Expert C Programming

Expert C Programming, 1/e

Peter van der Linden
Sun Microsystems Press, Palo Alto, CA

Published June, 1994 by Prentice Hall PTR (ECS Professional)

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C--Intermediate Programming-Computer Science

Summary

Written for experienced C programmers who want to quickly pick up some of the insights and techniques of experts and master the fine arts of ANSI C, this volume passes on the wisdom of a highly experienced C compiler writer and his colleagues to help programmers reach new heights, and avoid common software pitfalls along the way. Using an original approach and a humorous style that makes deep knowledge both easy and accessible, it gathers into one place, tips, hints, shortcuts, guidelines, ideas, idioms, heuristics, tools, anecdotes, C folklore, and techniques that are often penciled in margins and on backs of papers by those working in the programming trenches—working on many different kinds of projects, over many, many years.

Features

completely up-to-date with ANSI C.
acknowledges the human side of computer programming—too often overlooked by other writers.
applies ANSI standard C as found on PCs and Unix systems.
covers unique aspects of C relating to sophisticated hardware typically found on Unix platforms (virtual memory, etc.).
uses the terminology of ANSI throughout, along with translations into ordinary English where needed.
contains boxed Programming Challenges and Handy Heuristics (ideas, rules-of thumb, or guidelines that work in practice).
includes one of the best introductions to C++, and the rationale behind it.
covers many topics that many C programmers find confusing: What does typedef struct bar {int bar} bar; actually mean? How can I pass differently-sized multi-dimensional arrays to one function? What's the difference between char *foo[] and char (*foo)[]? What's a bus error? What's a segmentation violation?
contains many interesting C stories and folklore, such as the January 1990 slowdown of the entire AT&T phone network (caused by a C bug).

Table of Contents

Introduction.
1. The ANSI C Standard.
2. It's Not a Bug, It's a Language Feature!
3. Unscrambling Declarations in C.
4. Thinking of Linking.
5. Poetry in Motion—Runtime Data Structures.
6. Why Programmers Can't Tell Halloween from Christmas Day.
7. The Shocking Truth: Arrays and Pointers Are Not Equivalent!
8. More about Arrays.
9. More about Pointers.
10. You Know C—C++ Is Easy!
Appendix: C Interview Secrets.