend was working on.  
>>>Quite a lot being done in 100 lines of code, but I've never seen such 
>>>a batch of spagetti in my life.  Crap used but not pre-defined all 
>>>over the place.  Half an hour of talking about it to Jim and I had a 
>>>headache.  That stuff could convert a well trained programmer into a 
>>>blithering idiot.  Scarey.
>>>
>>>      
>>>
>>Building on this reply....
>>
>>I have always liked Herberts books as well.  You can read his C++ bible 
>>and get up to speed on the necessities of C++ in a couple of 
>>evenings....in my opinion anyways.  As far as pure C goes I don't know 
>>... a good starter would be
>>
>>The C Programming Language
>>Brian W.Kernighan and Dennis M. Ritchie(original C creator and Unix 
>>implementor)
>>Prentice Hall
>>ISBN 0-13-110362-8
>>
>>Which is one of the best C books because it is essentially the 
>>instruction manual for the language from two of the original Unix C team 
>>at Bell labs.
>>
>>For info on the book:
>>http://cm.bell-labs.com/cm/cs/cbook/index.html
>>
>>For some history:
>>http://cm.bell-labs.com/cm/cs/who/dmr/chist.html
>>
>>Wade
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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>>    
>>
>
>  
>





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