Is effective C++ still effective?
C++C++11Coding StyleEffective C++C++ Problem Overview
From what I saw in this post I decided to start reading the book Effective C++.
But now that there are many new features because of C++11 and that a few of the good practices changed, I'm not sure whether or not it is actually a good idea. Has the advent of C++11 deprecated any of the advice contained in Effective C++? If so, which topics should I avoid?
C++ Solutions
Solution 1 - C++
This what Scott Meyers himself had to say about it on his own blog
> Which may lead you to wonder whether the information and advice in
> this pre-C++0x edition of Effective C++ remains relevant. I'm pleased
> to report that it does. Surprisingly so, in fact. Having spent nearly
> two years steeped in the details of C++0x, I expected to groan a bit
> as I reviewed this book's table of contents with C++0x in mind. Surely
> some Items would be inappropriate. But the advice I found proved
> sound. Should C++0x developers prefer consts, enums, and inlines to
> #defines (Item 2)? They should. Should they prevent exceptions from
> leaving destructors (Item 8)? Certainly. Should they use objects to
> manage resources? Declare data members private? Consider alternatives
> to virtual functions? Factor parameter-independent code out of
> templates? (Items 13, 22, 35, and 44.) Yes, yes, yes, yes! My goal has
> always been for Effective C++'s table of contents to summarize the
> advice in the book, and that summary remains just as applicable to
> C++0x development as to “traditional” C++ development. C++0x is a
> bigger language, and in some ways it's a different one, but the core
> techniques for making effective use of “old” C++ are core for the
> effective use of C++0x, too.
>
> This doesn't mean that this Effective C++ is a perfect match for
> C++0x. The book doesn't discuss features new to C++0x, so Items about
> making effective use of those features are missing. A C++0xified
> Effective C++ would certainly have Items devoted to move operations,
> to uniform initialization, and to lambda expressions, and it'd probably have an entire chapter on making effective use of the concurrency API. Such a book would also contain different examples, e.g., ones making use of auto variables, range-based for loops, in-class default initializers, as well as the occasional variadic template. To the extent that this book falls short in its support for C++0x, the errors are those of omission, not commission.
UPDATE: the new title Effective Modern C++ has been for sale since November 2014 from O'Reilly and Amazon (and many others that you can google for).
Solution 2 - C++
Yes, definitely still worth reading. There is a new book that Scott is working on: Effective C++11, which concentrates on C++11 only code. The Effective C++ is still very relevant, and is not superseded by the new book. Buy it, read it, enjoy :)
Solution 3 - C++
One, the book is still of course valid for C++03.
Two, Meyers is writing or has written, depending on when you are reading this sentence, Effective C++11.
Three, speaking in generality, the points of this book will still be valid. C++ still favors speed over safety, and many issues in Effective C++ revolve around this.
The only kind of point I would expect to be invalid are ones that say "Don't do this, do this instead." "Dont' do this" will still be valid. But C++ will have solved some problems. In particular, any recommendations to use boost are likely deprecated, as C++11 has included many of the features Meyers specifically refers the reader to Boost for.