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C++ Strategies and Tactics by Robert B Murray Highly Recommended

ISBN: 0-20156382-7       Publisher: Addison-Wesley       Pages: 282pp       Price: £25-95

Categories:   advanced c++     re-usable code

Reviewed by Francis Glassborow in C Vu 5-5 (Jul 1993)

As you might expect from a work carrying the 'Deathstar' (AT&T logo) imprimatur it is authoritative and based on a real understanding of the language.

It is not a reference book, nor do the contents really fit the title. What it does is to lead you gently through a number of aspects of the language seeking to guide you to the most appropriate view on such topics as inheritance versus aggregation.

It is one of those books that every professional C++ programmer should have read as it is full of good advice based on a wealth of experience. Many programmers could do with having Tiemann's Law pasted in full view:

It isn't reusable if it hasn't been reused
and the corollary
It isn't reusable if it isn't usable.

Should be taken to heart by those who will insist on justifying their obscure code on the basis that reusability requires it.

Get a copy, read it and pass it on. Get your own copy if you want to keep ahead of your colleagues.