From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-1.3 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00,INVALID_MSGID autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: fac41,9a0ff0bffdf63657 X-Google-Attributes: gidfac41,public X-Google-Thread: f43e6,9a0ff0bffdf63657 X-Google-Attributes: gidf43e6,public X-Google-Thread: 103376,4b06f8f15f01a568 X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-Thread: 1108a1,9a0ff0bffdf63657 X-Google-Attributes: gid1108a1,public From: "K. Mathias" Subject: Re: College, C, etc. (Was Re: Is there a language that Dijkstra liked?) Date: 1998/10/23 Message-ID: <70rel2$blb$1@camel15.mindspring.com>#1/1 X-Deja-AN: 404491008 References: <6skfs7$2s6$1@hirame.wwa.com> <36228EC3.4F7381FD@domain.nul> <3630b064.23189339@news.supernews.com> <3630C8DC.DF508803@fv.com> X-Server-Date: 24 Oct 1998 02:39:30 GMT X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V4.72.3110.3 Organization: MindSpring Enterprises Newsgroups: comp.lang.eiffel,comp.object,comp.software-eng,comp.lang.ada Date: 1998-10-24T02:39:30+00:00 List-Id: Tom J wrote in message ... >In article <3630C8DC.DF508803@fv.com>, Darren New wrote: >>Uh, you can't teach great C. C is a very simple language with lots of >>potholes. You can teach programming OK, but getting C right is simply a >>matter of experience. You make the same mistake the third time, and you >>say "Oh, right, I did that six months ago, it had the same wierd >>behavior, maybe I did it again." It's like driving. You can't teach >>someone how to get out of a blow-out or where to drive during an >>earthquake. The conditions where such could happen are just too >>variable. >... >Unless you read books. >"C Traps and Pitfalls" by Koenig, >"Safer C" by Hatton. >books on structured programming. I read The IEEE Tutorial on Structured >Programming but it may no longer be available. >You can also read books on testing such as >"Testing Computer Software" by Kaner, Falk, Nguyen, which has lists of >common problems in the back. >The process you use is even more important. Read >"Introduction to the Personal SOftware Process" by Humphrey. >You should try to get the C spec. It is from ISO now but it may be >cheaper in a paperback called "The Annotated C Reference" or something. >I have the ANSI spec, so I can't comment on the annotations; just read >the spec part of the book. > That's fine if you already know C. I've taught hundreds of college students C and I agree with Darren, you can't teach great C. I show them the fundamentals, I instruct them on good programming practices, I warn them about pitfalls. But they are new to programming, new to language concepts, and they crash and burn. A lot. The language doesn't insulate them from this, and by the time they understand the concepts required to read the above books, it's old news. Don't mistake me for an anti-C person. I use the right tool for the right job, and C has its place in my inventory. - Karl