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Amiga Related Books FAQ

Posted-By: auto-faq 2.4
Archive-name: amiga/books
Posting-Frequency: monthly on the 7th
Last-modified: 07-December-1995

Amiga Related Books FAQ
***********************

This FAQ is compiled as a service to the Amiga community. It is an attempt to
give the Amiga programmer and user an overview of useful books for his/her
favorite computer. It is not complete. If you feel that a book should be
added to the list, want to comment on one of the books in the list, want to
point out mistakes or add missing information, please send e-mail to:

atkin@cs.umass.edu

I would like to include people's comments about specific books in this FAQ.
That is why some book descriptions are followed by quotes that I picked up
from the Usenet Amiga news groups. If you want to have your comment removed
or want to say something about a particular book, please contact me.

I encourage everyone to send me information about new books and to help fill
in the unknown data. On average, I only get one or two e-mail responses a
month! :(

The most up-to-date text version of this FAQ can be found at:
http://eksl-www.cs.umass.edu/~atkin/amiga/books.faq.txt
There is also a HTML version available:
http://eksl-www.cs.umass.edu/~atkin/amiga/books.faq.html

This document is copyright (c) 1995, Marc Atkin. All rights reserved.
Permission is granted for non-profit distribution of this document as long as
it is kept intact. Inclusion of this FAQ in commercial publications
(including CDROMs) requires express written permission.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Last changed: 07-December-1995

Changes since last posting:
o none
------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Contents:
=========

1. Understanding the Amiga
1.1 Programmer's 'Must Haves'
1.2 Programmer's Reference
1.3 General Reference
1.4 AmigaDOS
1.5 Hardware
1.6 Important Older Material

2. Assembly Programming
2.1 Learning Assembly (680x0)
2.2 Reference

3. C Programming
3.1 Learning C
3.2 Reference
3.3 Amiga Specific

4. C++ Programming
4.1 Learning C++
4.2 Reference

5. ARexx Programming
5.1 Learning ARexx
5.2 Reference

6. Applications Programming
6.1 Compilers
6.2 Computer Graphics

7. Using Applications
7.1 The Video Toaster
7.2 Telecommunications

Appendix A: How to Order CATS Materials
Appendix B: How to Order Motorola Materials


1. Understanding the Amiga
==========================

1.1 Programmer's 'Must Haves'
-----------------------------

o Commodore Business Machines:
Amiga ROM Kernel Reference Manual: Libraries
(3rd edition; dark gray cover)
Addison-Wesley, 1991. ISBN 0-201-56774-1
$38.95

Basic introduction to using the Amiga library functions for intuition,
graphics, and exec. Many C examples. Suitable for the beginner, although
some background in computer programming (especially C) would be helpful.
Covers Kickstart/Workbench through version 2.0. All examples are
available in executable and source code form from Fish disk #741 and
#742.

o Commodore Business Machines:
Amiga ROM Kernel Reference Manual: Devices
(3rd edition; dark gray cover)
Addison-Wesley, 1991. ISBN 201-56775-X
$28.95

Basic introduction to programming Amiga devices and resources (basic I/O
interface to the actual hardware). Many C examples which are available in
executable and source code form from Fish disk #741. Covers
Kickstart/Workbench through vesion 2.0. This book also contains the
official IFF documentation, which covers the IFF format philosophy itself
and many of its incarnations. The included IFF handling code has been
superseded several times by publications on Fish disks. As of this
writing, the newest version is 39.11 from Fish disk #985.

o Commodore-Amiga, Inc.:
The AmigaDOS Manual (3rd edition)
Bantam, 1991. ISBN 0-553-35403-5
$24.95 (USA), $31.95 (Canada), UKP 21.99

Covers all AmigaDOS through 2.04. It contains a user manual style
introduction to the AmigaShell and its commands (which actually is
identical to some user manualy shipped by C=), a printout of the
Autodocs, and covers the on-disk structure of OFS and FFS, the format of
linkable and loadable binaries, packets, and some internal DOS
structures.

arno@yaps.dinoco.de (Arno Eigenwillig), 27 Jul 1994:
"I would not recommend it, though. It has a high redundancy w.r.t. other
publications from C=, and its exclusive parts are often incomplete or
incorrect."

o Commodore Business Machines:
V3.1 Amiga Developer Update Disk Set
Commodore, 1994.
Available through CATS, part number: AMDEV3.1
$30.00

This new 5-disk must-have set includes:

o Docs: V40.15 Autodocs, and articles/notes about V38/V39/V40
o Includes & Libs: V40.15C and assembler include files and linker libs
o Examples1: General library examples including Locale, plus PCMCIA
o Examples2: IFF modules and examples, Datatypes, AmigaGuide
o SWToolkit3: The latest Amiga debugging tools

Also included is a new SetPatch for V37 which adds better ExAll
emulation, and the current (as of 15-Dec-93) V40 SetPatch for V38 and
higher systems. Note that the 40.15 exec.doc autodoc has been updated to
have the correct prototype for CheckIO. The 3.1 Amiga Developer Update
materials can be used when developing for any Amiga OS version since they
include the earlier structures and function autodocs. A new Readme called
Using_Amiga_Includes provides some tips on developing for earlier
releases.

o Ralph Babel:
The Amiga Guru Book
1993, Ralph Babel (published by Ralph Babel, no ISBN)
DM 79.00

hr@brewhr.swb.de (Heiko Rath), 3 Dec 1993:
The Amiga Guru Book is a book about the Amiga and its operating system.
It offers fundamental knowledge of the Amiga system and covers such areas
as: guidelines for proper multitasking programming, ANSI C, Aztec C and
SAS/C, debugging techniques, AmigaDOS, the file systems, the format of
load and object modules, process creation, CLI and user shells, handlers
and packets (more than complete list of packets), and many other areas.
There are many useful bits and pieces about the OS that you'd have a hard
time finding anywhere else.

Further reviews are available in docs/misc/gurubook-info.lha on Aminet .

You can purchase the book through:

o Almathera Systems Limited
Southerton House
Boundary Business Court
92-94 Church Road
Mitcham, Surrey CR4 3TD
England
Voice: +44 181 687 0040
Fax: +44 181 687 0490
E-Mail: almathera@cix.compulink.co.uk

o NBG USA, Inc.
482 Holly Avenue
St. Paul, MN 55102
USA
Voice: +1 (612) 290 9447
Toll-free: +1 (800) 624 8729
Fax: +1 (612) 290 9449

o Stefan Ossowskis Schatztruhe
Gesellschaft fuer Software mbH
Veronikastrasse 33
D-45131 Essen
Germany
Voice: +49 (201) 788778
Fax: +49 (201) 798447
E-Mail: stefano@tchest.e.eunet.de

o Hirsch & Wolf OHG
Mittelstrasse 33
D-56564 Neuwied
Germany
Voice: +49 (2631) 8399-0
Fax: +49 (2631) 8399-31

o Someware
27 rue Gabriel Peri
59186 Anor
France
Voice: +33 27596000
Fax: +33 27595206
E-Mail: didierj@swad.someware.com

o Commodore Business Machines:
Amiga User Interface Style Guide
Addison-Wesley, 1991. ISBN 0-201-57757-7
$21.95

Describes the philosophy behinds the Amiga graphical user interface.
Presents guidelines for interface design ("look and feel") that all Amiga
applications (and games!?) should adhere to. Covers Kickstart/Workbench
version 2.x. Well suited for the beginner, with emphasis on general
interface principles, and less on the actual programming.

1.2 Programmer's Reference
--------------------------

o Commodore Business Machines:
Amiga ROM Kernel Reference Manual: Includes and Autodocs
(3rd edition; dark gray cover)
Addison-Wesley, 1991. ISBN 0-201-56773-3
$38.95

Covers Kickstart/Workbench through version 2.0. The book is basically a
print-out of all the include (header) files and autodocs (on line
descriptions) of all the Amiga library functions except DOS. The reason
this book isn't listed with the "must have's" is that all this
information can be obtained in machine readable form by contacting
Commodore directly. Additionally, the include files come with most
commercial compilers. They are also included on the FreshFish CD-ROM.

o Commodore Business Machines:
Amiga Hardware Reference Manual
(3rd edition; dark gray cover)
Addison-Wesley, 1991. ISBN 0-201-56776-8

If you want to access the hardware directly, this is the book to get.
Descriptions of all the Amiga hardware registers. Be warned however that
Commodore now officially dissuades "banging the hardware". This is to
ensure compatability of today's programs with future releases of the
operating system and Amiga hardware. This book covers the Enhanced Chip
Set (ECS). There will be no manual for AGA (Advanced Graphic
Architecture).

o Commodore Business Machines:
1989 Amiga Developers Conference Notes
Commodore, 1989.
Available through CATS, part numbers: NOTES89 & NOTES89D
$75.00

510-page manual and 2 disks created for 1989 Amiga Developers Conference.
Subjects include: Intro to Programming the Amiga, Features Outline for
V1.3 ECS Features and the Graphics Library, Janus Dual-Port Memory,
Hi-Res Color Graphics Card, Interfacing to ARexx, Advanced Amiga
Architechtures, The IFF parse.library, and more.

o Commodore Business Machines:
1988 Amiga Developers Conference Notes
Commodore, 1988.
Available through CATS, part numbers: NOTES88 & NOTES88D
$75.00

400+ page manual and 4 disks created for 1988 Amiga Developers
Conference. Topics covered include: Unique Amiga Techniques, Tips and
Tricks for Programming in C, IFF, Autoboot and Kickstart V1.3, V1.3
Printer Device and Printer Drivers, Amiga Audio and Sound, Overscan,
Hi-Resolution Fonts, Programming for 16-Bit Amiga, A500 Expansion Cards,
and much more.

o Commodore Business Machines:
AmigaMail (The Amiga Technical Newsletter)
Commodore, 1987-1993.
Available through CATS, part numbers and prices below

AmigaMail Volume I, P/N: AMVOL1 $75.00
Back issues from January/February 1987 to July/August '90.
(Binder and index tabs are sold separately.)
AmigaMail Volume II, P/N: AMAILBI01 $75.00
Back issues from September/October '90 to May/June '93.
(Binder and index tabs are sold separately.)
AmigaMail Binder, P/N: AMAIL1B01 (Vol. 1), AMAIL2B02 (Vol. II) $10.00 ea.
AmigaMail Index Tabs, P/N: AMAILIND $5.00 ea.

o Randy Thompson and Rhett Anderson:
Mapping the Amiga
1993, Compute Books, ISBN 0-87455-267-2
$27.95

jagapen@sarah.wisc.edu (Jonathan Gapen):
"Alphabetical listing of all OS functions with descriptions, host
library, offsets, syntax, prototype in C and ML, arguments, results and
the OS version in which it first appeared. Alphabetical listing of all OS
structures with size, include file and listing of the structure with C
and ML types. Also includes a section listing all hardware registers with
detailed descriptions. Covers OS versions through V39 and hardware
through ECS."

o [author?]:
The 'Kickstart' Guide to the AMIGA
1987, Ariadne Software Ltd., ISBN 0 9512921 0 2

ajo1 (ajo1@ukc.ac.uk), 10-Nov-1995:
"It details quite a few low level concepts on how to write stuff for the
Amiga; it has some assumptions that you have come from programming a C64,
but it still useable otherwise. It's quite old and only goes up to 1.2,
and it talks about 1.1, but the basic concepts are there, which seem to
be lacking from more modern stuff (where it is assumed you know it
already). Overall, not a book I would buy new, but as it only cost me 2
UKP, I'm not exactly going to argue about it."

1.3 General Reference
---------------------

o Denny Atkin:
Denny Atkin's Best Amiga Tips and Secrets
Compute Books, 1993. ISBN 0-87455-275-3
US$19.95

"Dale L. Larson" dale@iam.iam.com:
"From the back of the book: `Whether you're a beginner or expert you'll
find hundreds of handy tips for harnessing the power of your Amiga in
this extensive guide.' I agree and wholeheartedly recommend this book.
(Actually, I probably only found a dozen tips that were new to me, but I
am a former Commodore Software Engineer.) It includes info on machines
from the A1000 to the A1200 and A4000 and software for all of the above."

o David Tiberio:
Amiga/Toaster Reference Manual
Area52, 1994. (no ISBN)
$34.95

dtiberio@libserv1.ic.sunysb.ed (David Tiberio), 25 Mar 1994:
"[The book] contains over 1000 pages and 80 pictures, all about the Amiga
and computers. It covers AmigaDOS, Workbench, Lightwave, AdPro, hardware
compatibility, some ARexx, and over 500 FAQ style questions. Also
included are hundreds of charts and tables, and Index of things such as
Light Refraction (3d users), GURU errors, screenmodes, color RGB values
for over 300 colors, Hayes commands, and more. The dictionary included
with it contains over 800 words, although the next revision will have
over 3000 words in the dictionary. [...] also included is a 40 page list
of people, movies, etc that use Amigas for various purposes (distributed
with permission from the author).

"Originally called the Amiga Online Reference Manual, this 1000 page
document mainly covers the Amiga, although about two hundred pages and 50
or so pictures are related to the Video Toaster. [...] revisions are
available on a quarterly basis. A demo of the latest release is also
available on Aminet ( biz/demo/AORM_2.2.lha ).

"The manual is available at many local dealers, or it may be ordered
direct from Area52, 6 Lodge Lane, East Setauket NY 11733. The retail
price is $34.95 + $2 for shipping and handling. User group members
(Toaster or Amiga) may purchase it for $20. Earlier revisions are
available at discounted prices (revision 2.1 is $19.95 and revision 2.0
is $9.95). We also offer a technical support line, [...] Our staff will
answer Amiga related questions for our registered customers, direct from
the authors of the Amiga/Toaster Reference Manual."

1.4 AmigaDOS
------------

o Commodore-Amiga, Inc.:
The AmigaDOS Manual (3rd edition)
Bantam, 1991. ISBN 0-553-35403-5
$24.95 (USA), $31.95 (Canada), UKP 21.99

see section 1.1: "Programmer's 'Must haves'"

o Sheldon Leemon:
AmigaDOS Reference Guide (4th edition)
Compute, 1992. ISBN 0-87455-268-0
$22.95 (USA), UKP 20.95

se1pt@dmu.ac.uk (Paul Toyne), 9 Feb 1994:
"...it is excellent, it covers all forms of pattern matching, the basics
of DOS and then lists each command with complete description. It covers
1.x ,2.x and 3.x."

o [author?]:
Mastering Amiga DOS, Volumes 1, 2, and 3
Bruce Smith Books, [year?]. ISBN 1-873308-18-3
UKP 21.95

ebalkan@ppbbs.UUCP (Eric Balkan), 11 Feb 1994:
"I just bought vol 1 and I wouldn't recommend it -- it's too basic and
incorrect in spots. And when he gets to an interesting part, he says it's
in vol 2."

1.5 Hardware
------------

o Warren Block:
A1200 Hardware FAQ
A4000 Hardware Guide

These two online documents answer common hardware problems with the A1200
and A4000, and how to go about fixing them. They are both available on
Aminet ( hard/misc/a1200hardfaq.lha and hard/misc/a4khard_v3.lha ).

o Commodore Business Machines:
A500/A2000 Technical Reference Guide
Commodore, [year?].
Available through CATS, part number: TECHREF01
$40.00

A 275-page reference manual that describes the technical features of the
A500 and A2000, as well as those features that differ from the A1000.
Table of contents includes: System Block Diagrams, Amiga Expansion,
Designing Hardware for the Amiga Expansion Architecture, Driver
Documentation, Software for Amiga Expansion, PC Bridgeboard and
schematics.

o Commodore Business Machines:
Amiga 1000 Schematics and Expansion Specifications
Commodore, 1986.
Available through CATS, part number: A1000SM
$20.00

Spiral-bound manual containing full Amiga 1000 schematics, timing
diagrams, PAL equations, and documentation for the auto-configuration
process.

o [author?]:
A1200 Insiders Guide
Bruce Smith Books, [year?]. [ISBN?]
UKP 14.95

1.6 Important Older Material
----------------------------

o Commodore Business Machines:
Amiga ROM Kernel Reference Manual: Libraries and Devices
(1st edition; white cover)
Addison-Wesley 1986, ISBN 0-201-11078-4

Covers the Amiga System Software up to Version 1.2. Gives a good
introduction to programming Amiga graphics and I/O. Many examples, mostly
in C (Source Code can be found on Fisk Disk ???). Since the operating
system has evolved quite a bit since 1986, this and the following books'
value is now mostly nostalgia...

o Commodore Business Machines:
Amiga Intuition Reference Manual
(1st edition; white cover)
Addison-Wesley 1986, ISBN 0-201-11076-8

Covers Intuition programming through Workbench 1.2. A wonderfully gentle
introduction to programming user interfaces on the Amiga. Contains a lot
of information on the philosophy of the Amiga interface. Basic knowledge
of C required. Now superseded by the newer "RKM: Libraries" and "User
Interface Style Guide".

o Commodore Business Machines:
Amiga ROM Kernel Reference Manual: Exec
(1st edition; white cover)
Addison-Wesley 1986, ISBN 0-201-11099-7

Covers Exec programming through Kickstart/Workbench 1.2. The nitty gritty
of the Amiga kernel: Basic data structures, tasks, memory allocation and
the like. Now superseded by the newer "RKM: Libraries".

o Commodore Business Machines:
Amiga Hardware Reference Manual
(1st edition; white cover)
Addison-Wesley 1986, ISBN 0-201-11077-6

The hardware bangers manual for the original chipset (OCS). Explains what
all the hardware registers mean and how to get them to work for you. Some
assembly examples. Since Commodore now officially dissuades from directly
accessing the hardware, and has no plans for publishing an AGA hardware
manual, this book is actually still fairly useful for those who have to
know how their computer works on the hardware level.

o Commodore Business Machines:
Amiga ROM Kernel Reference Manual: Includes and Autodocs
(2nd edition; blue cover)
Addison-Wesley 1989, ISBN 0-201-18177-0

Covers version Kickstart/Workbench Version 1.3. A print-out of all the
include files and autodocs (on-line documentation) for all the Amiga
library functions (except DOS). Contains summaries and call parameters
for all the functions. This information had previously been distributed
amongst the Libraries, Exec, and Intuition Rom Kernel Reference Manual in
the 1.2 release.

o Commodore Business Machines:
Amiga ROM Kernel Reference Manual: Libraries and Devices
(2nd edition; blue cover)
Addison-Wesley 1989, ISBN 0-201-18187-8

All the introductory text and examples from the Kickstart Version 1.2 ROM
Kernel Reference Manuals, revised and updated for Version 1.3. All
examples are available in executable and source code form from Fish disk
#344.

o Commodore Business Machines:
Amiga Hardware Reference Manual
(2nd edition; blue cover)
Addison-Wesley 1989, ISBN 0-201-18157-6

As far as I know, this manual is basically identical to the 1.2 release
described above (although it claims to be updated to release 1.3).

o Commodore Business Machines:
AmigaDOS V2.0 Native Developer Update
Commodore, [year?].
Available through CATS, part number: NATDEV20
$20.00

The 2.0 Native Developer Update is a must-have for any Amiga programmer.
This four-disk set contains the final 2.0 function Autodocs, final 2.0 C
and assembler Amiga include files, linker libs (Amiga.lib, debug.lib,
ddebug.lib) FD files, offsets, a great deal of 2.0 example code, and the
"Software Toolkit II" disk full of the latest Amiga debugging tools.
(This disk set has been replaced by the new V3.1 Amiga Developer Update
but is still very useful for its 2.0 example code).


2. Assembly Programming
=======================

[also see the comp.sys.m68k FAQ ]

2.1 Learning Assembly (680x0)
-----------------------------

o Gerry Kane, Doug Hawkins, and Lance Leventhal:
68000 Assembly Language Programming
[publisher?], [year?]. [ISBN?]

o Paul Overaa:
Mastering Amiga Assembler
Bruce Smith Books, 1992. ISBN 1-873308-11-6

o Stan Kelly-Bootle and Bob Fowler:
68000, 68010, 68020 Primer
The Waite Group, 1987 (2nd printing). ISBN 067-224050-4

bruce.parke@canrem.com (Bruce Parke), 27 Oct 1993:
"The best book that I have found on the 68000 [...]. I have found it to
be easy to understand, and has helped to make me understand the 68000's
instructions without a lot of effort. Everyone I have loaned the book to
says the same thing. It explains everything about the instructions."

o [author?]:
Amiga Machine Language
Abacus, [year?]. [ISBN?]

aroehrig@dragon.achilles.net (Andrew Roehrig), 15 Jun 1995:
"It's a little old, but [the book] is a good starter. I picked up my copy
for five bucks at a used book store. It's blue and white."

ronnie@darkside.demon.co.uk (Ron Lyon), 18 Jun 1995:
"This book is terrible, useless, incorrect, [expletive], no good, and
guess what I dont like it. It is so old that it was written for Workbench
1.2, it teaches you bad coding habits and the code in there never seemed
to work for me. ;-( I had the misfortune to try and learn assembly from
this book when it first came out. I've still got it but now it's in lots
of small pieces, it's great therapy tearing yet another page to bits when
some code doesn't do what it should. ;-) Try `Mastering Amiga Assembler'
by Paul Overaa published by Bruce Smith Books. Also try a generic 68000
programming book to learn the instruction set and register usage."

2.2 Reference
-------------

o Motorola:
MC68030 Users Manual (3rd edition)
[publisher?], 1990. [ISBN?]
document number: MC68030UM/AD Rev. 2

Reid_Bishop@a68k.denver.CO.US (Reid Bishop), 31 Mar 93:
"I think the best references are Motorola's own users manuals. I have the
68030 manual, and it is excellent. I don't yet have the 68040 manual.
Often you can get these manuals direct from Motorola."

o Motorola:
Programmers Reference Manual
[publisher?], 1992?. [ISBN?]
document number: M68000PM/AD Rev. 1
$3.70

dkeller@vnet.ibm.com (Doug Keller), 31 Mar 1993:
"If you want to know about the hardware get the 030 or 040 Users Manual
from Motorola. If you want to know about assembly language programming
get the Programmers Reference Manual. The Programmers Reference Manual
covers all the processors in the 68000 series."

Charles_P_Peterson@fcircus.sat.tx.us (Charles P Peterson), 8 Jan 95:
"This manual covers 68000-68040, 68881, 68882, 68851 (not 68060 yet).
There is no programmer's manual for the 68060 yet (as of December 1994)
just a `User's' manual. I just got [the Reference Manual], and it's a
very nicely bound large and thick softcover book. Obviously a bargain,
and a necessity for anyone doing this kind of work."

Thakeria@Delphi.com (Kenneth L. Young), 15 Mar 95:
"The best source of information about instruction codes and timing
sequences for the Motorola family of microprocessors that I have found is
in a resource manual that Motorola publishes called M68000 Family
Programmer's Reference Manual. [...] My catalog currently lists the cost
at $3.70 plus shipping and handling. This is worth 500 times its weight
in gold. This book also contains reference material for the `MC68330 -
Integrated CPU32 Processor', `MC68340 - Integrated Processor with DMA',
`MC68851 - Paged Memory Management Unit', `MC68881 - Floating-Point
Coprocessor', and `MC68882 - Enhanced Floating-Point Coprocessor'."


3. C Programming
================

3.1 Learning C
--------------

o L. S. Foster:
C by Discovery [Cal State Long Beach]
Scott/Jones Inc., [year?]. ISBN 0-9624230-2-5

aga@qedbbs.com (Peter Dilley), 28 Jul 93:
"Do buy. [...] learn from a Phd, not a freakin graduate of Computer
Learning Center, or someone who read books like "Teach yourself... C".
It's about 3 1/2" and thick and emphasizes ANSI C."

o Al Kelly, Ira Pohl:
A Book on C (2nd edition)
Benjamin/Cummings Publishers, [year?]. [ISBN?]

heyman@acad.stedwards.edu (Jerry Heyman), 30 Jun 1995:
"Another book that I would recommend (and in fact I teach from it) [...]
It is [...] written with a new programmer in mind, and takes each example
apart line by line."

o Stephen G. Kochan:
Programming in ANSI C
Hayden Books, [year?]. ISBN 0-672-48408-0

jblume@bix.com (Jeff Blume), 16 Jun 1995:
"I have been getting a lot out of [this book]. I wish I had found it
years ago. I never would have gone near BASIC."

o Brian W. Kernighan, Dennis M. Ritchie:
The C Programming Language (2nd edition)
Prentice-Hall, 1988. ISBN 0-13-110362-8
about $35

German edition:
Brian W. Kernighan, Dennis M. Ritchie:
Programmieren in C
Hanser-Verlag, [year?]. ISBN 3-446-15497-3

The classical introductory C book, written by the people who invented the
language!

bwh@beach.cis.ufl.edu (Brian Hook), 06 Dec 1993:
"If you don't know C, buy this book NOW. Great C reference, eminently
readable. Wonderful wondeful book. If you do know C already, then you
probably already OWN this book. If you are learning C and trying to do it
with some lame SAMS/Que/MIS Press/M&T/Wiley/McGraw-Hill cheezy trade
paperback with a title like "Using Borland C++" or "C++ in 21 days" or
"Learning C" or "Using C" or "Learning C by Example" then you are doing
yourself a disservice. Get this book instead."

FURY@doomsday.shnet.org (Stephan Fuhrmann), 23 Jun 1995:
"This one is great, it's written by the authors of the C language and
covers ANSI and almost all C library functions."

o Herbert Schildt:
C - The Complete Reference (2nd edition)
Osborne McGraw-Hill, [year?]. ISBN 0-07-881538-X
$28.95

Matt.Hey@mtask.omahug.org (Matt Hey), 22 May 93:
"The best book I have found for [learning C] is not Amiga specific, but
it does cover the entire ANSI standard (as well as Unix & some PC
stuff)."

o Herbert Schildt:
ANSI C Made Easy
[publisher?], [year?]. [ISBN?]

jeffm@zeus.surf.tach.net (Jeffery C. May), 29 Jun 1995:
"Unlike the other books I have seen offered, this one is FOR beginners."

davegood@umdsun2.umd.umich.edu (dave good), 3 Jul 1995:
"I would hesitate to recommend Schildt's books, I don't like the way he
presents things; I've seen a lot of things that would confuse a beginner,
but I don't think they're obvious."

o Charles Siegel:
Teach Yourself... C
MIS Press, [year?]. [ISBN?]

aga@qedbbs.com (Peter Dilley), 28 Jul 93:
"Do not buy. [The book] is not good. Only as a blurb term introduction.
The source code contained is extremely poor. Almost child-like. Besides
most of them won't compile without massive errors on the Amiga with its
ANSI C compilers."

o [author?]
JAMSA'S 1001 C/C++ Tips
[publisher?], [year?]. [ISBN?]

beckwwp@eng.auburn.edu (Wendell P. Beckwith), 24 Feb 1994:
"... the book is written for dos machines and comes with a source disk.
Approximately 85% of the source code can be used by your Amiga without
any modification. [...] Keep in mind that this book is not Amiga
specific, but having the ability to load and compile complete examples in
seconds is a real boon to the novice and mega-user, both young and old."

o Mitchell Waite & Stephen Prata:
The Waite Group's New C Primer Plus
The Waite Group, 1990. ISBN 0-672-22687-1

davegood@umdsun2.umd.umich.edu (dave good), 3 Jul 1995:
"In my opinion, the best book for an absolute C beginner is the `C Primer
Plus' [...]. Definitely the best beginner friendly book I have ever
seen."

3.2 Reference
-------------

o Samuel P. Harbison & Guy L. Steele Jr.:
C: A Reference Manual (4th edition)
Prentice Hall, [year]. [ISBN?]

grant@isgtec.com (Grant McDorman), 26 Jun 1995:
"I much prefer [this book] [over Kernighan and Ritchie's `The C
Programming Language']. It includes not only information on `traditional'
(pre-ANSI) implementations, but discusses portability and related issues.
The latest edition even discusses compatibility with C++. It *is* a
reference manual, though. (They did add exercises in the 3rd edition).
K&R's book, on the other hand, is a textbook. If you are just starting
out (especially if you don't have a lot of experience programming in
similar languages, such as Pascal), [K&R's book] will probably be a
better choice to *learn* the language. It is not as good as a reference.
[...] As a professional, experienced C (and C++) programmer, if I had to
buy just one book, I'd buy the Harbison & Steele book."

o Steve Oualline:
C Elements of Style
M&T Books, 1992. ISBN 1-55851-291-8

grant@isgtec.com (Grant McDorman), 26 Jun 1995:
"Another very useful book is `C Elements of Style' by Oualline. This book
has many useful things to say about coding style that will improve the
readability, portability and reliability of your code. It also covers C++
coding style. Once you have learned the fundamentals of C or C++
programming, this is a good book to have."

o P. J. Plauger:
The Standard C Library
Prentice Hall, 1992. ISBN 0-13-131509-9

Ken.Rumsey%3633-1701@satlink.oau.org (Ken Rumsey), 14 Oct 1995:
"This book show you how to correctly use all of the library functions
mandated by ANSI and ISO Standards. Not only do they tell you how to use
it, but they show you with 9000 lines of tested, working, highly portable
code. If you program in ANSI C, you need this book!"

3.3 Amiga Specific
------------------

o Anders Bjerin:
The Amiga C Manual

This is an online document on using C on the Amiga. It is available from
Aminet ( dev/c/ACM.lha ) and on Fish Disks (691-695).

From the "readme file":
The complete boiled-down C manual for the Amiga which describes how to
open and work with Screens, Windows, Graphics, Gadgets, Requesters,
Alerts, Menus, IDCMP, Sprites, VSprites, AmigaDOS, Low Level Graphics
Routines, Hints and Tips, etc. The manual also explains how to use your C
Compiler and gives you important information about how the Amiga works
and how your programs should be designed. The manual consists of 15
chapters together with more than 100 fully executable examples with
source code.

beckwwp@eng.auburn.edu (Wendell P. Beckwith), 24 Feb 1994:
"This is a wealth of information, however, take note. [...] some of the
examples use things which are no longer thought of as good programming,
such as unprototyped functions. This is not really a strike against the
ACM, since when those portions of the manual were written, using such
oddities was the in-thing."

o Dirk Schaun:
Amiga C for Beginners
Abacus, 1989-90. ISBN 1-55755-045-X

aga@qedbbs.com (Peter Dilley), 28 Jul 1993:
"Do not buy. [The book] is just plain crap. Poor Code + Poor textual
information. It flies over 1/2 the needed information to do any good C
and even worse than that. It is ANCIENT, UNUPDATED. Disgusting! We are
programming in the 3.x 2.x rom era not 1.2/1.3..."

o [author?]
Amiga C for Advanced Programmers
Abacus, [year?]. ISBN 1-55755-046-8

D.J.Miller@newcastle.ac.uk (Dave Miller), 20 Apr 1993:
"[...] it isn't worth the paper it's written on. (well it ain't quite
that bad but...)"

aga@qedbbs.com (Peter Dilley), 28 Jul 1993:
"Do not buy. [The book] is just plain crap. Poor Code + Poor textual
information. It flies over 1/2 the needed information to do any good C
and even worse than that. It is ANCIENT, UNUPDATED. Disgusting! We are
programming in the 3.x 2.x rom era not 1.2/1.3..."


4. C++ Programming
==================

4.1 Learning C++
----------------

o Anderson & Heinze:
C++ Programming and Fundamantal Concepts
Prentice Hall, 1992. ISBN 0-13-118266-8

o James O. Coplien:
Advanced C++; Programming Styles and Idioms
Addison-Wesley, 1993. ISBN 0-201-54855-0

bwh@beach.cis.ufl.edu (Brian Hook), 06 Dec 1993:
"Great book on using C++ to solve real-world problems. Invaluable if you
are trying to write a graphics package in C++ and need to balance ease of
use, readability, "correctness", and efficiency."

paulg@kralizec.zeta.org.au (Paul Gittings), 28 Mar 1994:
"[...] not a beginner's book [...] This is a very well written book with
lots of examples. It covers more advanced concepts than just 'getting the
syntax right'. By discusing the various programming idioms available
under C++ and their pros and cons, Coplien shows the reader how to design
and build well written programs and avoid many of the problems that can
result from poor design. To get a feel for the areas covered by this book
here is a list of major chapter headings: 'Data Abstraction and Abstract
Data Types', 'Concrete Data Types', 'Inheritance', 'Object-Oriented
Programming', 'Object-Oriented Design', 'Reuse and Objects', 'Programming
with Exemplers in C++', 'Emulating Symbolic Language Styles in C++',
'Dynamic Multiple Inheritance', 'Systemic Issues'. Appendices: 'C in a
C++ Environment', 'Shapes Program: C++ Code', 'Reference Return Values
from Operators', 'Why Bitwise copy Doesn't Work', 'Symbolic Shapes',
'Block-Structured Programming in C++'."

o Bruce Eckel:
C++ Inside and Out
[publisher?], [year?]. [ISBN?]

96aander@ultrix.uor.edu (By-Tor Blackwing), 23 Feb 1994:
"It's a good one; it tries to teach C++ like a new language, not just an
extension of C."

o Allen I. Holub:
C+ C++ (programming with objects in C and C++)
McGraw Hill, 1992. ISBN 0-07-029662-6

Hesham Amiri, 31 May 1995:
"This books assumes that you [know] C already [...] Well worth the
money."

o Stanley B. Lippman:
C++ Primer (2nd edition)
Addison-Wesley, 1991. ISBN 0-201-54848-8
$35-40

Intended as a first book on C++ programming. Some basic familiarity with
programming (in any language) is assumed, however. The book is a tutorial
through all the features of the C++ language. Many examples.

bwh@beach.cis.ufl.edu (Brian Hook), 06 Dec 1993:
"Everything that goes for [Kernighan and Ritchie's] 'The C Programming
Language' above applies here also. I like this book a bit more than
Stroustrup's 'The C++ Programming Language', but to each his own."

paulg@kralizec.zeta.org.au (Paul Gittings), 28 Mar 1994:
"IMHO this is the best C++ tutorial book around, nothing else comes even
close."

Hesham Amiri, 31 May 1995:
"This is *THE* book about C++ and OOP in general, but it is not an easy a
book to follow as [Holub's `C+ C++'], but still a must-have in my
opinion."

o Greg Perry:
Moving from C to C++
Sams Publishing, 1992. ISBN 0-672-30080-X
$29.95

gnome@martinac.demon.co.uk (John Marchant), 10 Aug 1995:
"This book is not specifically for the Amiga, but I find this doesn't
matter at all. It assumes you have a reasonable working knowledge of C.
[...] I'm by no means a C expert, but I find it very lucid & easy to
follow, and it's written in a friendly way. There are plentiful examples
for each topic, showing how a task would be coded in C and then in C++
and explaining the differences. Layout and arrangement of topics are very
good."

o Stephen Prata:
C++ Primer Plus
The Waite Group, 1991. ISBN 1-878739-02-6

o Herbert Schildt:
Teach Yourself C++
Addison-Wesley, [year?]. ISBN 0-07-881760-9

hemmer@hemmer.adsp.sub.org (Franz Hemmer), 23 Sep 93:
"If you're a C programmer already, I recommend "Teach Yourself C++"
[...]. It requires some familiarity with C, and takes advantage of that
very fact. I found it very easy to go through the book. However, if you
want information about templates too, you need to find another book, as
this isn't covered in this particular book."

o Al Stevens:
Teach Yourself C++... (3rd Edition)
MIS Press, 1993. ISBN 1-55828-250-5

o Bjarne Stroustrup:
The C++ Programming Language (2nd edition)
Addison-Wesley, 1991. ISBN 0-201-53992-6

jpeacock@runner (Jason Lee Peacock), 24 Jun 1995:
[responding to a comment by someone who wished there was an equivalent to
Kernighan and Ritchie for C++]
"I thought that `The C++ Programming Language, 2nd Ed.' [...] fit the
bill. After all, Stroustrup is the guy who created the C++ language. The
book seems to cover everything including templates and exception
handling. It gave me enough information and was clear enough for me to
pass a class last semester. And it was definitely a lot better than the
trash my professor recommended (`On To C++' by Winston)."

o Tom Swan:
Mastering Borland C++
SAMS (?), [year?]. [ISBN?]

hacker@bu.edu (Jose Elias), 24 Sep 1993:
"I TRULY REALLY recommend from the botton of my heart "Mastering Borland
C++" [...]. It's just AWESOME, even when it's meant to be used on IBMs.
It has COMPLETE working examples for EVERY function provided by C/C++ at
the end of the book, and he explains everything VERY well. The book is
over 1,300 pages, and about 1/3 of them are USEFULL examples at the end
of the book. Also, there's a course on learning C on the first few
chapters, and then C++ is introduced. This is a real-world-use book. I
HIGHLY recommend it. BTW, I spend one WHOLE day looking thru every single
C++ book here at the bookstore before deciding on buying it. Also, don't
be scared by the ibm-nature of the book, almost everything in the book is
standard C++, he only touches ibm-specific stuff when talking about video
memory, ram, and the bios, other than that it's standard C++."

o Mark Terribile:
Practical C++
McGraw-Hill, 1994. ISBN 0-07-063738-5

4.2 Reference
-------------

o Margaret A. Ellis, Bjarne Stroustrup:
The Annotated C++ Reference Manual (2nd edition)
Addison-Wesley, 1992. ISBN 0-201-51459-1

paulg@kralizec.zeta.org.au (Paul Gittings), 28 Mar 1994:
"A must have for anybody who is involved in any major C++ work. In the
annotations provide some useful insights into the language and its
design."


5. ARexx Programming
====================

5.1 Learning ARexx
------------------

o Commodore Business Machines:
The Programmers Guide to ARexx
Commodore, 1991.
Available through CATS, part number: AREXX01, disk: AREXX01D
$20.00

Manual (228 pages) and disk designed to allow you easy access to the
power of ARexx. Includes information on how to make effective use of
ARexx, how to conform to development standards and how to interface
applicatations to the ARexx environment.

luebke@erls02.siemens.de (Reinhard Luebke), 7 Oct 1993:
"This book covers all topics regarding 'how to program for ARexx in C',
e.g. creating libraries and function hosts. Worth to say, that all
examples in the book can be found on a disk that comes bundled with the
book."

o Merrill Callaway:
The ARexx Cookbook
Whitestone, 1992, ISBN 0-9632733-0-8
Optional Companion Disk: ISBN 0-9632773-1-6

A very good introduction to ARexx. The book uses examples to introduce
the features of this programing language. The examples are often very
useful themselves. This book is not a reference manual, but a tutorial. I
would say it is very well suited for beginners but also for more advanced
programmers.

rbyrne@3dform.edex.edu.au (Robert Byrne):
"This book makes heavy reference to William S. Hawes Arexx and the
Commodore Manual (Part No. 363313-05) and first time users are advised to
have one of these handy, preferably Hawes."

o Paul Overaa:
Mastering Amiga Arexx
Bruce Smith Books, [year?]. ISBN 1-873308-13-2

gnome@martinac.demon.co.uk (John Marchant), 15 May 1995:
"Paul Overaa's book is excellent, but more of a tutorial."

o Chris Zamara and Nick Sullivan:
Using ARexx on the Amiga
Abacus, 1991. ISBN 1-55755-114-6.

barrett@cs.umass.edu (Dan Barrett), 24 Mar 1994:
"This is a good book with a particularly good function reference section.
It also gives examples of ARexx programming with some commercial
products. The only bad part of the book is its terrible index."

paulg@kralizec.zeta.org.au (Paul Gittings), 28 Mar 1994:
"This is the only Abacus book that I have found to be of any use, I
almost didn't buy it because it was an Abacus book but I'm very glad I
did. This book is very well suited to a beginner ARexx programmer (more
so than Callaway's book) and also very useful as a reference for more
advanced users. The example code is very trivial and therefore easy to
understand, for more complex and useful code examples get Callaway's
book."

gnome@martinac.demon.co.uk (John Marchant), 15 May 1995:
"I recommend the Abacus book for easy look-up of functions etc."

anderson4@delphi.com (Stanley Anderson), 30 Jun 1995:
"[This book] has proven invaluable to me in jamming together some Arexx
macros for FinalWriter."

5.2 Reference
-------------

o William S. Hawes:
Arexx User's Reference Manual
[publisher?], 1987. [ISBN?]
$49.95

o Robin Evans:
ARexxGuide 2.0a
1994. (no ISBN, published via shareware)
$15 (suggested shareware fee)

This is a complete ARexx reference guide in AmigaGuide format. It is
available from Aminet ( util/rexx/ARexxGuide2_0A.lha ).

From the "readme file":
ARexxGuide is a complete ARexx reference with tutorials and dozens of
ready-to-use examples. Done in AmigaGuide format, it includes argument
templates and descriptions of all instruction keywords, of built-in
functions, and of the functions in rexxsupport.library. The basic
elements of the language are fully explained. Example programs -- some of
them interactive -- answer frequently-asked questions about the language.
Sample clauses are included with each function and instruction
explanation. Error codes and possible solutions are explained.
A help-system that will turn nearly any text editor into an online
reference to ARexx is included. Working macros for three editors are
provided as examples. A step-by-step tutorial explains the simple steps
for making a new macro for a different editor.


6. Applications Programming
===========================

6.1 Compilers
-------------

o Alfred V. Aho, Ravi Sethi, and Jeffrey D. Ullman:
Compilers, Principles, Tools, and Techniques
Addison Wesley, 1986. ISBN 0-201-10194-7 (paperback)
GBP 13.75

jewell@savanna.royle.org (Paul Jewell), 9 Mar 1994:
"Plenty of information about different methods of compiler construction,
and how to put compilers together. Designed as a first course in compiler
writing."

o Allen I. Holub:
Compiler Design in C
Prentice Hall International, 1990. ISBN 0-13-155151-5 (paperback)
GDP 21.95

jewell@savanna.royle.org (Paul Jewell), 9 Mar 1994:
"Excellent (IMHO) book containing detailed source code of a C compiler,
with hints and tips on how to optimise the compiler both in terms of
operation, and efficiency of code generated. [...] well worth the
investment."

o Niklaus Wirth, Joerg Gutknecht:
Project Oberon.
The Design of an Operating System and Compiler.
Addison-Wesley, 1992. ISBN 0-201-54428-8 (hardback)

fjc@wossname.apana.org.au (Frank Copeland), 12 Mar 1994:
"I paid AUS$44.95, a good price for this class of book here. It describes
in detail the design and implementation of an entire operating system and
includes the complete source code of a compiler for the Oberon language
(a descendant of Pascal and Modula-2). The code generated is for a family
of processors reasonably similar to the Amiga's MC68K processors. Even if
you are not interested in the language, it provides an example of a
working compiler, which the Aho, etc. book at least does not."

o Patrick D. Terry:
Programming Language Translation
Addison-Wesley, 1986. ISBN 0-201-18040-5. 433 pages

6.2 Computer Graphics
---------------------

[for a more complete list, see the comp.graphics FAQ ]

o Leendert Ammeraal:
Programming Principles in Computer Graphics (2nd edition)
[publisher?], [year?]. [ISBN?]

nate@netcom.com (Nathan Dwyer), 10 Oct 1993:
"A REALLY cool book. [...] It sort of skims over the math -- moves pretty
quickly through the material, but covers a lot of ground. Also includes a
lot of C++ code, but the text isn't occluded by it."

o J. D. Foley, A. van Dam, S. K. Feiner, and J. F. Hughes:
Computer Graphics - Principles and Practice
Addison-Wesley, 1990. ISBN 0-201-12110-7

stigove@lise.unit.no (Stig Ove Johnsen), 20 Aug 1993:
"It is the book we use in the course 'Computer Graphics I&II' here at the
Norwegian Institute of Technology. It goes into depth in describing both
2D raster graphics and 3D modeling (e.g. splines) and raytracing (incl.
phong, gourad...). The programming eksamples are done mostly in Pascal.
IMHO, it is a very good book. (And lots of nice ray-traced pictures!)"

umking21@ccu.umanitoba.ca (Brian D. King), 10 Oct 1993:
"The proclaimed bible in computer graphics algorithms and theory [...].
It covers everything from line-drawing, circles and ellipses, pattern-
filling, 2d and 3d vectors including transformations, filled polygons,
shading, etc. etc. etc."

bwh@beach.cis.ufl.edu (Brian Hook), 06 Dec 1993:
"This is IT. THE bible of computer graphics, period. It covers just about
every topic you need to know, however because of its scope it is very
generalized and so information on any one specific topic may be lacking.
Pascal-like pseudo code is strewn liberally throughout the book, which is
a big help. Everything you would expect in three-D graphics is covered,
including shading, ray tracing, radiosity, texture mapping, etc. Once
again, it's very generalized and serves mostly as a good reference to
other material and an overview of individual areas. But at over 1000
pages, it's a must have if you do graphics. If you can afford only ONE
book on graphics, get this one."

o Andrew Glassner (ed.):
Graphics Gems
Academic Press, 1990. ISBN 0-12-286165-5

James Arvo (ed.):
Graphics Gems II
Academic Press, 1991. ISBN 0-12-64480-0

David Kirk (ed.):
Graphics Gems III
Academic Press, 1992. ISBN 0-12-409670-0 (with IBM disk)
0-12-409671-9 (with Mac disk)

rhoo1@pinn.nacjack.gen.nz (Robert Hooker), 20 Aug 1993:
"These aren't much good to learn from, but once you know your stuff they
are an excellent source of ideas."

bwh@beach.cis.ufl.edu (Brian Hook), 06 Dec 1993:
"Some people swear by these books. I don't know. They cover a lot of
little tricks and tips for a lot of little things, but personally I
haven't found much use for them, but I'm looking only at the interactive
3d side of things. Every now and then a friend tells me 'Wow, this one
little paragraph in Gems [X] gave me a huge insight into what I needed to
do and now my [program] is MUCH faster'. So to be fair, a lot of others
have found these books to be invaluable. They cover a bit too much ground
for me, so I'm still kind of hesitant on recommending them to others
since it's not readily apparent if they will be helpful to you. Your
mileage may vary."

o F. S. Hill Jr.:
Computer Graphics
Macmillan, [year?]. [ISBN?]

rhoo1@pinn.nacjack.gen.nz (Robert Hooker), 20 Aug 1993:
"I can recommend "Computer Graphics" [...]. This was a text for my 3rd
year Graphics course at University. All the ideas and examples are given
in Pascal (which most everyone can understand) and are easy to convert to
your prefered language. The book covers everything from simple 3D shapes
thru Gouraud/Phong shading and onto the basics of RayTracing."

o Christopher Lampton:
Flights of Fantasy
The Waite Group, 1993. ISBN 1-878739-18-2

Richard_Johnson@eaglesnest.albedo.com (Richard Johnson), 6 Oct 1993:
"It's very complete and it comes with source code written in C++ for the
IBM PC. I didn't have much trouble converting it to SAS/C. You do have to
transfer files from the IBM disk to an amiga disk, though. The book comes
with the disk. The book is really GREAT because it's very thorough and
easy to understand. It teaches you from the ground up. One thing though,
is that the source code had a number of minor bugs which I had to fix.
Also, I optimized some of the code to make it faster. For one thing, I
replaced the 4x4 matrices with 3x3 ones. [...] It's so easy to
understand, that if you can't understand it, you have no other recourse
than to learn more math."

bwh@beach.cis.ufl.edu (Brian Hook), 06 Dec 1993:
"This book is a mixed blessing. On the one hand it gets you up and
running with the simple concepts that more advanced text books don't
bother explaining. On the other, it could REALLY stand to be improved.
Lots of simple algorithms are completely ignored, such as shading.
However, a lot of PC specific stuff is thrown in. If you would like a
more comprehensive review of the book let me know and I'll mail you one."

o David F. Rogers and J. Alan Adams:
Mathematical Elements for Computer Graphics 2nd Ed.
McGraw-Hill, 1990. ISBN 0-07-053530-2

bwh@beach.cis.ufl.edu (Brian Hook), 06 Dec 1993:
"Excellent book on curves, patches, and a lot of math. Does not cover
rendering at all -- no shading, etc. It does a lot of theory on
projections, however -- don't expect much on object databases or
efficiency, though. Not a great reference to a 3d renderer, but for
modeling in general and math it's wonderful. HOWEVER, it has an insane
amount of stuff on curves, splines, Bezier curves, Coons patches,
surfaces, etc. So if you want to do surfaces and things with soft edges
in general, get this book. One of the few McGraw-Hill books I've liked
(the other is 'An Introduction to Algorithms')."

o Alan Watt:
3D Computer Graphics 2nd Ed.
Addison-Wesley, 1993. [ISBN?]

bwh@beach.cis.ufl.edu (Brian Hook), 06 Dec 1993:
"This is also one of those classic texts. The new second edition covers a
lot of ground. Watt's style is highly readable, and the same code is in
Pascal. A complete rendering system (or two) is supplied in the
appendices, along with the data file for the Utah teapot.

"If you do 3d graphics, you MUST have this book. [...] Chapters include:
Three-dimensional Geometry in Computer Graphics, Representation of
Objects, Viewing systems, Reflection and Illumination Models, Rendering
Algorithms, Parametric Representation and Practice, Shadows and Textures,
Ray Tracing, Volume Rendering, Radiosity, Anti aliasing, Functionally
Based Modeling Methods, Three-dimensional Computer Animation, Colour
Spaces and Monitor Considerations, Viewing Transformation from a Simple
Four-Parameter Viewing System, A Wireframe System, An Implementation of a
Renderer, The Utah Teapot.

"The book has a fairly decent mix of interactive and photorealistic
stuff, and it is an excellent supplement to the 3d graphics section of
Foley and Van Dam. Between the two you are pretty well set for 3d
graphics."

o Alan Watt and Mark Watt:
Advanced Animation and Rendering Techniques
Addison-Wesley, 1993. ISBN 0-201-54412-1

bwh@beach.cis.ufl.edu (Brian Hook), 06 Dec 1993:
"This book is by far one of the best books in the field of 3d graphics.
Most of it covers rendering and ray tracing, which means it is not very
useful for real-time graphics [...] the stuff it covers is invaluable and
very difficult to find elsewhere. We are talking heavy rendering and ray
tracing stuff, volume rendering techniques, shading languages,
quaternions and Euler angles, radiosity, inverse/forward kinematics, etc.
Excellent book, but not very useful if you are looking to write only a
game (although the chapters on segmented object animation would be useful
for robots/tanks)."

o [author?]
Amiga 3D Graphic Programming
Abacus, [year?]. [ISBN?]

Richard_Johnson@eaglesnest.albedo.com (Richard Johnson), 6 Oct 1993:
"DO NOT get [this book]. The guy who wrote it should be whipped because
this book is impossible to understand and is really just a documentation
for the crummy little ray tracing program which takes up half of the
pages."

o Andrew Tyler:
Amiga Real-Time 3D Graphics
Sigma Press (UK), [year?]. ISBN 781850 582755

oz@ozzy.demon.co.uk (Brian Skreeg), 22 Jun 1995:
"I've had this book for a while and it's not worth the purchase. The
example code is poor and would not run on my 030 A1200 no matter what I
did. It also uses obscure algorithms for the simplest of calculations.
Get the HowToCode package [from Aminet]. It has a much better explanation
of 3d vectors and stuff. The book is punted as an easy way to learn
assembly while learning 3d graphics. Not true. If you have had no
experience with assembly before, then you've got little chance of
learning it from this book. The book is divided into sections for each
area of 3d graphics. Line drawing, filling, window clipping, perpective,
rotations, depth sorting, etc. [...]"


7. Using Applications
=====================

7.1 The Video Toaster
---------------------

o David Tiberio:
Amiga/Toaster Reference Manual
Area52, 1994. (no ISBN)
$34.95

see section 1.3: General Reference

7.2 Telecommunications
----------------------

o Dale L. Larson:
Connect Your Amiga!
A Guide to the Internet, LANs, BBSs and Online Services
Intangible Assets Manufacturing, 1994. ISBN 1-885876-02-5

"Dale L. Larson" dale@iam.iam.com, 18 Sep 1994:
"Connect Your Amiga!" is 256 pages packed with information for networking
and for going online. From background information for the novice to
networking hints and tips for advanced users, this book has something for
every Amiga owner.

"Some of the topics covered include:
o ABOUT THE INTERNET: What it is, what's so great about it, how it
works, how to access it, how to join it, how to use it.
o ABOUT TELECOMMUNICATIONS: Selecting and using modems and terminal
emulator software; how to find and choose computer bulletin board
systems and online services; finding, downloading, decompressing and
using public domain and shareware software.
o ABOUT NETWORKING HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE: the SANA-II standard,
Ethernet, ARCNet, serial and parallel ports, selecting, configuring
and using TCP/IP, SLIP, PPP, Envoy, DECNet, connecting to PCs, Macs
and Unix, and more.

"The author is an expert on the Amiga and on computer networking. Mr.
Larson was a Software Engineer in Commodore's Amiga Networking Group. He
worked on AS225, is one of the principle authors of both the SANA-II
Network Device Driver Specification and the original Amiga Envoy
specification documents, and has published several articles about the
Amiga and about Amiga networking.

"COMPANY INFORMATION:
Intangible Assets Manufacturing
828 Ormond Avenue
Drexel Hill, PA 19026-2604 / USA
voice: +1 610 853 4406
fax: +1 610 853 3733"


Appendix A: How to Order CATS Materials
=======================================

As of April 28th, 1994, CATS USA no longer exists. But you can still order
developer material from Hirsch & Wolf in Germany:

Hirsch & Wolf oHG
Attn: Hans-Helmut Hirsch
Mittelstr. 33
D-56564 Neuwied
Germany

Fax: ++49-2631-839931
Tel: ++49-2631-83990
UUCP:hhhirsch@carla.adsp.sub.org (Fax preferred)


Appendix B: How to Order Motorola Materials
===========================================

In the USA, write to the following address:

Motorola Literature Distribution
P.O. Box 20912
Phoenix, Arizona 85036

Or call: 1-800-441-2447

You will need the document number, which can be obtained from technical
support: 1-800-521-6274.

In Europe, you can contact one of Motorola's Franchised Distributers (they
are all in England):

Avnet Access
Jubilee House
Letchhworth, Herts SG6 1TP
Tel: +44-1462-480888, Fax: +44-1462-488467

Macro Group
Burnham Lane
Slough Sl1 6LN
Tel: +44-1628-606000, Fax: +44-1628-666873

Arrow Jermyn
St. Martins Way Ind. Estate
Cambridge Road
Bedford MK42 0LF
Tel: +44-1234-270027, Fax: +44-1234-214674

Future Electronics
Future House
Poyle Road
Colnbrook SL3 0EZ
Tel: +44-1753-763000, Fax: +44-1753-689100

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Marc Atkin //
U of Massachusetts // " Goosnargh. "
at Amherst \\ //
atkin@cs.umass.edu \X/

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