7 Jun
2013
7 Jun
'13
2:35 p.m.
I was under a lot of pressure to "teach Microsoft
C". I insisted that the
course was "C Programming". THEREFORE, I used and showed a bunch of
different com[pilers in class, and made the students (over
screaming objections) do one program using a command line compiler (GCC,
DeSmet "Personal C", or any other), and then do one program using an
integrated development environment (such as Micrtosoft C), although I
suggested that they use the Borland free download of Turbo C. "The course
is about C! It is NOT about some specific comiler! Those who teach a
compiler, instead of teaching programming and the language are ignorant
suits." MY students could sit down with whatever compiler was available.
Reminds me of a course I nearly ended up on, but avoided just in time...
The lecturer showed me the previous year's exam papers. There was a
question on the interface between the 80386 CPU and 80387 floating point
coprocessor (These were current devices at the tiem). I said something
like 'That's trivial, just let me see the data sheets', only to be told
that uyou didn't get the data sheets in the esam,you were expected to
learn them. My first though was that no engineer _ever_ learns data
sheets, and I've yet to meet a designer who doens't have half a dozen
databooks ope around him while he's working.
I pointed out how silly that was and siad that if I was teachign the
course I would lecture on say the 80386/80387 but set an exam question on
the 68020/68881 interface. Of coruse all data books would be availalbe.
That way, the successsful students would be the ones who actually
understood the subject and could read a databook and extrace the
information they needed. A much more valuable skill than knowign a
particular device.
I told my students that if they intended to ever use C for anything, that
they should get a copy of K&R, but that they could probably get through
the class with a used copy of Deitel or Waite/Prata/Martin
I tried to learn C from a variety of books and got nowhere. I bought K&R
and it all made sense within an hour. Yes, it's expensive, and it's not a
thick book, but it's well worth the money...
-tony