C++ For C Programmers, Part A

GOOD The more people like you who contribute today, the more we can power PETA's work in the year ahead. I'm putting together a list for my team of those who've made a gift recently before we close PETA's books for the year, and I noticed that your name isn't on it.

There are still a few hours left to add more names to my list before the new fiscal year begins—can I add yours? I'm hoping you'll help PETA prepare for whatever challenges arise in the next fiscal year by making a special gift online right now. Even $2 will help power PETA's vital work for animals in the year to come.

In the years that I've been at my position, I've run across so many upsetting stories of abuse and neglect that PETA has exposed: dogs forced to live outside without any protection from the sweltering summer heat … chickens condemned by the millions to cramped, filthy cages on egg farms ... and monkeys languishing for nearly their entire lives in laboratories before being cut open and killed in useless experiments.

But I'm also lucky enough to have witnessed the tremendous impact that kind people like you are having on the lives of animals through your generosity and passion:

Your support powers the fieldworkers who are ensuring that neglected dogs and cats are receiving the care that they need and the cruelty caseworkers who investigate every one of the hundreds of calls and e-mails they receive each week.

Your compassion strengthens the work of the undercover investigators who are exposing hideous abuse and the skilled PETA negotiators who are helping us persuade multibillion-dollar corporations to change cruel policies.

Your generosity helps the PETA scientists who are stopping crude and deadly experiments on animals and promoting the adoption of effective, non-animal tests—including many tests already underway that are aimed at developing a vaccine or treatment for COVID-19.
The list that I'll be sending to my team this evening will contain the names of people who share my conviction: No matter what the new year brings, we need to do everything that we can to help animals.

It's not too late to ensure that PETA has the resources needed to continue its vital work against animal abuse. Make a special fiscal year–end gift to PETA now and help make a difference for animals in the fiscal year ahead. Even just $2 can help.

Thanks for all that you do to make the world a kinder place for all animals!

I was at UC Santa Cruz and took the precursor to this course. That was an advanced class with graph algorithms and an open-ended project for a program that plays the game hex. It was okay if you had the data structures and C++ background, but it was not a beginning class. This is basically the same class, but not done well. The sad truth is that Dr Pohl doesn't complete what he sets out to do and the lack of quality of this Coursera class proves it. For content, I give 3 stars but overall just 1 start because, unfortunately, Coursera should remove this class from their offerings.

As to details, calling this 'C++ for C Programmers' is a lie. Dr P was clearly enamored with that name from his earlier book (not a good book). There's no meaningful instruction on moving from C to C++ in this course. The C++ lectures are mind-boggling dull and usually superficial. There's a little on minimax and alpha pruning that's okay.

The operation of the class shows how broken Coursera's peer grading system can be. Forums were empty and you'd be lucky to get any reasonable feedback on your submissions.