Hi,

I'm a C programmer of (I'd like to think) intermediate skill and
experience, able to throw most things together quite happily in C. I'd
like to get to the point of being able to legitimately use the word
"expert" on my CV. Does the group have any suggestions for books
targeted at the intermediate programmer, rather than beginning?

I suppose what I'm after is a guide that s me build on what I already
know.

I'm shamed to say I don't even own a copy of K&R - is this essential
reading?

B.

"Rob Kendrick" wrote:

> I'm a C programmer of (I'd like to think) intermediate skill and
> experience, able to throw most things together quite happily in C. I'd
> like to get to the point of being able to legitimately use the word
> "expert" on my CV. Does the group have any suggestions for books
> targeted at the intermediate programmer, rather than beginning?
>
> I suppose what I'm after is a guide that s me build on what I already
> know.
>
> I'm shamed to say I don't even own a copy of K&R - is this essential
> reading?

I don't know if it is essential reading at this point, but I would never
dream of admitting to an interviewer that I didn't have my own copy, I might
even suggest it was well worn - which, in fact it is, pages are coming out.

For a more advanced book I would suggest _Expert C Programming_ by Peter Van
der Linden, it is not only informative, it is interesting too.

On Sun, 21 Oct 2007 09:22:58 -0700, osmium wrote:

>> I'm shamed to say I don't even own a copy of K&R - is this essential
>> reading?
>
> I don't know if it is essential reading at this point, but I would never
> dream of admitting to an interviewer that I didn't have my own copy, I
> might even suggest it was well worn - which, in fact it is, pages are
> coming out.

In the past, I've just referred to the spec, which is less than ideal.

> For a more advanced book I would suggest _Expert C Programming_ by Peter
> Van der Linden, it is not only informative, it is interesting too.

Looks excellent. I'll add it to the list - thanks.

B.

"osmium" <r124c4u102@comcast.net> writes:

> "Rob Kendrick" wrote:
>
>> I'm a C programmer of (I'd like to think) intermediate skill and
>> experience, able to throw most things together quite happily in C. I'd
>> like to get to the point of being able to legitimately use the word
>> "expert" on my CV. Does the group have any suggestions for books
>> targeted at the intermediate programmer, rather than beginning?
>>
>> I suppose what I'm after is a guide that s me build on what I already
>> know.
>>
>> I'm shamed to say I don't even own a copy of K&R - is this essential
>> reading?
>
> I don't know if it is essential reading at this point, but I would never
> dream of admitting to an interviewer that I didn't have my own copy, I might
> even suggest it was well worn - which, in fact it is, pages are coming out.
>
> For a more advanced book I would suggest _Expert C Programming_ by Peter Van
> der Linden, it is not only informative, it is interesting too.

I second that. I good read.

Rob Kendrick wrote:

> Hi,
>
> I'm a C programmer of (I'd like to think) intermediate skill and
> experience, able to throw most things together quite happily in C.
> I'd like to get to the point of being able to legitimately use the
> word "expert" on my CV. Does the group have any suggestions for books
> targeted at the intermediate programmer, rather than beginning?

Well, one book that gets tossed around a lot is _C Unleashed_ by
Heathfield, Kirby et al.

Apparently it has been out of print for a few years but both new and
used copies seem to be still available on sites like amazon.com

See the thread titled "C Unleashed" started by Joe Wright.

One another book is _Expert C Programming_ by Peter Van der Linden.

You might also consider books on system programming and programming for
specific systems like Unix, Windows etc. Also you might consider books
like _UNIX Network Programming_ by Stevens. I know these are not about
C per se, but they do use C as their language and illustrate fairly
advanced programming tasks.

> I'm shamed to say I don't even own a copy of K&R - is this essential
> reading?

IMO, yes.

On Oct 21, 12:16 pm, Rob Kendrick <n...@rjek.com> wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I'm a C programmer of (I'd like to think) intermediate skill and
> experience, able to throw most things together quite happily in C. I'd
> like to get to the point of being able to legitimately use the word
> "expert" on my CV. Does the group have any suggestions for books
> targeted at the intermediate programmer, rather than beginning?
>
> I suppose what I'm after is a guide that s me build on what I already
> know.
>
> I'm shamed to say I don't even own a copy of K&R - is this essential
> reading?

I would definitely pick up a copy of K&R2, it will give you a good
opportunity to gauge how much you really know about the language,
learn a few new things, and make yourself more well-rounded. I would
have a difficult time hiring someone who billed themself a C
programmer who didn't own and had never read K&R.

Below is a list of C books currently on my bookshelf that I would
recommend as intermediate/advanced or reference:

"Expert C Programming" by Peter van der Linden
"Secure Coding in C and C++" by Robert C. Seacord
"The Standard C Library" by P. J. Plauger
"C: A Reference Manual (5th edition)" by Harbison & Steele

I would also recommend reading the entire comp.lang.c FAQ (which
appears to be down at the moment): http://www.c-faq.com.

--
Robert Gamble

On Sun, 21 Oct 2007 23:24:26 +0530, santosh wrote:

> Well, one book that gets tossed around a lot is _C Unleashed_ by
> Heathfield, Kirby et al.

I'll see if I can find a copy.

> You might also consider books on system programming and programming for
> specific systems like Unix, Windows etc. Also you might consider books
> like _UNIX Network Programming_ by Stevens.

I already own a copy of this from another project. It is indeed
excellent.

>> I'm shamed to say I don't even own a copy of K&R - is this essential
>> reading?
>
> IMO, yes.

I'll add it to the list, then.

Thanks!

B.

On Sun, 21 Oct 2007 18:26:28 +0000, Robert Gamble wrote:

> I would definitely pick up a copy of K&R2, it will give you a good
> opportunity to gauge how much you really know about the language, learn
> a few new things, and make yourself more well-rounded. I would have a
> difficult time hiring someone who billed themself a C programmer who
> didn't own and had never read K&R.

I didn't say I hadn't read it I borrowed it from my local library and
read it many years ago, when I was first starting in C. I suppose I
could do with a reread.

> Below is a list of C books currently on my bookshelf that I would
> recommend as intermediate/advanced or reference:
>
> "Expert C Programming" by Peter van der Linden "Secure Coding in C and
> C++" by Robert C. Seacord "The Standard C Library" by P. J. Plauger "C:
> A Reference Manual (5th edition)" by Harbison & Steele

van der Linden's work seems to be widely recommended, so I've put that at
the top of my shopping list, along with K&R.

Thanks for your input.

B.