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Writer Bruce Eckel has been publishing his books as beta for several years now. Even though I could download his books series "Thinking in Java" and "Thinking in C++" for free I still bought the final versions in printed form. I think the final releases of these books really benefitted from the beta-releases.

(This book has been out for a few years; what books would make more sense today for a C++ learner's library?)

Best learner's C++ book has to be "Thinking in C++" by Bruce Eckel. I always touted his "Thinking in Java" as the premier book for the learning java developer, but his success started with TiC++. Best of all? Its available free electronically on his website (but I always went out and spent the $30 for the paperback version to support him).

If you pick up the book, you'll understand the language just a little more. He writes the book just how you'd like to learn, not like some math book that blandly gives out information in a manner that puts you to sleep. You can thank me later after reading it ;-)

We switched our Java textbook to Bruce Eckel's book, which he has posted on his own site as a free PDF.

Some students just use the PDF file, and print what they need. Most students buy the book and d/l the PDF.

Last year our university computer labs moved from free printing to 5 cents a page, after admins found students printing thousands of d/l'd book pages.

Blows my mind, as students tend tom copmlain about the weight of textbooks as much as the price.

This is why Palladium is being sold to universities and publishers as a means of renting licensed ebooks to students. After the term is done, must renew their subscription to the book or DRM refuses to open the ebook.

For example, Bruce Eckel makes his Thinking in Java book available for download online for free. He also sells it, apparently he's earning enough to justify not removing the download. More of his take on download availability is here

Forgive me if I'm wrong here, but isn't this effectively already the case? To a certain extent, at any rate. Even with copyright in place, in the quest for ever-higher profit margins, media companies have been busy eating each other for some time now, mom and pop outlets are disappearing, and rare works are relegated to those few hole-in-the-wall stores still open. At least on the web you can find stuff without spending months tracking down and physically visiting oddball shops and sorting through their idiosyncratic collections.

Besides, as some have shown (like Bruce Eckel, among others), just because a book or other work is freely available online doesn't mean people won't still want a hardcopy. I don't like to look at a monitor for hours on end, but a that same book in hand could be bliss on a sunny day instead of a myopic headache.

It comes down to packaging -- what you pay for in many instances isn't the content so much as how it's presented. That's how the linux distro business seems to work (certainly for desktops, and for enterprise as well if you count support as part of the package). Heck, even with cars -- how many lemons have been sold on the basis of some actress' cleavage? But seriously, even though I could (and partially did) watch Two Towers weeks before the release, I still went to the theatre, and at that more than once. Copyright alone isn't the issue here.

Before writing that, did you consider that Thinking in Java is freely available on the internet?

Fh

Ps: Just to make it clearer, there might be reasons for buying a book composed of material that you may also get free on the Internet. According to Eckel's words, leaving the book online hasn't affected its sales.

Bruce Eckel has all of his "Thinking in" books available in pdf format on his webpage. You can also buy the hardbound version in local bookstores. So you can have your cake and eat it too. It seems like he's pretty successful in his method, too.

I, personally, own a copy of Thinking in Java and Thinking in C++, and recommend it to all Java/C++ programmers. Check it out on the website, and buy a copy if you like it.

Want to learn Java through OOP concepts in easy to understand writing (not like reading a math book or reference guide)? On a budget?
All hail Bruce Eckel's Book, Thinking In Java. This book teachs OOP and Java, and is written VERY VERY well. My wife (total non-techie) understands the book and finds it captivating. Best of all? It costs like $30 in a bookstore, but you can also D/L it for free from his website. Yeah, by free I mean as in beer. Perfect for the college kid to study for free (and pick himself up a paperback copy after he gets money and a job, cause its also a decent reference).

IMHO, programming and testing should be done at the same time in the development stage.

While programming and "bugging" happen at the same time, programming and de bugging/testing should happen at the same time too.

It is very well explained in Bruce Eckel's Thinking in Java . You should just test everything in the code itself, even if it happens to add some overhead. Once called that function, you want that <something> happens.. so check it in the code.

I know this is not the usual way procedural programming happens. It seems much more straightforward to drop the code as it comes and then check if it behaves correctly.

But if you do so you will often discover that that tests made afterwards ara not comprehensive of all possible situations.

And so you discover that testing and debugging are just unfinished tales, and it is even worst if testers are not the programmers who did the work.

Plus, I hate testing, so I force myself to do the work well and let the code (as long as possible) test itself, even if it makes development slower and boring.

Umhh... i'll preview this post 10 times, hoping it's free from bugs :)

Obviously my code contains no ewwows ;)

Well, here's my example of open source writing. Bruce Eckel's books are available for free on the internet, including books he isn't finished with, yet.
He also makes a living on selling them (hell, I own two of them).

My question for Mr.Katz:
Where can I find a copy of your book online (for free)?


PS - yeah, I broke the Blackout. Sue me.

Then again, I've had my book available for free online since I wrote the first 30 pages or so. And I intend to keep the free version available after it is printed by No Starch in a couple of months. I guess I'm one of them weirdos who thinks content creators shouldn't extract money from their customers at every possible opportunity. I like musicians who sell their records for reasonable prices (Dischord records, That Dog before they split, etc.) and authors who don't really think everyone should have to pay $45 for their books (Bruce Eckel). I'm all for getting paid, and paying folks who have done the work, but I'm also for letting people decide if a work is worth shelling out the dough for.

I guess this Open Source thing has gotten to me. Or maybe it was the punk rock thing ("give the kids their moneys worth"). Regardless, prices on new books are probably higher than they ought to be, and if I often buy used ones if I can't get it new for a reasonable price--the new price always dictates whether I get it at my local Half Price Books or at BookPool.

That's my take on the issue anyway.

Bruce Eckel publishes books (like "Thinking in Java") as both a free online book, yet sells the printed copy. What he does is publishes the book like normal, but also makes them available for free on his webpage. So if you ever need it to reference, you can jump online to read it. And to support him, most people buy a copy of his book. Its the best of both worlds.

Another nice advantage is he has books that he isn't finished with available online ("Thinking in Patterns" is one of his), where people can read it and give him feedback before he takes it to the press... Check grammar, find things that are easier to reword, play around with his example code, etc... Its almost like an open source project right there. And he makes money on his books (cause, any java coder that has read "Thinking in Java" owns a copy. Its like a Bible for Java).

This may be a technique you may consider...

Absolutely. Bruce Eckel is writing "Thinking In Patterns for Java" that is on his webpage, but the day it comes out in print, I'm buying a copy. Its just easier to read in book form, and easier to pick up for reference. Plus I want to put more money in his pocket, cause he writes the best coding books I've ever seen, and deserves the cash...

Read "Thinking in Java" by Bruce Eckels, and it will put your mind at ease.

Your first experience, its sounds, like you tried to swallow the whole thing at once, and choked.
-or-
You were biased to Java and subconsciencly didn't want to learn it
-or-
You hardly know Java, and are trolling (and I bit).

I started Java not so long ago and this book was recommended by a friend who works with Java at Sun. I was looking for a thorough introduction to the language and that's what I got. I wouldn't say that the examples are concise, but the writing is superior and you will learn the required concepts. Exercises at the end of every chapter are included. The solutions are available at bruceeckel.com. Best of all, the author has put the book online, so you can peruse it without dropping any cash.

Moving from C++ to Java results in a 2x improvement in programmer productivity, he says, while the move from C++ to Python results in a 5x to 10x improvement. He is still developing his reasons as to why this is the case, but he believes that Python allows a programmer to focus on concepts, rather than on mechanics.

Lacking any scientific studies, Bruce offered his top ten reasons why he loves Python:

10. Reduced Clutter - The indented nature of Python makes it easier to read, an important criteria since code is read more often than it is written. According the the extreme programming (XP) folks, consistant formatting really is important.

9. It's not Backward Compatible in Exchange for Pain - Many popular languages promote their backward compatability, but at the cost to the programmer of awkward syntax (C++ and Perl) and lots of typing (Java).

8. It Doesn't Value Performance Over Productivity - Rather than forcing the programmer to implement awkward coding sequences for the sake of "speed," Python implements easy-to-learn idioms (but allows extensions to be written in C when performance becomes an issue).

7. It Doesn't Treat Me Like I'm Stupid - Python doesn't prevent operator overloading, doesn't insist on type declarations, and it doesn't pretend to be something that it isn't.

6. I Don't Wait Forever for a Full Implementation of the Language - C++ still does not fully implement features invented by the C++ committee.

5. It Does Not Make Assumptions About How We Discover Errors - Python does not force static type checking, moving the programmer quickly along to the discovery of errors using "real" data.

4. Marketing People Are Not Involved... Yet -- Java and MS Visual C++ have been over-hyped.

3. I Don't Have to Type So Much - Not obscure like APL, not endlessly inventive like Perl or FORTH, not verbose like Java.

2. My Guesses are Usually Right - Java and C++ require programmers to constantly look up syntax in a language reference. Python idioms are easier.

1. Python Let Me Focus on Concepts - No stumbling through Java designs, no fighting with C++ compilations or runtime bugs."

PS...if you've been living under a rock, Zope is the Open Source Application server and is Python's "killer app". Also, Bruce's books are available for free online and available from mirrors listed at http://www.mindview.net/DownloadSites/

Curious George

I wouldn't call it a "course", but Bruce Eckel's book "Thinking in C++" is available for free on his website http://www.bruceeckel.com .
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Well, my library could consist of:

- books from project gutenburg
- free books, maybe from here or here
- technical books like this one and other technical documents.
- articles from Nupedia
- university research papers, a lot of which are on-line now.
- mirrors of websites

All free, no fees. A prediction: a readable ebook will drive publishing toward free books just as linux is driving software companies to open source. It will never be a complete transformation in either case, but it will shake things up for sure.

Bruce Eckel does this with his "Thinking In Java" book, and possibly some of his other coding books too. Jason

I would have thought that Open Publishing would be having groups of people working on a book, a little bit beyond the unleashed books (Linux Unleashed, OS/2 Unleashed.....).

Bruce Eckel has been doing this for a while with his Thinking in Java and Thinking in C++ books.

Not only that they are on-line, but he takes input from others.

Hi!
I think you try to express something here but with the wrong answer.

>> Which is why I would think that the standard should be ANSI C/C++.

This is THE good idea...
BUT WHEN YOU WROTE....
>> it was good to still know how to use strcpy with char *'s.

excuse me but are you talking about C or C++ ? It's not the same thing you know. For something to be trully C++ (cross platform) compatible you SHOULD NOT USE char* (if we are tlaking about C++ here). Instead use the STRING class wich comes with the C++.
I've seen enough code wich mixes the two (C / C++ coing style). Oh the horror!

I hope I didn't offend you (flames whatever...).

For the novice
I think there is a free C++ book wich theaches the "thinking" of the whole C++ methodology and can give you a start in the field. Don't mix the 2 thinking models.... You can find the book here. Happy reading!

I guess I replied too late to get moderated anyway... :)

In Java you can have interfaces which can only contain method declarations, not implementations; abstract classes, whcih may implement some methods but not others; and full-blown classes that can implement resp. extend the former types.

For a better explanation I suggest you download Thinking in Java 2nd ed. at Bruce Eckels' website and read Chapters 6-8.

You should at least take a look at Bruce Eckel's Thinking in Java. The PDF version is free (gratis, not libre), so you have nothing to lose by checking it out.

Thanks for that info, that's very useful.

Will somebody please moderate this post up?

Here are the hyperlinks:

• http://www.docbook.org
• http://www.bruceeckel.com
• http://www.software.u-net.com (the tutorial is here)

Currently there are early versions of the second editions of both books online. He has a form for comments on these.

P.S. Please send my check to: .... ;)

Injured software engineer wins against Mattel!

Not an O'Reilly book but, Thinking in Java by Bruce Eckel is one book that is available in electronic form as a text file (maybe a Word document?) or pdf. I read it online before purchasing the printed version. At least minamilistic proof that freely available text can also be sold. :-)

Anyone know where I can get a stuffed EMAC to but beside my stuffed TUX?


ACK!
...shareware programming language!