Lately I have been working on SDL programming. So far Cone3D and the SDL documentation have been my sole resources. What I dislike about those tutorials and the documentation is that they do not really explain too much, they just tell what the function that is being used in a certain instance is, what it does, and how it will be applied to the demo program. Nevertheless, they are nice tutorials. I was browsing Amazon when I saw this book: Focus on SDL by Ernest Pazera (TANSTAAFL). It was recently published--two months ago to this date--so there are not many reviews on the book. However, I have a few questions about this book. I do not know how many of you have this book or have leafed through it at the bookstore, but if you have please tell me what it is like. Here are some things I would like to know:

• Is it worth buying a book on SDL?
• Are the tutorials on SDL enough to learn it?
• What topics does this book specifically cover?
• Does this book include content on making a game?
• Would you recommend this book?
• What does this book teach you?
• Did you benefit in ways other than if you used the tutorials and documentation?

I would ask the author, Mr. Pazera, but he seems very busy lately with his company. Thank you for your patience.

I too was considering buying this book. I went to Barnes and Noble and read a good portion of the book, and from what I read, I wouldn''t buy it.

I imagine it’s a good reference on SDL for people who don''t read the documentation. Aside from the framework that he creates in the last few chapters, it contains nothing that you can''t find in documentation for SDL and the libraries that he uses.

He uses several helper libraries that are not part of SDL proper, such as SDL_image (graphic file loading) and SDL_mixer (sound). To see how these libraries expand on SDL’s functionality was good, but not worth $29.99.

If you are looking for some good example programs using the base SDL features check Linux Game Programming, published by No Starch Press. Although this book does focus on many elements of game programming in Linux, it has a nice chapter on using graphics, events, threads and audio in SDL. Before Loki Software (the authors book) went out of business, they had posted a PDF of the book for free.

''Focus on SDL'' is not a complete as other books in the Primatech series. It does not cover the subject matter with as much depth as other books, although I think this may have been intentional, as the book is much smaller in size and pages than the other books. I would not recommend it.

Thank you for your help yspotua. That was what I was afraid of. After all, SDL is a relatively simple API. But Focus on SDL is not totally out of the picture. I might buy it. I will try to dig up Linux Game Programming though. Thank you for your help. Has anyone else read this book or leafed through it? Thanks for your consideration.

Linux Game Programming is available for free in PDF format. You can get it here.
The pdf is in the "release" directory on any of the mirrors.

[edited by - elcrazon on January 20, 2003 1:43:02 AM]

Ive been considering buying the book "Datastructures for gameprogrammers", and discovered that Ernest Pazera has written some stuff on SDL for this book. I think it is a introduction to the stuff in one of the appendixes. But I remember reading somewhere that more stuff (perhaps selected chapters from his book) was included in the cd. Im not sure about that though, since I cant seem to find any info on that now that I search.

http://www.wwddfd.com/mithrandir/DSBook/info.html

Perhaps it could be a way to buy two books in one, so to speak. Just a thought

----PATRIOTISM----

“Beware the leader who bangs the drums of war in order to whip the citizenry into a patriotic fervor, for patriotism is indeed a double-edged sword. It both emboldens the blood, just as it narrows the mind. And when the drums of war have reached a fever pitch and the blood boils with hate and the mind has closed, the leader will have no need in seizing the rights of the citizenry. Rather, the citizenry, infused with fear and blinded by patriotism, will offer up all of their rights unto the leader and gladly so. How do I know? For this is what I have done.
And I am Caesar.”

— Julius Caesar

Thanks ElCrazon and _Danneman_. I will check out Linux Game Programming and Data Structures for Game Programmers . Also, _Danneman_, nice sig. Can I use it?

Anyone?

quote: Original post by elendil67
Also, _Danneman_, nice sig. Can I use it?

You go right ahead, elendil67
The sensemoral of the sig is much too important in this day and age of "patriotic" masshysteria to be hogged by my ego wanting a unique sig

----PATRIOTISM----

“Beware the leader who bangs the drums of war in order to whip the citizenry into a patriotic fervor, for patriotism is indeed a double-edged sword. It both emboldens the blood, just as it narrows the mind. And when the drums of war have reached a fever pitch and the blood boils with hate and the mind has closed, the leader will have no need in seizing the rights of the citizenry. Rather, the citizenry, infused with fear and blinded by patriotism, will offer up all of their rights unto the leader and gladly so. How do I know? For this is what I have done.
And I am Caesar.”

— Julius Caesar