Rating: 
Summary: superlative
Review: Sutter elaborates on critical issues that are ignored or treated superficially by other authors especially exception safety. The practitioner who does understand the contents of this book is doomed to make serious mistakes and I am certainly going to design and code with a much more critical eye.
Rating:
Summary: Brings up a lot of issues I hadn't thought about
Review: The "problems" brought up in this book bring up lots of issues with C++ development that are very interesting. For instance, the sections on exception handling made me reevaluate some of my code and realize what a poor job I was doing in some of my code.
Rating:
Summary: An Exceptional C++ Book
Review: This book is a very valuable addition to any intermediate or advanced C++ programmer's library. The organization is similar to Scott Meyers' very good "Effective C++" books in that they are organized into brief "items" dealing with specific problems that C++ software developers face. The items are helpfully grouped into sections on generic programming and the C++ standard library, exception safety, memory management, etc. Beyond that its hard to compare this book with Meyers' books; they are complementary in many ways. But I think the "Exceptional C++" books have some advantages over Meyers' books: Each of the items begin with a puzzle to solve. This gets the reader more actively involved in the subject matter and brings it into sharper focus (Meyers tends to lose your focus by rambling a bit). Once you've had a chance to think about the presented problem, there is a clear and concise explanation of both the problem and a well considered solution. Each explanation is highlighted by concise "guidelines" and "common mistake" statements. (I wish these were summarized and indexed in one place for quick reference.) The emphasis is on writing clear, simple, reliable code; not on clever solutions to tricky problems. This book is a distillation of discussions that took place in the "Guru of the Week" Internet forum and so is a product of the thinking and experience of many exceptional minds. "Exceptional C++" will help any serious C++ programmer toward better code design. It's well worth the time to read it.
Rating:
Summary: An Exceptional C++ Book
Review: This book is a very valuable addition to any intermediate or advanced C++ programmer's library. The organization is similar to Scott Meyers' very good "Effective C++" books in that they are organized into brief "items" dealing with specific problems that C++ software developers face. The items are helpfully grouped into sections on generic programming and the C++ standard library, exception safety, memory management, etc. Beyond that its hard to compare this book with Meyers' books; they are complementary in many ways. But I think the "Exceptional C++" books have some advantages over Meyers' books: Each of the items begin with a puzzle to solve. This gets the reader more actively involved in the subject matter and brings it into sharper focus (Meyers tends to lose your focus by rambling a bit). Once you've had a chance to think about the presented problem, there is a clear and concise explanation of both the problem and a well considered solution. Each explanation is highlighted by concise "guidelines" and "common mistake" statements. (I wish these were summarized and indexed in one place for quick reference.) The emphasis is on writing clear, simple, reliable code; not on clever solutions to tricky problems. This book is a distillation of discussions that took place in the "Guru of the Week" Internet forum and so is a product of the thinking and experience of many exceptional minds. "Exceptional C++" will help any serious C++ programmer toward better code design. It's well worth the time to read it.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic Book From An Expert
Review: This is an excellent advanced text on C++. If you have the Meyers books down cold, this is the next stop in your C++ journey. This book is in a similar format to the Meyers books with sections and items; however, Sutter takes a different approach. He presents you with a C++ puzzle at the beginning of the item. You have a chance to come up with your answer and then compare it to the author's. Some of the items make up a logical series, but beyond that they can be read in any order.As for the content, this is good stuff. My favorite is Item 21 on Overriding Virtual Functions. The contrast that Sutter reveals between the static binding of default parameters versus dynamic binding of virtual functions shows how you can get yourself in trouble and write code that is truly unfriendly. Other items deal with using the STL, exception safety, compilers, namespaces, and much more. I don't recommend trying to read this in one sitting unless you are on the same level as Meyers, Coplien, or Stroustrup. The book looks small, but the amount of information is not proportional to the number of pages.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic Book From An Expert
Review: This is an excellent advanced text on C++. If you have the Meyers books down cold, this is the next stop in your C++ journey. This book is in a similar format to the Meyers books with sections and items; however, Sutter takes a different approach. He presents you with a C++ puzzle at the beginning of the item. You have a chance to come up with your answer and then compare it to the author's. Some of the items make up a logical series, but beyond that they can be read in any order. As for the content, this is good stuff. My favorite is Item 21 on Overriding Virtual Functions. The contrast that Sutter reveals between the static binding of default parameters versus dynamic binding of virtual functions shows how you can get yourself in trouble and write code that is truly unfriendly. Other items deal with using the STL, exception safety, compilers, namespaces, and much more. I don't recommend trying to read this in one sitting unless you are on the same level as Meyers, Coplien, or Stroustrup. The book looks small, but the amount of information is not proportional to the number of pages.
Rating:
Summary: A lot of hours of C++ learning.
Review: This is by far one of the best books on C++ I've ever bought. I am not going to claim that I've read this because this is not a book you 'read' before going to sleep. Even if you consider yourself a C++ guru, you really need to go spend a lot of time on each exercise - if you want to ace them, that's it. If you aren't a C++ expert but at least can find your way, make sure you have Stroustroup's on your table when you get to this. Try to answer every question on this book with the help of Stroustroup's. You will learn *a lot* from the experience, and have a lot of fun, too. Also, if you run everything you do by your compiler, you will find compiler bugs, which for me is a plus because saves time in the long run. As for the exercises themselves, all of them, without exception, are worth every penny. Not a single one has an obvious answer (a perfect one - sure you can give some decent if you know C++ well), and from all of them you will learn something valuable. Finally, a quick list of the topics, since Amazon.com doesn't have one online at this time: Generic Programming and the C++ Standard Library. Exception-Safety Issues and Techniques. Class Design and Inheritance. Compiler Firewalls and the Pimpl Idiom. Name Lookup, Namespaces and the Interface Principle. Memory Management. Traps, Pitfalls and Anti-Idioms. Miscellaneous Topic. Each of the topic has 4-7 subtopics, each of them with a few exercises. Don't miss this book.
Rating:
Summary: More Than You Should Have To Know About C++
Review: Unfortunately, the power of C++ comes with complexity, and the language has more than its share of dark corners. This outstanding book takes an in-depth look at some of them and belongs on the bookshelf of every advanced C++ programmer. I consider myself a C++ expert, yet I was surprised on page after page. Nobody should have to know that that much about C++, but the nature of the language is that - at least as an advanced programmer - you *have* to know, and that's why this book is indespensable.
Rating:
Summary: More Than You Should Have To Know About C++
Review: Unfortunately, the power of C++ comes with complexity, and the language has more than its share of dark corners. This outstanding book takes an in-depth look at some of them and belongs on the bookshelf of every advanced C++ programmer. I consider myself a C++ expert, yet I was surprised on page after page. Nobody should have to know that that much about C++, but the nature of the language is that - at least as an advanced programmer - you *have* to know, and that's why this book is indespensable.
Rating:
Summary: It worth 6 stars.
Review: You can't find similar discussion on exception-safety, namespace, casts, ... Even Scott (arthur of "effective C++" and "more effective C++") says he fell into traps discussed in the book. It is as good as "Design Patterns", if not better. And the arthor will write a following volume, and I am waiting for it. zlan@hotmail.com
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