Which is the best way to read a programming book?

[SayDaysAgo]

Is the best way to read a programming book in sections - like a section a day. or do you ever read a whole book in one day. Any help?

Also, do I really need to carry out the tasks in the book, if I already feel confident enough with the code?

Thx alot for any help :-D

[Zack]

Now, I'm not saying you should go by my method, because look at what happens when you do...no accomplishment.
Anyway, I average about 2 chapters a day, if I fully understand the concepts. If I don't...I'll take a chapter per two days. For instance, with C, I took 3 days on the Pointers: the Basics chapter. About the excercises...I read through them. If there's anything I think I might have trouble with there, then I do it.

[SayDaysAgo]

Cool, thx alot man. I added you to my msn list or whatever, is that cool?

[potato]

I read how to do what I want to do... then I do it on my own. If I forget anything, I refer to the book. In this way, every book is a reference at most.

[SayDaysAgo]

Sorry, potato, but can you explain that again. sorry, my fault, but i don't understand it entirely.

[SayDaysAgo]

Oh wait,I understand. Thx

[Zack]

Cool, thx alot man. I added you to my msn list or whatever, is that cool?

Hmmm...I didn't see a popup window asking me to add you do my contact list...ah, well. Whatever.
Anyway, no problem...but I'm not sure my method works - I mean, I'm no great coder...maybe I'm reading books wrong.

[SayDaysAgo]

Thx to you guys :-D

Anyway, I have another question. Instead of reading all the crap in my book, is it okay to just look for the meanings of the parts of programs I don't understand and skip to the next part which I don't understand? I feel this would go alot quicker, although I don't know if anybody has actually done this - surely someone must have?

[Zap]

I read them upside down... :roll:

It depends on if I know the language before hand, for example the php book I just got, I skip the stuff I already know, or I read it fast to see if there are any new techniques or such.

If it's an all new language, I'd proberly start from the beginning and read it all through, and then use the book as a reference afterwards. I might try the few first examples just to get the touch, but after that I usualy prefer to make something up myself, and refer to the book.

But hey, I'm no great coder either, and I haven't really accomplished anything in Basic or C or the like. Oh yeah in VB I have finished some programs that actually made money ... PHP and HTML I've finished a lot of things, I think mostly because it's easier to see results.

It's also a good idea to look at other peoples code, and see if there are some interesting methods you'd like to learn from. But I sudgest you read a book before you do that too much, as books tends to be structered in a way, so you'll learn the stuff in the right order.

[SayDaysAgo]

I've done quite a few examples. So far I know everything to do with printing basic strings to the screen, variables, input + output control. I am really dying to just get to the stage where I can make my own stuff. Do you think i'm ready? the next thing to learn is for..next loops. Should i just start making my own stuff , now (in your opinion)?