Customer Reviews

The C++ Standard Library: A Tutorial and Reference

5 star:		(93)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

On my second reading, I'm still finding more gems in this book. Up to now, it was almost impossible to find any comprehensive material on the standard library. All one could find was the odd article about some aspect of the library, or rather specialized books about STL. Nicolai has fixed that particular problem once and for all.

The book reminds of Richard Stevens's famous UNIX books. Incredibly complete, incredibly detailed, incredibly accurate, and a great tutorial and reference at the same time. And, best of all, it's just as accessible to someone who is not a real expert as it is for someone who's been using C++ for years.

This is one of the *very* few books that get a spot on my top shelf. A classic that I will come back to again and again.

Mr. Josuttis offers in this book an amazingly comprehensive guide to the often bewildering C++ standard library. I originally purchased this book looking for more STL information, and I was certainly not disappointed in that respect. STL descriptions account for nearly half of the book volume. However, as non-STL questions arose, I found myself digging into this book time and time again (questions about auto_ptr, string class, allocators, etc).

If you're a C++ programmer and do not already own a current (circa 1999 or later) library reference, do yourself and your code a favor and grab a copy of this book. C++ is an extremely scalable language. It's easy to use only knowing a small subset of the language and library features. Having a reference such as this one ensures that you'll be less likely to accidentally duplicate work that has already been done for you in the standard library.

As far as book organization goes, I'd say that the book does lean more towards "reference" rather than "tutorial", but I never believe a book that claims to be both anyhow. Anyone interested in a pure tutorial should buy a book specifically written with that in mind. For more experienced programmers not needing quite as much hand holding, however, the book does work as advertised.

Overall, I can't really recommend this book more enthusiastically.

The book is subtitled "a tutorial and reference". Let it be said that it is more of a reference. There are several concise examples that explain how to use the features, but the writing style is fairly terse. This book is an excellent supplement to books such as Bjarne Stroustrup's "The C++ Programming Language". The discussion about how to use the standard library is more detailed than other books.

The reason why I am giving this book five stars is because it is the best reference on the standard library that I have found anywhere. The examples are both minimal and complete -- just enough code to explain how the features should be used. I wouldn't say that this is a book you should have on your shelf -- it belongs on your desk.

I so wanted to like this book, but I take a $50 book purchase very seriously. Every time I try to look something up in this book, I end up finding the answer in The C++ Programming Language (3rd Ed, by Stroustrup) instead. That bums me out. I wanted a reference for the STL that I could pull out while coding and get the answer with no digging. This book ain't it.

Also, I read the first couple of chapters straight through and they struck me as weak. There seemed to be selective assumptions about what the reader should know. I'm an experienced coder and I had trouble figuring out what the author was really trying to get across, or why. I guess I'm used to the efficient, logical, concept-packed prose (and expertise) of Stroustrup, Kernighan/Ritchie, and Meyers.

Even so, I will continue to give this book a chance and will edit my review if I find that I was too quick to judgment.
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Okay, here's my update. I have returned the book to amazon. The title should be STL Primer, as in a breezy INTRODUCTION to the STL. It is a reference only for beginners (in my view). The examples are uniformly simplistic and there is little depth to the discussions. Even when some potential pitfall or complexity is mentioned, the matter is dropped right there.

This all sounds negative, but I don't mean to be. I was simply misled by the huge number of (inaccurate) raves. This is NOT a reference of any depth. It certainly is not a "must have". It may be a decent tutorial for someone new to STL.

My colleagues and I are extremely impressed with both the organization and thoroughness of "The C++ Standard Library". Prior to the purchase of this book, we had consulted 3 other STL books for help in writing our software. All 3 of the other books constantly frustrated us by making it almost impossible to locate information quickly and by omitting key facts. We were, therefore, acutely aware of the inadequacies of the available texts and were, as a result, all the more appreciative of this book and excited to find it. Features I particularly like include: (1) The index is possibly the most inclusive and well organized I have seen anywhere. Under the listing for each container type, for instance, is an indented listing of all associated algorithms, etc and the respective page numbers. (2) For each container type the text includes a listing of any required headers, a concise definition of the stl template/class with all associated constructors and destructors (a very useful feature), and extensive example code. (3) The example code fragments are well documented and point out any anomolies which will result in potential run time errors; saddly, other texts we consulted failed to warn us of these potential run-time errors, one of which cost us a few hours of testing/debugging time. The above list of "likes" is by no means all-inclusive. In short, if I were planning to buy only 1 STL reference, it would be "The C++ Standard Library" by Nicolai Josuttis.

If you are learning C++ or an experienced programmer, this book is for you.

The book takes off where a lot of introductory texts leave off, and explains what is going on with library function calls etcetera.

Not only does the book explain the calls, it also gives a history on C++ and describes the development of the library and language, so AT LAST you understand WHY certain things are implemented the way they are.

Of particular note is the excellent (and understandable)coverage of STL and templates which will finally allow the reader to produce better more flexible code, utilising techniques that are properly explained for a change!

This is not just a book it is hardcovered empowerment, the subtitle A tutorial and reference describes it well!

This is far and away the best C++ Standard Library book I have come across. I spent a lot of time looking for STL books, and after 3 tries ended up with this one. It gives thorough coverage to the entire standard library without being terribly dry. The downside of the book is that it doesn't explain the motivation or the detailed mechanics behind the standard library. If you really start to use the STL and are considering extending it I would recommend also having a copy of Generic Programming and the STL.

As a peripatetic C++ developer, I maintain a small portable library of "classic" references that follows me from job to job. Josuttis' book is the clearest, most complete and lucid discussion of the Standard Template Library I have come across. Alongside "Design Patterns", "UNIX Network Programming" et al. this book is a new classic, a must for all serious programmers. It assumes a basic working knowledge of C++ (no padded-out primer this) and requires some thoughtful understanding of the subtle errors that can creep into naive code. A jocular and friendly writing style relieves the density of technical information. Stack this one next to Stroustrup and you've pretty much covered all the bases.

It used to be that my colleagues and I would sit around arguing about which was the best book on STL and/or Standard C++. Each of the available offerings fell short in a major way. Either it was to introductory, or too complex and incoherent. Or perhaps it neglected major topics.

Josuttis is the new undisputed champion. Chapters 2 & 3 alone are worth more than the price of the book. And it gets better as you go.

Yes, some of the examples involve simple objects. However, from the way the author develops the subject matter, extending the examples to more complex, dynamic objects becomes a simple task.

This is probably the only book you'll ever need on STL and the C++ Standard Library extensions.

I have been looking for a book that explains the STL well. This book is it. The code examples are very useful and it is very thoughtful of the author to use those code. However, I must point out that I had to spend quite some time making amendments to the errata (available on the authors webiste) as I was holding the 1st printing. It is definitely not an easy task to come up with a book as this... and making errors is inevitable. Fortunately, the later printings (3rd and 4th) has substantially less errata.

After making the amendments and then reading the book, many would agree with me that it is a book that deserve a 5-star rating. I agree with the editorial review regarding the usefulness of the book but I do not think that such a book is appropriate for a beginner C++ programmer. A certain level of proficiency in the language is required to really appreciate what is written.

If your intention is to know to know STL, try to get the later printing (less errata)----4th printing...so that you need to make less corrections.