C++ FAQs

I recently bought a copy of C++ FAQs. I had read the online version about four or five years ago and found them quite useful, so I felt that it would be worthwhile getting hold of the print edition as well.

It's a good book, no doubt about it. But having read both Effective C++ and More Effective C++ in the interregnum sort of takes away the sheen from C++ FAQs. Scott Meyers' folksy and humorous style has a lot to do with this. The authors of FAQs do attempt some humour (I especially liked their answer to the question "Do customers ever change their requirements?"), but they are not in the same league as Myers.

Another slightly off-putting thing is the independent nature of each question. Since each FAQ can be read by itself, you feel slightly disconcerted to see identical (copy/paste?) wording in the answers to adjacent questions.

One section that deserves praise is the chapter on architecture and frameworks. The authors have done a great job in succinctly explaining, in less than ten pages or so, the role of architecture and the characteristics of a good framework.