Product Description

A book that stands out from the herd. Ruminations on C++ concentrates on the key C++ ideas and programming techniques--skimming the cream--to let you understand the "why" and not just the "how" of C++ programming. You need not be an expert C++ programmer to find solid fodder here, yet even experts need not fear overgrazing: You will find something worth chewing on in every chapter. This should be your next C++ book, because it *covers a broad range of C++ ideas and techniques, from detailed code examples to design principles and philosophy *shows how to think about programming in C++, not just how to follow rules *explains the motivation behind its examples; sometimes even solving the same problem in two different ways *covers both object-oriented programming and generic programming *explains the ideas behind the Standard Template Library, which is the most important recent innovation in C++. This book comes to you from two people who started using C++ when its entire user community could still fit in one room. Both of them have contributed significantly to the evolution of C++. 0201423391B04062001

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #415823 in Books
• Published on: 1996-09-24
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 400 pages

From the Back Cover

A book that stands out from the herd.

Ruminations on C++ concentrates on the key C++ ideas and programming techniques--skimming the cream--to let you understand the "why" and not just the "how" of C++ programming. You need not be an expert C++ programmer to find solid fodder here, yet even experts need not fear overgrazing: You will find something worth chewing on in every chapter.

This should be your next C++ book, because it

• covers a broad range of C++ ideas and techniques, from detailed code examples to design principles and philosophy

• shows how to think about programming in C++, not just how to follow rules

• explains the motivation behind its examples; sometimes even solving the same problem in two different ways

• covers both object-oriented programming and generic programming

• explains the ideas behind the Standard Template Library, which is the most important recent innovation in C++.

This book comes to you from two people who started using C++ when its entire user community could still fit in one room. Both of them have contributed significantly to the evolution of C++.

0201423391B04062001

About the Author

Andrew Koenig is a member of the Large-Scale Programming Research Department at AT&T's Shannon Laboratory, and the Project Editor of the C++ standards committee. A programmer for more than 30 years, 15 of them in C++, he has published more than 150 articles about C++, and speaks on the topic worldwide.

Barbara E. Moo is an independent consultant with 20 years' experience in the software field. During her nearly 15 years at AT&T, she worked on one of the first commercial products ever written in C++, managed the company's first C++ compiler project, and directed the development of AT&T's award-winning WorldNet Internet service business.

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Customer Reviews

Slightly outdated, but some interesting ideas
Much of the material in this book seems to relate to the state of C++ some years ago. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as it means the author spends time explaining issues which are generally taken for granted by authors such as Meyers and Sutter, for example why you might want to couple a function with the data it operates on. Historical reasons for certain otherwise obscure features of C++ are made clearer, and there are some genuinely intriguing ideas, such as an object-based logging system. However if you are reasonably familiar with OO and C++ you will find portions of the book cover (extremely) well-trodden ground - "Defining a String Class", for example, to which Koenig devotes several chapters. Overall I wouldn't rate this book as highly as Exceptional C++ or Effective C++, but it's worth a read.

Useful and readable
Stroustrup covers some of the same ground, but he wrote a reference work, not a reader. This book has been derived from several years of magazine columns and this is reflected in the clear exposition of many of the basic elements of class design in C++. The stuff on designing handle classes to insulate your implementation classes has paid for itself many times over in just a week of application writing.

Why spend years learning these lessons the hard way? Buy this book.

still contains useful insights
I was keen to read this expanded and edited collection of columns, given the high quality of the authors' Accelerated C++. This is not quite as good as that book, but it's held up better than some of its contemporaries, like Carroll and Ellis's Designing and Coding Reusable C++.

The chapters are quite short, but they feel cohesive and flow well. The early part of the book is perhaps the most dated. There are discussions of implementing a string class and handle classes - they're treated well, but it's likely you've seen this several times before. Also, I didn't find the 'string picture' chapters, designed to illustrate class design, terribly interesting or illuminating of the underlying principles of object orientation (I didn't like them much in Accelerated C++ either).

However, the section on templates remains relevant, and the discussion of function objects and generic programming is a very good introduction. The later chapters on API design also retain insights. And in particular, the chapter on stream manipulators is very cool. It's also very good at discussing implementation and design issues and the thought processes that go into them. The feel is of someone talking you through how they went about writing some useful C++ and the trade offs involved.

In summary, this is a little dated, but it still has some bits and pieces that you won't find elsewhere. Not one to own at all costs, but keep an eye out for a cheap second hand copy, and when the price is right, pounce.