Customer Reviews

C++ In Action: Industrial Strength Programming Techniques (With CD-ROM)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I had very high hopes for this book. Moreso than I've had for another book in quite a while. I guess the fact that my hopes were so high is what ultimately led to me being so disappointed. The reason I was so disappointed is not because the content of the book was useless or wrong, but rather because I expected the book to be something it was not. I consider myself a very advanced C++ programmer, and I expected the book to still be able to teach me some new tricks here and there. The ToC seemed to hint that the book was in fact fairly advanced, and covered applications of C++ in real world programming situations which I may not have come across yet. Unfortunately, the book really did not teach me very much. The first half of the book was very odd in my opinion. He went over such basic things as for loops, if else structures, etc, yet by the third chapter he is building a stack based calculator based on an object oriented lexer and parser. I'm not exactly sure who the target audience of this book is. Certainly not for people who have never programmed C++ before, because they would be completely dumbfounded by the speed at which he moves through the basic fundamentals of the language. Yet it can't possibly be for people who have been around the world and back with C++, or even for intermediate C++ programmers, because they know that stuff like the back of their hands. It seems almost like the whole first few chapters are just a primer on basic C++ "because it seems like the cool thing to do". If you actually learn something from that part of the book, the rest of the book will be too advanced for you. And if you understand the rest of the book, the first part will be useless to you. In my experience, any book that tries to be everything to everyone has ended up being a failure, and in my opinion this book is no exception. That being said, the book does cover some very useful techniques and idioms, provided your knowledge of C++ is not too elementary, and not too advanced. I think the entire part of the book devoted to wrapping the Windows API is interesting, but something about it doesn't sit right with me, and I personally don't find it to be useful in the real world in the slightest. So, if you're a beginner don't get this book. If you're advanced don't get this book. But if you're right in the middle you can probably find some useful, applicable information from the middle portion of the book.

For any developer that have had the displeasure of working with Win32 API and/or MFC in C++, this book strikes a very sensitive cord. For the uninitiated, Win32 is an OO programmer's nightmare, and trying to build a decent OO framework on top of it is a Herculean effort that few has dared to attempt. MFC is better, but marginally so, as it ascends Win32 from a nightmare to a very bad dream. The lack of proper standard libraries for other facilities such as threading, sockets, etc. only adds to the hurdles that a C++ developer needs to overcome in order to implement the most trivial functionality in his or her program.

And along comes this book with the attempt to build an OO layer that encapsulates the horrendous details of the Windows API. Of course, only a limited subset of this monolithic API is addressed in the book, which is understandable. One might consider the whole subject of the book a case study rather than a shrink-rapped solution, which is well-worth the time and money spent on it. If you have programmed with either Win32 or MFC before, and have being stung by their awkward design, or lack thereof, then consider this book a mandatory reading assignment.

However, the main problem with this book is that it attempts to be a one-size-fits-all material. The first chapters vainly try to introduce the reader to the C++ programming language. And the remaining chapters are bloated with subsections covering the finer details of the language as they are needed. The whole assumption that a total C++ novice can understand the Win32 API (the problem), the OO layer (the solution), AND the C++ programming language along the way is a very ludicrous one. A novice will struggle endlessly with it, and will ultimately find him or herself given up and reverting to more classical texts on C++ and OOP before being able to stomach reading this book again. Alas, the wasted space on introducing C++ could have been put to better use by adding more depth to the material.

So, you might ask why the four stars. The subject matter is unique and direly needed. And the coverage is adequate if you realistically set your expectations. By all means, buy it and read it. You might find it useful or at least enlightening. I know I did. But don't come unprepared.

This is the ONLY book I could get hold of that actually attacked head-on the problem of using C++ and Windows without abandoning object-oriented design and sanity in coding. Maybe Jeffrey Richter has done something as good - I don't know - but I bet he takes three times as many pages to do it. You can work through this book or just read it but either way, your C++ & Win32 skills will be greatly consolidated.

The associated ReliSoft website is well worth a look, with some lovely sarcasm about MFC that didn't make it into the book (plus extra stuff on threads, etc.)

if you are a C++ developer,if you ever wanted to do serious Windows development, and create rock solid application for your users to enjoy and have been looking for the right architecture to base your work ...
if you have tried MFC ( or any other OWL and the like ) and want to get rid of them, not for the sake of it, but because you think that a 'platform' that generates an 'Hello World' program that is 1.5 Mo and generates 2 pages of warnings when run with BoundsChecker, might not be the right 'platform' for a commercial application ...
Then this book is a must have.

Part 1 Langage : Although it is not a tutorial per say , as the intention is to summarize the major C++ features that will be used in the rest of the book , it is certainly one of the best tutorials on advanced C++ programming !! just this part is worth buying the book , if you don't plan to develop for Windows.

Part2 Techniques : This part covers more advanced topics that will help you build dynamic software : software that don't have any other limits that the capacity of the machine .If 'resource management' doesn't mean much to you, after reading about it, you'll wonder how you did before.And there is no magic tricks : only plain C++ , cleverly used ...

Part 3 Windows : A must ! Thought of reusable components, of wrapping the Windows API into an OO entities that can be (really) reused and augmented ? read it!
and in fact it is not only about Windows : you can create applications that will be portable to any other 'XEROX Parc' based GUI operating system , but without the 'smallest common denominator' syndrom that strikes most commercial packages aiming at that.

Part4 : Scaling up.
If your project involves more than one person , this part is full of information and techniques to help you achieve serious 'group development'. And it doesn't come out of thin air : Mr Milewski has been 'building ' those rules on his own experience at MSFT where he was in charge of the Index Server.

This guy has a great experience and want to share it. One can't miss such an opportunity.

But if you have any doubt , just go to Relisoft web site , take a look at the Web based version of the book and I bet that in no time you'll order the paper version ...
BTW you'll also find on their web site additionnal tutorials for more advanced windows techniques , and plenty of other stuff besides Code Co-op which is THE version control system that will enable your group to achieve your goals wether working in the same room or in remote locations.

One last word : the audience : anyone that does softare development. The VB developer might find that real programming is not that far away, and the advanced programmer will have the impression that someone did put on paper all the things he has had in the back of his head for years ...
Mr Milewski , thanks a lot for your work.

If you are looking for something different than the same old previous C++ discussions, then "C++ In Action" is for you. Bartosz physics background gives this book a very unique style and presentation. Having taught introductory, intermediate and advanced classes in C++, I would not recommend this book for beginners. I would suggest this book for intermediate level programmers with 1-2 years of C++ experience that are looking to better understand the language, or hard-core C programmers that are just trying to pick up the syntax of the language.

A book of strategy and tactics for creating dependable and elegant code. The Windows API techniques are reason alone to make this book a favorite. Techniques I wish they had tought in school. I hope there is a sequel to this book titled "Industrial-Strength Windows Programming."

First of all, there is no C11. ...
So since we are at it, let me try to explain once more what my book isn't. It's not a book that teaches C++ syntax or programming tricks. If that's what you are looking for, there are much better books out there. Also, if you don't already know some programming, you probably won't be able to learn C++ from this book (unless you are exceptionally bright).
However, if you are passionate about programming (just like I am) and you would like to get some insight into what goes into good programming and why--this book is for you. And if, depending on your level of experience, you get stuck in Chapter 3 (the parser), 10 (resource management), or 16 (Windows), don't give up. Take a break, write (or rewrite) some programs, and come back after a few weeks or months (hopefuly not years).

C++ is rich enough to make it easy to write buggy, hard to maintain code. But when used well, you can write robust, high performance programs. C++ in Action is a great, very readable, guide to doing just that. Three fourths of the book is devoted to how to use C++ to write robust, maintainable programs. Specifically, the author describes which language features to use where, and why. The chapter on dealing with errors and resources was particularly useful. Next, the author applies the techniques just covered to the Windows API, bring considerable order to the chaos that is Windows. The resulting classes are small, easy to maintain C++ that avoids the bulk and macro frenzy of MFC. And finally there's a section on how to bring structure and order to teams and the design process with small, to the point, comments. Still making up your mind? Read the book online at the author's web site (Relisoft). I bet you'll want a hard copy for your bookshelf.

If you want to quickly get your hands dirty this is another book introducing you to C++. If you are easily bored this is a good book. On the other hand if you don't know anything about programming and you are the type who learns by repeating the same stuff over and over, you can try the Deitel&Deitel alternative...