Well I want to learn more about c++; I have read two beginning c++ books and mfc foundation classes by prosise and I''m wondering if I know enough to undertand strousup''s book. I have read many many reviews from amazon saying the book is very advanced and you must know quite a bit to understand it. I dont have alot of money right now so I dont want to buy a book that I cannot use for awhile. I have a very good understanding of basic c++ stuff and alot of motivation and a natural knack for computers. If strousup''s book is too advanced for me what would be a better alternative? Any help would be appreciated

I just got my copy today. I''m up to around page 50 and so far it isn''t too advanced. I don''t even know C++, just java and a little C. Glancing ahead it doesn''t look like it gets all that complicated either. I''m only 5% of the way through this huge book (1019 pages!) but right now I''m going to strongly recommend it. I think the people who thought it was too advanced were total newbies, this isn''t the kind of book you want for your first book but it is suitable for people who only have a little experience. Actually the first chapter is a bit rough because it is a summary of different programming styles but don''t worry about it. Now that I look at it this book might even be able to work as a beginner''s book if you cut out the first chapter. I mean on page 46 it shows you how to make a hello world program.

summary: order it now, if you can get a second book at the same time you don''t have to pay for shipping. I''m ordering effective C++ and some book on STL, they should come on wednesday so you might want to get one of those. Design Patterns is also very good but for more intermediate programmers, I''d hold off on buying it until you''ve attempted a project that ends up being too big for you.

I disagree with the previous poster, this book is definitely not for beginners (even if you leave out the first three chapters which are overviews of the language itself and the standard library. Chapter 3 uses templates, pointers, references, iterators, predicates, etc.)

In the C++ part of the book (as opposed to the "standard library" part, or the "design using C++" part) every aspect of C++ is being explained thoroughly, one by one. This is what makes this book more of a reference than a tutorial, since every little detail of every little aspect is discussed and would rapidly overwhelm & discourage beginners.
Also, the order in which the topics are presented is not good at all for learning. For example, functions (which are kind of important I would say) are introduced in chapter 7, while in chapter 6 (Expressions and Statements, in which he demonstrates how to make a parser, using functions, while these are only introduced in the next chapter) you will already have met things like constructors ((!) classes -> chapter 10), type conversion using reinterpret_cast and static_cast, memory management with new & delete, there''s even some exception handling in 6.2.6.2 next to a demonstration of how to specify a function to be called whenever memory is exhausted)
Definitely not for beginners.

I think this book is meant for people who know C++ fairly well and want to fill the gaps in their knowledge. Keywords like "mutable" and "explicit" or virtual base classes were unknown to me before reading this book. Also, when you''re hesitating about something (how are static data members handled in template classes, how to overload new and delete, etc.) you''re sure to find the answer in there, somewhere. Personally I''m glad I bought the book, it''s been of great help.

My guess is that if you''ve already read 2 C++ books and can use MFC, you know enough to be able to use Stroustrup''s book. The most important thing is that you know about pointers, references, functions and classes prior to reading this book.
Also, I''d suggest that if you don''t know the more advanced topics like templates or exception handling very well, that you''d jump straight to the chapters discussing these topics, grab what knowledge you can, and only start reading from the beginning afterwards, or you''ll possibly miss a lot of interesting details.

Thanks guys it good to hear it from people that know what''s up. (book is on its way; cant wait) THX

My reply might be a little late, but if you''re looking for another good C++ reference. I use C++ Primer Plus by Stephen Prata. It''s about a 1000 page book which covers almost everything C++. Plus it''s a whole lot cheaper. I paid about $45. (Canadian dollars that is. So what does that come out to...about $3.65 US) That''s about half the price of Stroustrup''s book.