nimak247 wrote: > Hello all, > > Ok, so I have downloaded a draft and begun going through it (over 600 > pages -- sheesh, that's going to take a while) :o) > > In any case, it got me to thinking; If there is a standard, in what > instance is it desirable to write in manner that is not standard > compliant?
The main problem is authors who teach C++ and incorporate non-ANSI Standard functions, methodologies, etc. into their writings. It is important to be able to identify what is and what is not Standard. Code that is 100% Standard should compile and run identically everywhere. IMO, it would be okay to have a non-ANSI Standard C++ book as long as the author isn't also trying to teach C++ _at the same time_. When you get into things such as TCP/IP (sockets), GUI development, databases, multithreading, and the like, you are outside the realm of ANSI C++. Even then most authors focusing on such topics tend to proclaim non-ANSI Standard practices where they could be adhering to the Standard. Obviously there are books out there that teach > non-compliant methods, I guess I am wondering why that is? Money. Some authors are not aware that there is even a Standard until the community cries foul. Several authors, such as Yashavant, don't even care even after their errors are pointed out to them. > Do all of the 'major' languages have standards? Nope. C/C++ are really the only major languages with official Standards. However, the ANSI Standards committees move WAY too slowly on making changes and, IMO, they make bad choices when they do things such as dump entire libraries (e.g. STL) into the Standard instead of leaving them as free entities. But that is a whole other discussion. As such, some people view C/C++ as a "dead" language - or at least dying a very painful and slow death. Then again, those same people declared Delphi dead and yet Spybot Search&Destroy, a very popular anti-spyware app., is written in Delphi. -- Thomas Hruska CubicleSoft President Ph: 517-803-4197 *NEW* MyTaskFocus 1.1 Get on task. Stay on task. http://www.CubicleSoft.com/MyTaskFocus/
