Rating: 
Summary: wow. period.
Review: If this book got any better, any more entertaining, or packed with any more information, it would explode(in the fastest, most efficient and user freindly way possible, of course)!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Who said that real programmers don't exist anymore?
Review: In a world filled with poorly written programs and inefficient coding as common practice, it is good to see that there still exist a few that really do know how to code. This is an excellent book and is, by far, the most complete book in my graphics programming collection.It's not only a very informative book in terms of content provided, but it is also a bit humorous and fun to read. Abrash has a great skill for writing technical material in an easy to understand, yet as "technical as you can take it", manner. This book gives an excellent guide to 2D/3D graphics programming as well as insight into good programming procedures and practices in general. These insights are essential to anyone who strives to be a better programmer. This book is by far an excellent book to have for the advanced programmer that desires to write good, clean, and fast code. The book is also sufficiently written "from the ground up" that the beginner programmer cou! ld understand it with care. I highly recommend it. Christopher Sean Morrison, dotProducts
Rating:
Summary: Everything you ever wanted to know about x86 and graphics
Review: Michael Abrash definately knows his stuff. Not only that but he's an excellent teacher. Right from page one to the last page of the book is nothing but valuable information on optimizing code from high-level C right down to the registers of the x86 processors. Most of the information on code optimization is now partially obsolete, however, the knowledge is still very usefull, and, like history tells, you don't know where you're going till you know where you're been. I STRONGLY reccommend this book to anyone who's somewhat sufficient in assembly and wants to learn about graphics programming as well as code optimization unlike anything they've ever dreamed.
Rating:
Summary: If your a serious programmer, THIS IS A MUST!!!
Review: Michael's Book is awesome. You really start to understand how great programs are written. It gave me a great insight on what to do to make my code better. This book also teaches you to learn, "how to learn". Buy the book. Whatever I could say about it in these few lines wouldn't be worth it. Hey, if you don't like it I will pay you back when I am getting job offers all across the country for programming because of what I learned from this book. Well, maybe not, but you get the idea!! :) The Inphidel!! p.s. What are you waiting for!! p.s.s Michael if you read this, your my hero!!!
Rating:
Summary: Wow!
Review: One word: Wow!!! He is the master.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book/Amazing Reference
Review: The author of this book is probably the greatest programmer on this planet. This guy (Mike) is simply a genius. The book incorporates all his work, need I say more? Some information is somewhat outdated, but thats the reason the book is 1350 pages long. It contains some really good theory and makes programmers think. I personally don't like books that walk you through the makings of one game, and leave you hanging there. I wanted to explore ideas, and thats exactly what I got from this book - great ideas.
Rating:
Summary: Heureka!
Review: The best book ever written about GFX-programming. Knowledge in C & asm is required. The Book describes everything you need to know about gfx-programming on the VGA in an easy way. It also include great 3d theory (with examples) and some chapters of code optimization. It is perfect both as a learning and a reference that every serious programmer should have a copy of.
Rating:
Summary: A Most Useful Gem
Review: The most useful book I have. This book is packed with everything that you need to understand graphics programming on the PC. In addition you get a complete expandable 3D library, invaluable source codes, and hundreds of hours of enjoyed reading. It's a must have.
Rating:
Summary: Light on theory, but *heavy* on programming detail
Review: This book is a great introduction to high-speed computer graphics, with a heavy emphasis on Intel PCs. The theoretical detail goes just deep enough to make the coding explanations comprehensible, but the brilliance of the way it teaches optimization makes it an essential part of your graphics programming library (along with Foley and van Dam's "Computer Graphics: Principles and Practice" and perhaps the Graphics Gems series, to cover the theory). The first half is full of obsolete stuff like how to use VGA registers. There is also a lot of stuff that's obsolete in the sense that you won't use it (like software texture mapping), but still important in the sense that if you understand it you'll know how hard 3D accellerator cards (and OpenGL or DirectX) have to work to do various kinds of work. In other words, if you know how to do it in software, you'll know how hard it is to do in hardware. The writing style is amusing, and anyone who spends too much t! ime at their computer can get a workout by carrying the book to and from their bookshelf. The book certainly isn't all you need to know about graphics programming. But it is a good introduction to the theory, and a great way to learn how to turn the weird theory stuff in Foley and van Dam into fast code, and the writing on optimization is as good as it gets. Finally, it's a lot more fun to read than Foley and van Dam!
Rating: 
Summary: DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK!! IT IS A WASTE OF MONEY!!!
Review: this book is all in .asm format, while sprinkled with c++. if you dont know asm, dont waste your time! you can program it 10 times better in c++. DONT WASTE YOUR TIME. he just gives you examples, and leaves it to you to figure it out.
| 
