On Tue, 24 Sep 2024 06:02:16 -0500
o1bigtenor via Dng <dng@???> wrote:

> On Tue, Sep 24, 2024 at 3:44 AM Didier Kryn <kryn@???> wrote:
>
> > Le 24/09/2024 à 04:05, o1bigtenor via Dng a écrit :
> > > learning Gnu C
> >

> >      The title looks bad, sorry. I have a great admiration for Gnu in
> > general, but there shouldn't be a thing named "Gnu C". There is C and
> > there is a C standard and it is not set by Gnu. Maybe there is no other
> > ressource on the web. However, when looking at this web resource I see
> > it refers to C99 and Gnu extensions and this seems very outdated.

> >

> >      In the mean time we had C11 and now the current standard is C17
> > which corrects some errors of C11. The C compilers and C libraries
> > nowadays are working on implementing the next standard, C21, IIRC.

> >

> >      The GU C resource I found on the web also states that GCC is the
> > "Gnu Compiler Collection", but, a few years ago, for the second time in
> > history, GCC has divorced from the FSF, because of issues with RMS.

> >
>
> Had heard of that particular kerfuffle - - - seems to me to be mostly
> related to personality issues rather than technical stuff.
>
> >

> >      In general there are two references for C programming: the C
> > standard and the POSIX standard. All OSes aim to more or less comply to
> > both, and I recommend avoiding as much as possible GNU extensions or
> > whatever extension.

> >

> >      Refering to the standard is not the proper way of learning though.
> > I consider the best way is to take lessons, and the second best way is
> > to use a good book. A book about C only, not "C and C++".

> >
>
> Hmmmmm - - - so there are a whole pile of 'secret handshakes' and the
> like in the learning of 'C' to necessitate the need for lessons - - -
> that's
> too bad. Having read many reports of poor quality C programming I am
> somehow then even less impressed.
> You're recommending a good book - - - - imo there are likely a
> plethora of books - - - how does one determine which are good ones without
> previous understanding? (Seriously - - - to accurately determine the
> quality
> of a didactic text takes expertise and when one is starting the learning
> process what one is exactly short of is that - - - expertise!)
>
> Over to you for more information.
>
> Regards


Hi,
I would recommend:

The C Programming Language (sometimes termed K&R, after its authors' initials)
is a computer programming book written by Brian Kernighan and Dennis Ritchie,
the latter of whom originally designed and implemented the C programming
language, as well as co-designed the Unix operating system with which development
of the language was closely intertwined. The book was central to the development
and popularization of C and is still widely read and used today. Because the book
was co-authored by the original language designer, and because the first edition
of the book served for many years as the de facto standard for the language,
the book was regarded by many to be the authoritative reference on C .

Author    Brian Kernighan
Dennis Ritchie
Language    English
Subject    C programming language
Publisher    Prentice Hall
Publication date
1978 (1st Edition)
1988 (2nd Edition)
ISBN    9780131101630

This book was where I landed after my down to top approach in learning C,
in the sense that I started reverse engineering the language with
the "there must be some kind of system in it", "let's see how others did" and
"the let's see what happens if system" , then I've read the book and it had
all the answers I was not able to find out myself, plus the help of the kind
people on the busybox developers mailing list where I learned a lot.

Ciao,
Tito