Comment by photochemsyn | Hacker News Reader

Comment by photochemsyn | Hacker News Reader

If I had cash to burn I might keep buying computer programming books, but as it is it's just become easier to use Google to research compsci topics in every area. For example, if I get confused about constexpr functions in C++ I can just Google with upload dates restricted to the past four years and up pops, for example, a nice learncpp page with just about everything I need to know for basic uses.

That said, I downloaded their sample pdf and the nice thing is the code they present is very well commented and so it's easy to read. They seem to take a 'read the code to learn the subject' approach, which I appreciate. Note that it takes a slightly conservative approach:

> "Only the passage of time can distill the programming community’s practical experience with each feature and how well it fared, which is why this book discusses features added up to C++14, even though C++20 is already out."

Maybe I'm missing something but they don't seem to offer the book as a searchable PDF? There seems to be a Kindle edition and paperback only. Worried about piracy or something? Otherwise it might be a useful reference, I guess.

They're not really for the same purpose. The internet is great for finding documentation and reference material, but for larger, cohesive concepts like the book this post is about is on, especially since it's somewhat fringe, you will likely only be able to find bad blog spam on medium, which will be far inferior in quality.

Books are great for when you don’t know what you don’t know. Scott Meyers’ Effective C++ books were hugely valuable to me for that reason.

Same for me. Back in the day I learned C++ by reading each item in Effective C++ and studying Ellis and Stroustrup until I (almost) understood everything that Meyers mentioned in the item. It was slow going...

> Maybe I'm missing something but they don't seem to offer the book as a searchable PDF? There seems to be a Kindle edition and paperback only.

The InformIT page linked from the review has (I'm in the US):

* book for $64

* ebook as ePub, Mobi, and PDF for $51

* book + ebook bundle for $86

The sample PDF is searchable, so I presume the full PDF is as well.

If you're looking at the Amazon listing, then no, I don't expect Amazon to offer PDFs instead of, or even in addition to, a Kindle edition. Oddly, the Kindle edition is more expensive than Amazon's paper copy, or InformIT's ebook.

Based on the sample, this looks like a nice book. It seems to have Meyers-like advice in a more concise, reference-style presentation.

It's a slight concern that all four authors are from the same department of the same company. I don't know anything about Bloomberg Development Environment, but I would be skeptical of a similar offering from, say, Google.

Thanks for that info. Definitely this looks like a useful pdf to have on hand to look stuff up with a quick search (carrying around a 1300 pg book is out of the question). I really like the code samples on the sample.

From the book page:

Includes EPUB, MOBI, and PDF

Worth noting that InformIT currently has a sale running. Through end of 31-May EDT, use code SUNSHINE to get 50% off when you buy two books or ebooks.

Save your money: you do not need this book. You will be better off without this book.

Hey, you seem to have posted variations of this comment over and over again, without providing any substance to your claims.

Could you please explain why you believe that this book is not needed by anyone? Especially when it was reviewed and endorsed by ISO C++ committee members and experts such as Andrei Alexandrescu and Sean Parent. Concrete examples would be appreciated.

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