Ivor Horton's "Beginning VC++ 2005"
I'm thinking of buying Ivor Horton's book titled "Beginning VC++ 2005." I saw the book the other day in a local Barnes and Noble, and was impressed by how thorough it seems to be in teaching both C++ and the Microsoft Net programming system. I also noticed that Amazon.com has the same book for $18.00 cheaper than the retail store price, which looks like a good price to me.
Anyone here familiar with this book or any of Horton's other books? My concern might be that Horton is trying to be too comprehensive, or would be teaching much that might not be too relevant to game programming specifically. I'm a newbie to programming and am a programming hobbyist only, and am not entirely sure that I would need to master all of the 1100+ page tome that Horton has written.
Would appreciate any comments or suggestions.
Dave FF
I used a Horton book in a college class, and I didn't like it at all. I found the text hard to read, and the code samples occasionally erroneous. It was getting to be an old book when I used it, so this new one might be better.
Try going to a Barnes & Noble or equivalent and flipping through the book in-store to see if you like it.
Try going to a Barnes & Noble or equivalent and flipping through the book in-store to see if you like it.
Quote:Original post by templewulf
I used a Horton book in a college class, and I didn't like it at all. I found the text hard to read, and the code samples occasionally erroneous. It was getting to be an old book when I used it, so this new one might be better.
Try going to a Barnes & Noble or equivalent and flipping through the book in-store to see if you like it.
Templewulf,
Thanks for your comments. I definitely don't want a book that is going to be too difficult to read or follow, so I will look the book over more thoroughly at B&N before I make a decision to buy.
Dave FF
I have his book for VC 6.0, and I have used it very little. It came with the package I got, and I used it as my first guide, but I quickly bought another book, Teach Yourself C++ in 24hours.
Ivor Horton has a lot to show you, and most of the book dealt with dialogue programming. Overall, you might want to invest your money into another book, but definately check it out first at a local book store. Its nice to see pretty reviews, but you need to see the style and how the information is presented to see if you'll "get" it.
Ivor Horton has a lot to show you, and most of the book dealt with dialogue programming. Overall, you might want to invest your money into another book, but definately check it out first at a local book store. Its nice to see pretty reviews, but you need to see the style and how the information is presented to see if you'll "get" it.
Quote:Original post by Crazyfool
I have his book for VC 6.0, and I have used it very little. It came with the package I got, and I used it as my first guide, but I quickly bought another book, Teach Yourself C++ in 24hours.
Ivor Horton has a lot to show you, and most of the book dealt with dialogue programming. Overall, you might want to invest your money into another book, but definately check it out first at a local book store. Its nice to see pretty reviews, but you need to see the style and how the information is presented to see if you'll "get" it.
Thanks, Crazyfool, for your comments. I haven't gotten back to B&N just yet to review the book again, but I will. I am now wondering whether Horton's book may be overwhelming in its detail. I was thinking that the comprehensive size of the book was a definite plus the other day, but now I'm not so sure. I don't need to know everything there is to know about C++: just enough to get started with programming simple text-based games, and maybe later 2-D action games. I saw another book by Michael(?) Dawson on C++ for game programming at the same store, and I might decide on that book instead.
Dave FF
Dont forget that GameDev has a book section with reviews. The review of the Michael Dawson book can be found here.
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