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Microsoft C/C++, the Complete Reference by Murray & Pappas

ISBN: 0-07-881664-5       Publisher: McGraw-Hill       Pages: 1054pp       Price: £24-50

Categories:   beginner's c++     microsoft

Reviewed by Michael Minihane in C Vu 5-6 (Sep 1993)

The range of subjects covered by the book is large. This range means that the coverage cannot be comprehensive. As an introduction to the topics covered I think the book succeeds.

The first topic is the compiler and associated tools, this runs to 100 pages. The next 350 pages cover C and C++ programming. C and C++ are dealt with separately. 100 pages cover object oriented C++. Clearly this is not an exhaustive treatment and some topics, such as virtual functions, receive very little attention. The following 150 pages deal with DOS graphics, supplied libraries and mixed language programming. So two thirds of the book is not directly to do with Windows programming, which may surprise you if you think of Microsoft C as a compiler for Windows programming.

Windows programming is dealt with using both C and C++ with the Microsoft Foundation classes; but only to the level of simple dialogues and simple output to the program window of text and graphics. The most advanced example is a bar chart with user input of the values to be displayed using the bar chart. Further reading outside of the book will be necessary to gain a detailed understanding.

I am familiar with the TopSpeed range of compilers and had some trouble with the makefiles as given in the text. I'll put this down to my lack of experience with the Microsoft system (since the most basic examples are very similar to those supplied by Microsoft I was able to make use of the Microsoft makefiles).

The appendixes run to 150 pages and contain DOS interrupt parameters and Windows API and Foundation Class library call listings. These are useful but the space might have been better used in expanding on some of the detail in the main text.

The book is useful as an introduction for someone without C++ and Windows programming skills. If you have either of these already then a title with a more specific treatment would make sense.

Pappas
Application Programming for Windows NT by William H Murray & Chris H Pappas  (Reviewed Jan 1994)
Borland C++ Handbook (Second Edition) by W. Murray & C Pappas  (Reviewed Jul 1992)
Borland C++ Handbook by William H. Murray & Chris H. Pappas  (Reviewed Nov 1991)
C/C++ Programmer's Guide by William Murray & Chris Pappas  (Reviewed Nov 1996)
Complete Reference Visual C++ 5, The by William Murray & Chris Pappas [Recommended]  (Reviewed Sep 1998)
Turbo C++ Professional Handbook by William H Murray & Chris Pappas  (Reviewed Mar 1991)
Visual C++ Handbook, The by Murray & Pappas  (Reviewed Jul 1995)
Visual C++ Templates by William Murray & Chris Pappas  (Reviewed Sep 2000)