Does anybody have any suggestions for good C++ and Java books to start with?
I’m a tech writer, currently working on an API reference library for a product in C. I’m familiar enough with C to do this.
However, next year they will be releasing a Java version of the same product, so now I need to learn the basics, and should probably brush up on my C++ while I’m at it.
My requirements are pretty basic. My primary work need is to learn the English language surrounding Java, so I sound like I know what I’m talking about. I don’t officially need to write code samples for work, but I’d like to find something that will walk me through the basics, just for my own personal edification.
For C++, Practical C++ Programming, O’Reilly and Associates (author is Steve Oualinne). Looks like its probably a chipmunk on the cover.
Easy to read, spends a lot of time on the definitions. Perhaps not the book you’d want to read to learn C++, but it has a lot of good things in it. A very quick read for a C programmer.
I concur with bashere, the O’Reilly book is a good intro. Now if I could ever finish the section on dereferencing pointers, or find some other way to grok this subject, I’d make some real progress.
I’ll offer you a good free source of programming instruction, http://www.informit.com They have a pretty good range of free materials online. Free registration required (I used a bogus name, it worked fine).
I’d recommend Java in a Nutshell. It has an introduction to Java syntax and object-orineted programming at the start, and includes a reference guide to the API’s in Java version 1.2 and 1.3 beta. Very user-friendly.