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Programming Windows 95 by Charles Petzold Recommended

ISBN: 0-55615-676-6       Publisher: Microsoft Press       Pages: 1100pp&CD       Price: £46.99

Categories:   MS Windows

Reviewed by James Gordon in C Vu 8-6 (Sep 1996)

I didn't get chance to read all of the book (I'm still trying), as there are over 1000 pages, but of what I have read (670 pages) I can say it has inspired me to try again writing C using the SDK rather than MFC . Charles' writing is easy to read, doesn't presume that you know something and explains everything. The text is interspersed with diagrams clarifying points and showing output of programs where necessary.

There is a lot of code in the book, I would say at the beginning I didn't mind as they were short, but half way through the book I was getting quite annoyed at having to wade through reams of code (sometimes 21 pages of it). It must be hard for a writer to know whether to include code in a book or not, but if he didn't I would be complaining that I had to use the CD every time I wanted to see how something was coded. The included CD has under 3Mb of code (including executables). Wouldn't a 3.5" disc be as good and don't we have to pay VAT because of the CD ?

Would I have bought this book? Well probably, as I like Charles' books. At £46 and 3" it's not a pocket book, but then writing about programming for Windows 95 isn't a simple task either.

Comment: Actually a CD is probably cheaper to manufacture and include than two 3.5" disks. - Francis Glassborow.