Jonathan Dale Kirwan (jonk@netcom.com) wrote:
< Marian Corcoran (mcorcora@ix.netcom.com) wrote:
< :      As far as I know, the book is unique in giving such a deep and
< : detailed history of a programming language.

< It was the best book I've seen for insight into c++.

To add to the panegyric, It's also one of the most difficult books to put
down.  I bought it last friday, and finished it in a matter of hours.
Still, it's a sad tale.  How I cried every time the language was
emasculated or mutilated in the name of "C compatibility".  I especially
like the point that "inside C++ is a beautiful and elegant language waiting
to get out".

A.

--
Andrew Fitzgibbon (Research Associate),                     andrewfg@ed.ac.uk
Artificial Intelligence, Edinburgh University.               +44 031 650 4504
<a href=http://www.dai.ed.ac.uk/staff/personal_pages/andrewfg> Home Page </a>
                         "Never say there is no way" -- me.

In article <jonkD905vr.7In@netcom.com>,
Jonathan Dale Kirwan <jonk@netcom.com> wrote:
> Marian Corcoran (mcorcora@ix.netcom.com) wrote:
> : I started reading Stroustrup   s Design and Evolution of C++ ( D & E ) and
> : found some advice in the beginning (p. 3).  He recommends reading the
> : major sections of the book first (eg. 1.1, 1.2, ... ) and skipping the
> : subsections (1.1.1, ...).  This gives one a good design overview of the
> : language first.  After that,  I have been going through it writing in
> : the margin the language feature being discussed.   The book deals
> : largely with the reasoning behind the features.  Such information adds
> : insight to one   s own understanding and use of the language, and is
> : useful in instructing others as well.
> :      As far as I know, the book is unique in giving such a deep and
> : detailed history of a programming language.
>
> It was the best book I've seen for insight into c++.  I had been
> painfully working though the syntax, testing ideas, etc., and slowly
> learning better use of the tools provided in c++.  Then I read the book
> and received confirmation of what I had painfully learned and added a
> great deal more, far more quickly than ever before.  Watching the
> construction of the language taught me easier and better than just
> studying the current syntax.  The other books I read failed to provide
> this insight.
>
> Jon
>

I agree. I've also been reading the D&E and found it very useful. Having
known WHAT C++ is and HOW to use it, finding out the WHY's lets me know
HOW to use it BETTER.

Rey Crisostomo

--
Rey Crisostomo
reycri@actrix.gen.nz
Wellington, New Zealand

I started reading Stroustrup   s Design and Evolution of C++ ( D & E ) and
found some advice in the beginning (p. 3).  He recommends reading the
major sections of the book first (eg. 1.1, 1.2, ... ) and skipping the
subsections (1.1.1, ...).  This gives one a good design overview of the
language first.  After that,  I have been going through it writing in
the margin the language feature being discussed.   The book deals
largely with the reasoning behind the features.  Such information adds
insight to one   s own understanding and use of the language, and is
useful in instructing others as well.
     As far as I know, the book is unique in giving such a deep and
detailed history of a programming language.

Marian Corcoran (mcorcora@ix.netcom.com) wrote:
: I started reading Stroustrup   s Design and Evolution of C++ ( D & E ) and
: found some advice in the beginning (p. 3).  He recommends reading the
: major sections of the book first (eg. 1.1, 1.2, ... ) and skipping the
: subsections (1.1.1, ...).  This gives one a good design overview of the
: language first.  After that,  I have been going through it writing in
: the margin the language feature being discussed.   The book deals
: largely with the reasoning behind the features.  Such information adds
: insight to one   s own understanding and use of the language, and is
: useful in instructing others as well.
:      As far as I know, the book is unique in giving such a deep and
: detailed history of a programming language.

It was the best book I've seen for insight into c++.  I had been
painfully working though the syntax, testing ideas, etc., and slowly
learning better use of the tools provided in c++.  Then I read the book
and received confirmation of what I had painfully learned and added a
great deal more, far more quickly than ever before.  Watching the
construction of the language taught me easier and better than just
studying the current syntax.  The other books I read failed to provide
this insight.

Jon