JP> main()
 JP> {
 JP>         int len, width;

 JP>         printf("Enter length: ");
 JP>         scanf("%d", &len);
 JP>         printf("Enter width: ");
 JP>         scanf("%d", &width);

 JP>         printf("area is %d", len * width);
 JP> }

Cset (and many other compilers,  on any platform),  for performance
reasons,  buffers stdout (the stream that printf() uses).  This is NOT an
ISO/ANSI violation.  It only flushes the buffer when:

   - "\n" is encountered.
   - the buffer fills up (a few K)
   - fflush(stdout) or flushall() is called.
   - the program terminates normally.


Your solution is any one of:

    - add a \n to the end of the prompts
    - add a fflush(stdout) before each scanf()
    - turn buffering off:  setvbuf(stdout, NULL, _IONBF, 0);

 JP> using an OS/2 compiler, or is Mr. Schildt in error 
 JP> here?

He should have known better (I've never liked any of this books;  how are
you finding it?)


--- Maximus/2 2.02p1