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Where can I find a good quick reference for learning C after years of C++?

Answer 1

+1 A:

Herbison and Steele: C: A Reference Manual, Fifth Edition may be of help w.r.t C99. Also, read up on the standard, the papers available at open-std.org. And finally, the compiler/tool-chain documentation you are plan to use. The latter puts everything in perspective -- as to how much you need to re-learn.

dirkgently 2010-03-07 01:59:45

560 pages seems a bit much for a "quick reference". I don't need to learn C from scratch. I was hoping for something with a few pages of the main gotchas - something to save me that first few hours of swearing as every other line of code turns out wrong, basically. Mind you, it turns out I don't have a single C book any more, so maybe that book makes sense. But it still seems a bit big. As for standards - yes, I probably should buy a few of those.

Steve314 2010-03-07 02:13:01

I don't think you'll need to read the whole of it. Having a book in hand helps.

dirkgently 2010-03-07 02:22:34

Answer 2

+5 A:

As dirkgently suggests, Harbison and Steele is a good reference, but I don't find it useful to brush up on. To retrain your mind, I have these suggestions:

Reread Kernighan and Ritchie
Optional: read Peter van der Linden's superb Expert C Programming: Deep C Secrets.
Don't forget libraries! Look at P. J. Plauger's book The Standard C Library, or just go to http://dinkumware.com/ (Plauger's company) and browse their excellent documentation of the C99 libraries.
Standard C lacks data-structure libraries. Fortunately there is an excellent, free 3rd-party library that fills several voids: Dave Hanson's C Interfaces and Implementations.

Norman Ramsey 2010-03-07 02:14:46

Harvey 2010-03-07 02:57:46

+1 for the van der Linden recommendation. It's really that good.

Dan 2010-03-07 05:08:21

Answer 3

+1 A:

Not enough but a good starter : C for C++ Programmers

Soufiane Hassou 2010-03-07 02:16:27

That looks like a good starting point - but I'm fairly sure it's not up to date. For example, it tells me not to use "//" for comments - I'm sure that's now valid in C. I was shocked by the sight of "<<" and ">>" in a list of unavailable features - until I realised it meant for streaming, not for bit-shifts.

Steve314 2010-03-07 02:33:56

Answer 4

A:

C for Programmers, by Leendert Ammeraal, is by far the best thing I have seen along these lines. Unfortunately, it is almost 20 years old, hard to find, and (obviously) not up to date on C99.

John R. Strohm 2010-03-07 02:19:30

He probably isn't using C99 if he's running into missing things other than classes and templates.For example, C++ added inline functions, mid-scope variable declaration, and single-line comments, all of which got picked up by C but not by many embedded C compilers. Even if he uses C99 part of the time, he'll appreciate knowing the gotchas present in classic C.

Ben Voigt 2010-03-07 02:35:15

Answer 5

+1 A:

Not a book but read GTK+ source code. It may be fugly but it's got some of the best C source code I've ever read.

cheez 2010-03-07 02:21:50

That'd be a big read - care to suggest a particularly interesting file or two?

Steve314 2010-03-07 02:27:00

Take a look at how GtkObject is implemented as well as the closures.

cheez 2010-03-07 05:08:10

Answer 6

A:

Try the following link, I have found it good for reference:

http://www.techbooksforfree.com/ccpp.shtml

Also Sarafi Books or Books24x7, (you have access to both using either ACM or IEEE membership), are excellent references for technical books.

Also, nothing can beat the K&R:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0131103628

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/013089592X

I think the above should give you enough reading material to last for a few weeks and you will emerge as an accomplished C programmer. All the Best. :-)

gagneet 2010-03-07 02:34:36

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Where can I find a good quick reference for learning C after years of C++?

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