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Accelerated C++: Practical Programming by Example 1st Edition
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Want to learn how to program in C++ immediately? Want to start writing better, more powerful C++ programs today? Accelerated C++'s uniquely modern approach will help you learn faster and more fluently than you ever believed possible. Based on the authors' intensive summer C++ courses at Stanford University, Accelerated C++ covers virtually every concept that most professional C++ programmers will ever use -- but it turns the "traditional" C++ curriculum upside down, starting with the high-level C++ data structures and algorithms that let you write robust programs immediately. Once you're getting results, Accelerated C++ takes you "under the hood," introducing complex language features such as memory management in context, and explaining exactly how and when to use them. From start to finish, the book concentrates on solving problems, rather than learning language and library features for their own sake. The result: You'll be writing real-world programs in no time -- and outstanding code faster than you ever imagined.
- ISBN-10020170353X
- ISBN-13978-0201703535
- Edition1st
- PublisherAddison-Wesley Professional
- Publication dateSeptember 18, 2000
- LanguageEnglish
- Dimensions7.4 x 1 x 9.15 inches
- Print length352 pages
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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
What separates this title from the rest of the pack is that it jumps right in with samples that take advantage of the Standard C++ of today--from streams to built-in container classes, such as vectors and linked lists. Early examples are more complex than in other books, but the thoroughness and relaxed pace of the explanations will bring the novice up to speed. (Although it ships at a slender 350 pages, Accelerated C++ is packed with samples, tips, and example problems; about 10 per chapter.)
After a tour of basic C++, the book looks at more advanced C++ features, such as templates, including built-in support for containers. Besides tapping the strength of Standard C++, you also will learn to design with your own templates. (Other tutorials would defer this material until later on.) The authors have tested the approach in the book in their own teaching, and honed a set of worthwhile examples that will help anyone get familiar with these powerful language features. All examples make use of the command line and console (without GUI programs), but the advantage is that this code should run on any of today's operating systems and compilers. Later sections cover the basics of class design, which include good coverage of operator overloading and inheritance.
With its innovative approach to teaching the language, Accelerated C++ will challenge readers in the right way. It suggests that you don't need to learn C to be productive in C++. Written in an approachable style, it deserves a close look from any C++ novice. --Richard Dragan
Topics covered:
- Introduction to C++
- Console I/O with stream classes
- Basic string handling
- Loop and flow-control statements
- Arrays
- Using functions and methods
- Using Standard Template Library (STL) containers (vectors, linked lists, and maps)
- Iterators
- Sorting and generic functions
- Basic class design
- Pointers and arrays
- File I/O
- Memory-management techniques, including statically and dynamically allocated memory
- Adding stream support to custom classes
- Conversion operators
- Operator overloading
- Friend functions
- Inheritance
- Polymorphism and virtual functions
- Handle idioms for classes, including reference counting
- Quick reference to the C++ language
From the Back Cover
This is a first-rate introductory book that takes a practical approach to solving problems using C++. It covers a much wider scope of C++ programming than other introductory books I've seen, and in a surprisingly compact format.
--Dag Brück, founding member of the ANSI/ISO C++ committeeThe authors present a clear, cogent introduction to C++ programming in a way that gets the student writing nontrivial programs immediately.
--Stephen Clamage, Sun Microsystems, Inc., and chair of the ANSI C++ committeeAnyone reading just this one book and working through the examples and exercises will have the same skills as many professional programmers.
--Jeffrey D. Oldham, Stanford UniversityWhy is Accelerated C++ so effective? Because it
- Starts with the most useful concepts rather than the most primitive ones: You can begin writing programs immediately.
- Describes real problems and solutions, not just language features: You see not only what each feature is, but also how to use it.
- Covers the language and standard library together: You can use the library right from the start.
Whether you are eager to get started writing your first C++ programs, or you are already using C++ and seeking deeper understanding, the authors' unique approach and expertise make Accelerated C++ an indispensable addition to your library.
020170353XB04062001
About the Author
Andrew Koenig is a member of the Large-Scale Programming Research Department at AT&T's Shannon Laboratory, and the Project Editor of the C++ standards committee. A programmer for more than 30 years, 15 of them in C++, he has published more than 150 articles about C++, and speaks on the topic worldwide.
Barbara E. Moo is an independent consultant with 20 years' experience in the software field. During her nearly 15 years at AT&T, she worked on one of the first commercial products ever written in C++, managed the company's first C++ compiler project, and directed the development of AT&T's award-winning WorldNet Internet service business.
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Product details
- Publisher : Addison-Wesley Professional
- Publication date : September 18, 2000
- Edition : 1st
- Language : English
- Print length : 352 pages
- ISBN-10 : 020170353X
- ISBN-13 : 978-0201703535
- Item Weight : 1.15 pounds
- Dimensions : 7.4 x 1 x 9.15 inches
- Part of series : C++ In-Depth
- Best Sellers Rank: #606,046 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #145 in C++ Programming Language
- #599 in Software Development (Books)
- #1,485 in Computer Software (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find this C++ book provides a nice approach to learning the language and serves as a great fast introduction for experienced programmers. Moreover, the pacing is positive, with customers noting it explains concepts well and helps gain working knowledge. However, the execution receives negative feedback, with customers describing the exercises as horrible. Additionally, the book order receives criticism, with one customer noting that chapters cannot be read out of order.
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Customers appreciate the book's pacing, noting that it explains concepts well and is concise, making it a great tutorial for gaining working knowledge.
"...important for the purposes of this review is that the authors are not only knowledgeable, but are also great teachers: they have used the material..." Read more
"...absolutely no time getting you into understanding C++ mode, and simple terms and things most programmers take for granted take quickly as you're..." Read more
"...that with the approach used in this book, pointer and array are easier to understand than learning from the traditional approach...." Read more
"While the concept of this book is nice, the execution is poor, and the result is an abject failure...." Read more
Customers find the book provides a nice approach to learning C++ and is particularly good for those with programming experience, serving as a great fast introduction to the language.
"...is that the authors are not only knowledgeable, but are also great teachers: they have used the material in this book for their professional-..." Read more
"...In a nutshell, it's a refreshing look at C++ and if not able to stand on its own, is a must have supplement for anyone learning or using the language..." Read more
"...This book walks one through a regimen that begins with material relevant in most programs; rather than "basic" not so relevant material...." Read more
"...Fascinatingly this book wastes absolutely no time getting you into understanding C++ mode, and simple terms and things most programmers take for..." Read more
Customers criticize the book's exercises, finding them horrible and difficult to complete.
"...be followed and programmed by the reader and yet there is no output to these examples given to compare answers to...." Read more
"...Here are some major flaws with the book: 1. The exercises are often unclear. You're left wondering what they're really asking you to do...." Read more
"...It is really difficult to do some of the exercises, but there are plenty of websites full of programmers that are willing and able to help you..." Read more
"...The exercises are difficult (and there's no solutions), and the chapters jump all over the place, topically...." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the book order, with one customer noting that chapters cannot be read out of order and another mentioning that they jump all over the place.
"...This means that the chapters cannot really be read out of order...." Read more
"...But again, this kind of ties into this book's problems. Each chapter is not stand-alone, which is a pain...." Read more
"...are difficult (and there's no solutions), and the chapters jump all over the place, topically...." Read more
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2010Format: PaperbackVerified PurchaseThe authors are widely considered to be among the world's foremost authorities on C++. What is perhaps even more important for the purposes of this review is that the authors are not only knowledgeable, but are also great teachers: they have used the material in this book for their professional-education course at Stanford University, and their pedagogic skills show on every page. It comes as no surprise, then, that "Accelerated C++" is consistently recommended to programmers who wish to learn C++.
The Good: This book does not talk down to the reader. It assumes that you are intelligent and implicitly expects you to have previously come into contact with either procedural or object-oriented programming. Many different topics are covered in a short space (around 300 pages in total), but the text is highly readable owing to the authors's relaxed tone, as well as their many cross-references and their detailed explanations of the examples (after all, the book's subtitle is "practical programming by example"). Equally important, the authors have provided on their website the source code for all the examples in the book (and more), packaged for different platforms. As should be obvious, modifying, compiling, and running the code in parallel to reading the text is integral to understanding the concepts being introduced. In contradistinction to many other popular volumes, this book teaches real C++, not "C with classes". To illustrate this point, let me note that pointers and arrays are only introduced in Chapter 10 (of 16). "Accelerated C++" jumps right in and describes a variety of topics that are of use to professional C++ programmers, such as standard library algorithms, templates, allocators, dynamic binding, and more.
The Bad: Some readers may find the student-grading and character-pictures examples a little boring (though what simple example isn't somewhat boring?). Also, the difficulty level of the exercises is not consistent (e.g. some have already been worked out in the provided source code). This book isn't really great as a reference: new concepts are introduced when they are needed for the purposes of the examples. This means that the chapters cannot really be read out of order. Futhermore, certain things like bitsets, switches, enums, and multiple inheritance are either relegated to the Appendices or are not mentioned at all. In a similar vein, object-oriented programming is not thoroughly discussed (as can be expected from such a short book): e.g., inheritance is introduced in chapter 13 (of 16). Finally, this book was published in 2000 and quite a bit has changed in the meantime. Most notably, we are now expecting a new standard to come out (still known as C++0x). Unfortunately, this book doesn't talk about TR1 (a specification for functionality being added to C++'s standard library) or boost (a collection of libraries offering TR1 implementations and much more), or threading in C++. A new edition of "Accelerated C++" apparently is in the works.
Lest the reader feel that I am being too negative, I note that it is impossible for one book to please everyone and cover everything, while being always up-to-date and still remaining short. In a nutshell, this book is great at what it intends to be: a fast-paced, authoritative, and pedagogically sound introduction to (1998/2003) standard C++ . This book definitely deserves 5 stars.
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My two cents on recommended follow-ups:
* C++ Primer, 4th edition, by Stanley B. Lippman, Josee Lajoie, Barbara E. Moo
A great second book which can be used to solidify and expand your understanding. The "C++ Primer" is over 800 pages long, but it is so well written that it can either be read cover-to-cover or used as a reference (see also my review of it on amazon).
* Effective C++, 3rd edition, by Scott Meyers
This assumes you have already come across all of the material contained in "Accelerated C++" and in the "C++ Primer". It offers solid advice on numerous aspects of effective C++ development. Meyers also describes a few design patterns as well as more modern topics like TR1.
Alexandros Gezerlis
- Reviewed in the United States on October 1, 2000Format: PaperbackVerified PurchaseI'll start by saying that I probably would not have understood this book as well as I have, if I had not already been teaching myself C++ through other forums (primers and online). The thing that most of these other forums have in common is that they start with the basics and build up slowly to the more abstract concepts. The problems come during the switchovers (char* to string, procedural programming to object oriented, pointers to iterators, linked lists to containers, etc). In almost all cases you learn the more basic, and paradoxically more difficult concepts first. Then you have to 'unlearn what you have learned' in order to use the more advanced concepts.
So what's different about this book? It teaches a mix of syntax and 'advanced' concepts right from the beginning. You learn the basics of loops and choice statements while using the Standard Library. You also use them in specific examples that have real world uses (the grading program in the first few chapters for example). The Standard Library is _easy_ compared to arrays, char*, rolling your own linked list, using pointers, etc. Since it takes far less time to learn, you can be writing useful programs very quickly. _Then_ the authors go on to describe some of the more 'basic' concepts, usually in terms of how they implement some of the ideas behind the Standard Library. Since you have that understanding already, things like pointers become easier not only to learn, but to understand how they can be used.
I have one complaint about the book, and that's with the grading program, specifically how it appears in Chapter 4. As written, it's very confusing to actually enter data to get it to run correctly. A minor complaint though, considering how many times I thought to myself 'Aha! This is what I could use to solve this problem I've been having.' Or 'Aha! So this is what those other books were trying to say.'
In a nutshell, it's a refreshing look at C++ and if not able to stand on its own, is a must have supplement for anyone learning or using the language. At the very least, it's made me question the seeming SOP of giving the Standard Library one or two chapters and calling fundamentally harder concepts 'basic' and the concepts that make programming in C++ easier being considered 'advanced'.
- Reviewed in the United States on November 29, 2014Format: PaperbackVerified PurchaseI had taken a c++ class years prior though had never had to program with vigor using c++ in my work tasks. That changed and I needed a book to walk me through what was important in coming up to speed with learning, modifying and developing a very large c++ simulation. This book is perfect for this. This book walks one through a regimen that begins with material relevant in most programs; rather than "basic" not so relevant material. The length is not so large as to scare away; some similar books are so long that it would take a year to seriously plow through them. The book will get you up and going in using library functions and developing your own functions before it even touches class structure or inheritance which is addressed in the second half and is done is such a way that many of the advanced concepts are understood based upon the practical work covered in the first half of the book. The only critical remarks I have is that the book gives many very useful examples that really need to be followed and programmed by the reader and yet there is no output to these examples given to compare answers to. I also found that the generation of the input streams to many of the examples needed slight modifications depending upon the platform / compiler being used. Other than these two things, the book is a great buy.
Top reviews from other countries
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Cliente AmazonReviewed in Spain on August 7, 20175.0 out of 5 stars AwesomeGuy
Format: PaperbackVerified PurchaseDecir que voy por menos de la mitad pero ya estoy viendo que ayuda mucho. Hay que saber programar ya en algún otro lenguaje porque no lo explica todo desde cero.
Por ponerle una pega, está en inglés. Si no controlas inglés olvídate.
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Mulder90Reviewed in Italy on September 14, 20115.0 out of 5 stars Spettacolare!
Format: PaperbackVerified PurchaseOttimo! Su internet è uno dei più consigliati libri per imparare il C++ ed ora ho capito il motivo.
Testo chiaro e pieno di esempi(scaricabili anche dal sito internet) veramente ottimi; l'autore riesce a far capire concetti con una facilità unica.
Il testo è in inglese ma non è difficile da comprendere.
Possedevo già un libro in italiano sul C++...dopo 3 pagine mi aveva annoiato. I libri in inglese sono di gran lunga migliori!!!!
Consigliatissimo!
peter nguyenReviewed in Australia on January 16, 20224.0 out of 5 stars item as described
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchaseitem as described. A bit slow in delivery.
Amazon CustomerReviewed in Canada on April 12, 20165.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Format: PaperbackVerified PurchaseEasy to read, good beginner's book
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LouReviewed in France on April 19, 20165.0 out of 5 stars Enfin un bon livre pour se mettre au C++
Format: PaperbackVerified PurchaseAprès des années passées à essayer de me former au C++ par différents moyens, années au cours desquels je fus découragé par la complexité, l'abondance de sources, et la médiocrité pédagogique de nombreux ouvrages, je me régale à la lecture de ce livre. Il permet de plonger directement dans une programmation C++ qui ne soit pas juste une adaptation du C. Les notions fondamentales (par exemple les itérateurs) y sont abordées très tôt, et les détails trop arides du langage sont laissés de côté. Un livre qui va ainsi à l'essentiel permet de ne pas trop vite se noyer dans la masse d'informations disponibles.
Le style est excellent, cela rend la lecture beaucoup plus facile qu'un livre de référence. Une nouvelle édition couvrant C++11 serait la bienvenue, mais c'est bien là le seul bémol quant à cette édition.







