Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!watdragon!lion!jyegiguere
From: jyegiguere@lion.waterloo.edu (Eric Giguere)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Learning C on the Amiga --- A Survey
Keywords: survey, C, Amiga
Message-ID: <15255@watdragon.waterloo.edu>
Date: 19 Jul 89 19:07:15 GMT
Sender: daemon@watdragon.waterloo.edu
Distribution: comp
Lines: 40

Once more I'd like to conduct an informal survey.  This one has been prompted
by the recent flurry of postings on the net about the C language and in
particular C on the Amiga.  Responses should be e-mailed to me unless you 
think the comments would be of general interest to the net.

Basically my question has two parts:

1. Learning C --- Are you more interested in learning the C language in a
                  general way or in the context of the Amiga?

2. Current learning sources --- Most Amiga magazines have some kind of C
        coverage.  Amazing Computing has a monthly C column.  The TransAmi
        regularly includes listings of short programs.  AMIGA Plus includes
        source code on its disk.  Then there are books.  Sadly, there are
        few Amiga-specific books on the market due to the Amiga's low
        visibility compared to the IBM PC.  A couple of books that come to
        mind are Rob Peck's "Programmer's Guide to the Amiga" and 
        another one called "Inside the Amiga" (I forget who the author is).
        Neither of these are actually C tutorials but instead concentrate
        on using C on the Amiga.  Now:

        a) What do you think Amiga magazines should be doing with respect
           to C?  Should they be providing tutorial articles (such as Amazing 
           does) or just lots of code (such as the TransAmi).  Do you actually
           WANT to learn C from a (monthly) magazine?

        b) The book market is saturated with books on C.  Do you find these
           books too machine/compiler-specific for you?  Are you actually
           looking for something with a general or an Amiga orientation?

        c) Would an alternative publishing method be preferable?  Alternatives
           here include email, newsgroup postings and distribution on disk.

I'd really like to hear what you folks on the net think... let me know ---
something might come out of this.

Eric Giguere                                  268 Phillip St #CL-46
For the curious: it's French ("jee-gair")     Waterloo, Ontario  N2L 6G9
Bitnet  : GIGUERE at WATCSG                   (519) 746-6565
Internet: giguere@aries5.UWaterloo.ca         "Nothing but urges from HELL!!"