How to learn C ?

**user923005** · Jun 27 '08, 07:42 PM

Re: How to learn C ?

On Jun 24, 9:49 am, "BigRelax" <bigre...@live. cnwrote:

Hello`` I am a student from chinese.
I like C.

0. It is a good idea to read the C-FAQ. It has lots of explanations
in it of things that beginners find confusing:

http://www.faqs.org/faqs/by-newsgroup/comp/comp.lang.c.html

comp.lang.c Newsgroup FAQs

1. Read a good book on C.
There are Chinese versions of "The C Programming Language" by Brian W.
Kernighan and Dennis M. Ritchie:

Chinese: C Programming Language, Prentice-Hall, ISBN 0-13-11693-7
Chinese: The C Programming Language, China Machine Press / Prentice-
Hall, ISBN 7-111-07589-7
Chinese: The C Programming Language, Prentice-Hall PTR / Tsang Hai
(Taiwan) ISBN 986-154-142-X

2. You can download a free C compiler and practice the exercises with
it.

If you have questions about how the language itself works, you can ask
them here. If you show an honest effort, people will be happy to help
you.

**Nicolas Florian** · Jun 27 '08, 07:42 PM

Re: How to learn C ?

Hello BigRelax.

As already said before you can buy some books, but you can also
read ebooks( openbooks, no need to pay for, they're free ) or
websites filled with content about C.

The best way to learn C is by writing code, write as much as you can,
you won't get far by just reading a book without writing your code.

**user923005** · Jun 27 '08, 07:42 PM

Re: How to learn C ?

On Jun 24, 5:40 pm, Nicolas Florian <nicolas...@gmx .dewrote:

Hello BigRelax.
>
As already said before you can buy some books, but you can also
read ebooks( openbooks, no need to pay for, they're free ) or
websites filled with content about C.

Often, you get what you pay for here. And a beginner is very unlikely
to recongize correct information from utter balderdash. Most internet
information of this nature about the C language is really badly done.

The best way to learn C is by writing code, write as much as you can,
you won't get far by just reading a book without writing your code.

I agree that exercise is a good idea.

**Nicolas Florian** · Jun 27 '08, 07:42 PM

Re: How to learn C ?

On Jun 25, 4:59 am, user923005 <dcor...@connx. comwrote:

On Jun 24, 5:40 pm, Nicolas Florian <nicolas...@gmx .dewrote:
>

Hello BigRelax.

>

As already said before you can buy some books, but you can also
read ebooks( openbooks, no need to pay for, they're free ) or
websites filled with content about C.

>
Often, you get what you pay for here. And a beginner is very unlikely
to recongize correct information from utter balderdash. Most internet
information of this nature about the C language is really badly done.

Ok, I don't really know chinese books, but there is much free english
content out there. As an example: http://www.cprogramming.com/

**vippstar@gmail.com** · Jun 27 '08, 07:42 PM

Re: How to learn C ?

On Jun 25, 1:35 pm, Nicolas Florian <nicolas...@gmx .dewrote:

On Jun 25, 4:59 am, user923005 <dcor...@connx. comwrote:
>

On Jun 24, 5:40 pm, Nicolas Florian <nicolas...@gmx .dewrote:

>

Hello BigRelax.

>

As already said before you can buy some books, but you can also
read ebooks( openbooks, no need to pay for, they're free ) or
websites filled with content about C.

>

Often, you get what you pay for here. And a beginner is very unlikely
to recongize correct information from utter balderdash. Most internet
information of this nature about the C language is really badly done.

>
Ok, I don't really know chinese books, but there is much free english
content out there. As an example:http://www.cprogramming.com/

I suggest you forget everything you've read in that website, it's not
appropriate to learn C.

Take this for example
<http://www.cprogrammin g.com/tutorial/c/lesson9.html>

Note that along with C-style strings, which are arrays, there are also string literals, such as "this". In reality, both of these
string types are merely just collections of characters sitting next to each other in memory. The only difference is that you cannot
modify string literals, whereas you can modify arrays.

const char array[10] = {0}; /* can you modify *this* array? */
What are 'string types'?
What are 'C-style strings'?
If they are talking about strings and string literals, then no, they
are not merely collections of characters.

Some things that might look like strings are not strings; in particular, a character inclosed in single quotes, like this, 'a', is not
a string. It's a single character, which can be assigned to a specific location in a string, but which cannot be treated as a string.
(Remember how arrays act like pointers when passed into functions? Characters don't, so if you pass a single character into a
function, it won't work; the function is expecting a char*, not a char.)

What they don't mention which I'd consider more important is that "a
\0a" is not a string.
It's 'c-character-sequence', not 'character'. 'a' has int type, not
char type. Arrays do not 'act' as pointers when they are passed into
functions.

**pete** · Jun 27 '08, 07:42 PM

Re: How to learn C ?

vippstar@gmail. com wrote:

On Jun 25, 1:35 pm, Nicolas Florian <nicolas...@gmx .dewrote:

>On Jun 25, 4:59 am, user923005 <dcor...@connx. comwrote:
>>

>>On Jun 24, 5:40 pm, Nicolas Florian <nicolas...@gmx .dewrote:
>>>Hello BigRelax.
>>>As already said before you can buy some books, but you can also
>>>read ebooks( openbooks, no need to pay for, they're free ) or
>>>websites filled with content about C.
>>Often, you get what you pay for here. And a beginner is very unlikely
>>to recongize correct information from utter balderdash. Most internet
>>information of this nature about the C language is really badly done.

>Ok, I don't really know chinese books, but there is much free english
>content out there. As an example:http://www.cprogramming.com/

>
I suggest you forget everything you've read in that website, it's not
appropriate to learn C.
>
Take this for example
<http://www.cprogrammin g.com/tutorial/c/lesson9.html>

>Note that along with C-style strings, which are arrays, there are also string literals, such as "this". In reality, both of these
>string types are merely just collections of characters sitting next to each other in memory. The only difference is that you cannot
>modify string literals, whereas you can modify arrays.

const char array[10] = {0}; /* can you modify *this* array? */
What are 'string types'?
What are 'C-style strings'?
If they are talking about strings and string literals, then no, they
are not merely collections of characters.

>Some things that might look like strings are not strings; in particular, a character inclosed in single quotes, like this, 'a', is not
>a string. It's a single character, which can be assigned to a specific location in a string, but which cannot be treated as a string.
>(Remember how arrays act like pointers when passed into functions? Characters don't, so if you pass a single character into a
>function, it won't work; the function is expecting a char*, not a char.)

What they don't mention which I'd consider more important is that "a
\0a" is not a string.
It's 'c-character-sequence', not 'character'. 'a' has int type, not
char type. Arrays do not 'act' as pointers when they are passed into
functions.

A number of strings may exist within an array.

The object referred to by a string literal, *is* an array.

--
pete

**pete** · Jun 27 '08, 07:42 PM

Re: How to learn C ?

vippstar@gmail. com wrote:

On Jun 25, 1:35 pm, Nicolas Florian <nicolas...@gmx .dewrote:

>Ok, I don't really know chinese books, but there is much free english
>content out there. As an example:http://www.cprogramming.com/

>
I suggest you forget everything you've read in that website, it's not
appropriate to learn C.
>
Take this for example
<http://www.cprogrammin g.com/tutorial/c/lesson9.html>

It's the proverbial c/c++ language.

"Keep in mind that to use delete you must put []
between delete and arry to tell it to free
all 256 bytes of memory allocated."

Also, I am against "strncpy is a safer strcpy".

--
pete

**CBFalconer** · Jun 27 '08, 07:42 PM

Re: How to learn C ?

pete wrote:

vippstar@gmail. com wrote:

>>
>Take this for example
><http://www.cprogrammin g.com/tutorial/c/lesson9.html>

>
It's the proverbial c/c++ language.
>
"Keep in mind that to use delete you must put []
between delete and arry to tell it to free
all 256 bytes of memory allocated."
>
Also, I am against "strncpy is a safer strcpy".

Look up strlcpy and strlcat. You can find them on my page.

--
[mail]: Chuck F (cbfalconer at maineline dot net)
[page]: <http://cbfalconer.home .att.net>
Try the download section.

** Posted from http://www.teranews.com **

**Richard Heathfield** · Jun 27 '08, 07:42 PM

Re: How to learn C ?

CBFalconer said:

pete wrote:

>vippstar@gmail. com wrote:

>>>
>>Take this for example
>><http://www.cprogrammin g.com/tutorial/c/lesson9.html>

>>
>It's the proverbial c/c++ language.
>>
>"Keep in mind that to use delete you must put []
> between delete and arry to tell it to free
> all 256 bytes of memory allocated."
>>
>Also, I am against "strncpy is a safer strcpy".

>
Look up strlcpy and strlcat.

I did. They don't exist.

You can find them on my page.

Your page is not normative.

--
Richard Heathfield <http://www.cpax.org.uk >
Email: -http://www. +rjh@
Google users: <http://www.cpax.org.uk/prg/writings/googly.php>
"Usenet is a strange place" - dmr 29 July 1999

**Keith Thompson** · Jun 27 '08, 07:42 PM

Re: How to learn C ?

Richard Heathfield <rjh@see.sig.in validwrites:

CBFalconer said:

pete wrote:

vippstar@gmail. com wrote:
>>
>Take this for example
><http://www.cprogrammin g.com/tutorial/c/lesson9.html>
>
It's the proverbial c/c++ language.
>
"Keep in mind that to use delete you must put []
between delete and arry to tell it to free
all 256 bytes of memory allocated."
>
Also, I am against "strncpy is a safer strcpy".

Look up strlcpy and strlcat.

>
I did. They don't exist.

By "They don't exist", I presume you mean "They're non-standard". The
do in fact exist.

You can find them on my page.

>
Your page is not normative.

If I recall correctly, his page has standard C implementations of the
(admittedly non-standard) strlcpy and strlcat functions.

--
Keith Thompson (The_Other_Keit h) kst-u@mib.org <http://www.ghoti.net/~kst>
Nokia
"We must do something. This is something. Therefore, we must do this."
-- Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn, "Yes Minister"

**Richard Heathfield** · Jun 27 '08, 07:42 PM

Re: How to learn C ?

Keith Thompson said:

Richard Heathfield <rjh@see.sig.in validwrites:

>CBFalconer said:

<snip>

Look up strlcpy and strlcat.

>>
>I did. They don't exist.

>
By "They don't exist", I presume you mean "They're non-standard".

I was answering in a C context, yes.

The do in fact exist.

And if they don't, we can always create them. For example:

int strlcpy(char *s, char *t)
{
while(*t++) *s++ = *t++;
*s = '\0';
}

If you agree that this is a legal extension for an implementation to
provide, please explain why it is a 'safer strcpy', as Chuck seemed to be
implying. (It is, of course, not a strcpy at all.) And if you disagree
that this is a legal extension for an implementation, please explain why,
with reference to the Standard.

You can find them on my page.

>>
>Your page is not normative.

>
If I recall correctly, his page has standard C implementations of the
(admittedly non-standard) strlcpy and strlcat functions.

That's a contradiction.

--
Richard Heathfield <http://www.cpax.org.uk >
Email: -http://www. +rjh@
Google users: <http://www.cpax.org.uk/prg/writings/googly.php>
"Usenet is a strange place" - dmr 29 July 1999

**CBFalconer** · Jun 27 '08, 07:42 PM

Re: How to learn C ?

Richard Heathfield wrote:

CBFalconer said:

>pete wrote:
>>

.... snip ...

>>

>>Also, I am against "strncpy is a safer strcpy".

>>
>Look up strlcpy and strlcat.

>
I did. They don't exist.
>

>You can find them on my page.

>
Your page is not normative.

What a foolish waste. I am sure you are aware that these functions
were originated by the openBSD project, and have been generally
well received. No, they are not standard, which is why I inserted
the reference to my page, where source and docs can be found. They
include considerations about naming. Your silly comment is
designed purely to obstruct.

--
[mail]: Chuck F (cbfalconer at maineline dot net)
[page]: <http://cbfalconer.home .att.net>
Try the download section.

** Posted from http://www.teranews.com **

**Richard Bos** · Jun 27 '08, 07:42 PM

Re: How to learn C ?

CBFalconer <cbfalconer@yah oo.comwrote:

Look up strspam and strspammy. You can find them on my page.

Yes, jacob, we know.

Richard

**Richard Heathfield** · Jun 27 '08, 07:42 PM

Re: How to learn C ?

CBFalconer said:

Richard Heathfield wrote:

>CBFalconer said:

>>pete wrote:
>>>

... snip ...

>>>
>>>Also, I am against "strncpy is a safer strcpy".
>>>
>>Look up strlcpy and strlcat.

>>
>I did. They don't exist.
>>

>>You can find them on my page.

>>
>Your page is not normative.

>
What a foolish waste.

Either extensions are topical here or they aren't. Which do you think it
should be?

I am sure you are aware that these functions
were originated by the openBSD project, and have been generally
well received.

So what? If you think strlcpy and strlcat are topical here, please explain
whether you think strdup, clrscr, getch, kbhit, ioctl, getsockname,
PhysBase, LogBase, GetRez, EXEC CICS, EXEC SQL, CreateWindow,
SetWindowText, and WritePrivatePro fileString are topical too. If so, why?
If not, why not?

No, they are not standard, which is why I inserted
the reference to my page, where source and docs can be found.

So is it your opinion that we can discuss any extension we like in
comp.lang.c, provided we give a reference URL?

They
include considerations about naming. Your silly comment is
designed purely to obstruct.

I didn't make a silly comment, and the comment I did make was designed
purely to educate.

--
Richard Heathfield <http://www.cpax.org.uk >
Email: -http://www. +rjh@
Google users: <http://www.cpax.org.uk/prg/writings/googly.php>
"Usenet is a strange place" - dmr 29 July 1999

How to learn C ?

How to learn C ?

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment