[pfedor]

I like C++, I think I know it reasonably well, I've been programming in C++ full time for the last 10 years.

I never managed to warm up to Stroustrup's book. I've tried reading it a couple of times. It feels like a schlep. There are many great books on C++. Koenig and Moo, Josuttis, "Effective C++", they all convey the technical information and at the same time read like page turners. I only read fragments of "Thinking in C++" but I think it's in the same category, it reads great. Some of them will no doubt have new editions, updated for C++11. So, not that there's anything wrong with Stroustrup's book, but it just can't compete. Much as I'm looking forward to reading a book on C++11 the language--there already exists an excellent one on the standard library, which is the new edition of Josuttis--it will not be "The C++ Programming Language", 4th edition.

[n00b101]

I think of Stroustrup's book as a reference manual. It is very comprehensive in covering the standard. Fact is that you don't learn to program by reading books any more than you learn to play a sport by reading books.

[microtonal]

Actually, I like Brokken's C++ annotations far more as a reference:

http://www.icce.rug.nl/documents/cplusplus/

It's written more lively and opinionated. Also, it's apt-gettable on Debian and Ubuntu :).

[gurkendoktor]

That is how I've ended up using his book, but what is the appeal of a heavy, printed reference manual? I could only make sense of the idioms and patterns in C++ by reading the Guru of the Week articles at the same time:

http://gotw.ca/gotw/index.htm

It didn't click at all while using Stroustrup's book, even when I did the exercises.