Michael Vine - C Programming for the Absolute Beginner (For the Absolute Beginner (Series).)

Cover

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C Programming
for the absolute beginner

THE FUN WAY TO LEARN PROGRAMMING

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THE FUN WAY TO LEARN PROGRAMMING

MICHAEL VINE

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2002 by Premier Press. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system without written permission from Premier Press, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.

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Information contained in this book has been obtained by Premier Press from sources believed to be reliable. However, because of the possibility of human or mechanical error by our sources, Premier Press, or others, the Publisher does not guarantee the accuracy, adequacy, or completeness of any information and is not responsible for any errors or omissions or the results obtained from use of such information. Readers should be particularly aware of the fact that the Internet is an ever-changing entity. Some facts may have changed since this book went to press.

ISBN: 1-931841-52-7

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2001104493
Printed in the United States of America
02 03 04 05 RI 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Publisher:
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Technical Reviewer:
Greg Perry
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This book is dedicated to my beautiful wife, Sheila.
I love you very much!

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Writing a book is not easy, especially a programming book. It takes many great, patient, and talented people to write, edit, design, layout, market, finance, and produce a book and accompanying CD-ROM. Without the great people at Premier Press, it would be impossible for me to share with you my knowledge of programming in such a professional and fun manner. I especially would like to acknowledge Amy Pettinella for her dedication to this book and her eye for detail. Thanks, Amy! I would also like to thank Todd Jensen and Andy Harris for giving me an opportunity to write a book on C. Thanks guys!

C is one of the most complex programming languages in the computing world and therefore requires a special and talented person to ensure the accuracy of the presented information. This mammoth duty was accepted by Greg Perry, who in his own right is a famous author of many programming and technical books. Greg, thank you very much for sharing your wisdom and years of experience with me. This book would not have been the same without you!

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Michael Vine has taught computer programming, Web design, and database classes at Indiana University/Purdue University, Indianapolis, and at MTI College of Business and Technology in Sacramento, California. He currently works full-time as a software engineer developing client-server applications in Visual BASIC, PowerBuilder, Java, and Oracle.

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If you're interested in computer programming at all, you've probably heard a lot about the C language. C is an incredibly influential programming environment. Practically all popular modern programming languages are based on C. By learning C, you are learning the foundations of perl, JavaScript, Java, C++, C#, and many other languages. The C language has another important distinction. It is more closely related to the actual design of the computer than many other programming languages, which means that by studying C, you will appreciate more fully how computers work. C is also popular because it can be used on practically any operating system, from Linux to Windows to supercomputers.

The elements that make C so popular have also given it a reputation as a difficult language for beginners to learn. However, Michael Vine teaches C in a way that is accessible to beginners without hiding the complexities of the language. Michael knows his way around a programming language. He has been a professional programmer using a number of languages (including C, of course). Knowing how to write a program does not always translate well into writing about programming. Michael has taught programming at the university level for several years, and his experience in the classroom shines through in this book. C programming is a challenging subject, yet Michael has carefully thought through his examples and the order in which it is composed.