Customer Reviews

Inside the C++ Object Model

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...truly excellent. If you are seeking to truly UNDERSTAND C++, not just increase your familiarity with the syntax, INSIDE THE C++ OBJECT MODEL is one of the first books I would recommend reading. Stan Lippman, besides being one of the most C++ - knowledgeable humans on the planet, is an excellent writer. His style is quick, to the point, and non-repetitive (to some, this might indicate a difficult read, of course). INSIDE examines the features and additions C++ brought to the world of C - from the inside - demonstrating the creation of objects, instantiation of templates, and more through comparisons with C-based code generated by the CFRONT compiler. For the reader with a good, intermediate understanding of C++, this will be a revelation; seeing a representation of an object - its vtables and internal structure - as a construct that actually exists in memory is simultaneously enlightening and delightful. Few 1500-page texts TEACH so much as this book does in 270-odd pages. One of the best.

This book has a very good explanation of the trade-offs involved in implementing C++.

Problem areas however are: * Cursory explanation of how templates, RTTI and exceptions are handled. * Reads more like a `cfront' rationale with examples from other compilers interspersed. That doesn't mean that the examples are limited. Just that it reads more like the author's experiences, rather than a totally objective view. * Doesn't clearly separate run-time effects that are artifacts of a particular implementation from things required by the Standard. * Lots of typos. Many of the figures don't co-incide with the text -- the text explains with one set of variables, and the figures show some other set, with some names transposed.

I have thought that I had enough knowledge of C++, but after reading this book, I know I was wrong. Detailed discussion of constructor, data member, virtual table, multiple inheritance etc, there are a lot of mysterious details in C++ covered in this book. Yet this book is only 280 pages, which means there are very few redundant words seen in a lot of other tech books.

Recommend reading it with a compiler. I use Visual C to compile sample code and generate the asm file to see the real code compiler generates. It is rewarding.

Have you ever wondered how RTTI or virtual functions work? What are the rules for determining if a default constructor is provided. This book will answer those questions and more.

The C++ Object Model gets to the "how" of C++. It covers the details of how virtually (ha!) every language features is implemented and what rules a compiler uses to make decisions.

This book is not an easy read. You need to be very comfortable with C++ and be willing to work through lots of code. The explanations are ok, but could be a bit much if you aren't familiar with the full C++ lexicon. That said, if you want to take you C++ knowledge to a new level, this book is the ticket. There is nothing else like it available.

This book is excellent in telling the underlying implementation of C++ and how the cfront compiler changed C++ into C. While this is not an everyday task and one that most people could care less about, it is truly one of the most important things you could learn because it shows an important comparison between the code you don't have to write and the execution time you lose. Every C++ programmer should have read this book at least 10 times to decide what structures should be used under what circumstances

If you use C++ in real time environments, you need this book. Real time programmers need to understand "what is going on under the covers." This is really the only book I've found that explains it in depth.

Reading this book is important if you are trying to decide whether to code in C or C++. You need to understand the overhead of C++, where it comes from and, at times, how to avoid it.

When debugging an understanding of how the compiler translates C++ code into machine language is essential. Lippmans book does not delve into code generation but it does provide a framework for understanding how the C++ object model is represented in machine language.

I'll be the first to admit that Lippman can go off on to some arcane tangents. He can spend a few pages discussing details that really have minimal effect on code execution. But I'm willing to forgive these diversions because so much of his book has contributed to my understanding of C++ and how it works.

If you have been using C++ for a while now, and you REALLY want to know what is going on under the hood, read this book - and gain and again until you have memorized it. As a software architect, I use this book almost on a daily basis - most of the time to prove my case and to show what is really going on behind my design decisions.
The benchmarks are useful as they really show you what the difference between C, C++ is with various compilers. I have referred to those benchmarks more times than I can remember.

A good leisurely stroll through the ways C++ constructs are implemented, explained by rewriting the C++ code to make explicit the implementation detail, and the way objects are represented. But watch out for a LOT of typos in the code (I read the first printing). Templates, RTTI and exceptions are squeezed into the last chapter.

This is the second book one should read after reading books like C++ programming language or C++ primer as first book on C++. This book is a complement to the above titles. It covers exactly that portion of the language which remains hidden in other books. The "real C++" is here, in this book. One cannot come across an equivalent of "Inside C++ object model". One cannot be a complete C++ programmer without knowing the facts mentioned in this book. It's unique in the sence that it carries with it irreproducible experiece and enjoyment Stan Lippman had while working on the wonderful C++ compiler. Reading the book was an unforgettable experience for me.

If you a series C++ programmer, you need this book. It's one level of abtraction above knowing how compilers work, and one level of abstraction below any advanced C++ book. It tells you what the compiler generates, and how much will is cost. Speed comparisons, and all. Object models of Inheritance, multiple inheritance, virtual inheritance, and the underlaying structure of how these things work. Great C++ book...