Introduction

Are you tired of seeing your friends get C programming jobs while you’re left out in the cold? Would you like to learn C but just don’t have the energy? Is your old, worn-out computer in need of a hot programming language to spice up its circuits? This book is just what the doctor ordered!

Absolute Beginner’s Guide to C breaks the commonality of computer books by talking to you at your level without talking down to you. This book is like your best friend sitting next to you teaching C. Absolute Beginner’s Guide to C attempts to express without impressing. It talks to you in plain language, not in “computerese.” The short chapters, line drawings, and occasionally humorous straight talk guide you through the maze of C programming faster, friendlier, and easier than any other book available today.

Who’s This Book For?

This is a beginner’s book. If you have never programmed before, this book is for you. No knowledge of any programming concept is assumed. If you can’t even spell C, you can learn to program in C with this book.

The phrase absolute beginner has different meanings at different times. Maybe you’ve tried to learn C before but gave up. Many books and classes make C much more technical than it is. You might have programmed in other languages but are a beginner in C. If so, read on, o faithful one, because in 32 quick chapters, you’ll know C.

What Makes This Book Different?

This book doesn’t cloud issues with internal technical stuff that beginners in C don’t need. The author (me) is of the firm belief that introductory principles have to be taught well and slowly. Once you tackle the basics, the “harder” parts never seem hard. This book teaches you the real C that you need to get started.

C can be an extremely cryptic and difficult language. Many people try to learn C more than once. The problem is simply this: Any subject, whether it be brain surgery, mail sorting, or C programming, is easy if it’s explained properly. Nobody can teach you anything, because you have to teach yourself; but if the instructor, book, or video doing the teaching doesn’t make the subject simple and fun, you won’t want to learn the subject.

I challenge you to find a more straightforward approach to C than is offered in Absolute Beginner’s Guide to C. If you can, call me because I’d like to read it. (You thought maybe I’d offer you your money back?) Seriously, I’ve tried to provide you with a different kind of help from that which you find in most other places.

The biggest advantage that this book offers is that the author (still me) really likes to write C programs and likes to teach C even more. I believe that you will learn to like C, too.

This Book’s Design Elements

Like many computer books, this book contains lots of helpful hints, tips, warnings, and so on. You will run across many icons (little pictures) that bring these specific items to your attention. A glance at the icon gives you an idea of the purpose of the text next to the icon. Here are descriptions of this book’s icons:

Occasionally you will see a Fun Fact in the margin. These Fun Facts convey interesting information about computers, programming, and the C language.

Each chapter ends by reviewing the key points you should remember from that chapter. The items under the Rewards and Pitfalls headings list things you should and shouldn’t do. One of the key features that ties everything together is the In Review section. This chapter summary states the chapter’s primary goal, lists a code example that highlights the concepts taught, and provides a code analysis that offers an explanation of that code example. You’ll find these chapter summaries, which begin in Chapter 2, to be a welcome wrap-up of the chapter’s main points.

This book uses the following typographic conventions:

• Code lines, variables, and any text you see on-screen appears in monospace.

• Placeholders on format lines appear in italic monospace.

• Parts of program output that the user typed appear in bold monospace.

• New terms appear in italic.

• Optional parameters in syntax explanations are enclosed in flat brackets ([ ]). You do not type the brackets when you include these parameters.

How Can I Have Fun with C?

Appendix B contains a complete, working Blackjack program. The program was kept as short as possible without sacrificing readable code and game-playing functionality. The game also had to be kept generic in order to work on all C compilers. Therefore, you won’t find fancy graphics, but once you learn C, you’ll easily be able to access your compiler’s specific graphics, sound, and data-entry routines to improve the program.

The program uses as much of this book’s contents as possible. Almost every topic taught in this book appears in the Blackjack game. Too many books offer nothing more than snippets of code. The Blackjack game gives you the chance to see the “big picture.” As you progress through this book, you’ll understand more and more of the game.

What Do I Do Now?

Turn the page and learn the C language.