C/the.ansi.c.programming.language/notes.accompany.ansi.c/sx2.html

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   9 <title>Preface to the First Edition</title>
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  15 <H1>Preface to the First Edition</H1>
  16
  17 page xi
  18 <p>This Preface,
  19 in a few spare paragraphs,
  20 sums up much of the philosophy of C
  21 and the authors' philosophy about programming in general.
  22 Their comments in C's size and scope are fundamental,
  23 and though no one may have fully recognized it at the time
  24 (or yet),
  25 this unassuming approach to the design of the language
  26 is surely a significant factor behind C's success.
  27 I didn't have the first paragraph of the Preface to the First
  28 Edition in front of me when I wrote my notes (just above) on
  29 the Preface to the Second Edition, but it's not surprising that
  30 they're similar.
  31 </p><p>As the authors say,
  32 they assume some familiarity with basic programming concepts;
  33 other notes in this series will give you a bit of help with
  34 those concepts if you need it.
  35 The authors also anticipate another theme of theirs,
  36 which is that they will stress learning by doing.
  37 (I'll have more to say about this as the learning begins.)
  38 </p><p>Deep sentence:
  39 <blockquote>Besides showing how to make effective use of the language,
  40 we have tried where possible
  41 to illustrate useful algorithms
  42 and principles of good style and sound design.
  43 </blockquote>The authors' advice on style <em>is</em> good,
  44 and their design <em>is</em> sound.
  45 Pay attention to the things they say which go beyond
  46 the nuts-and-bolts details of C:
  47 there's a lot to learn here about programming in general.
  48 </p><hr>
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  57 This page by <a href="http://www.eskimo.com/~scs/">Steve Summit</a>
  58 // <a href="copyright.html">Copyright</a> 1995, 1996
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