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API Design for C++
United States-Africa relations have experienced four major cycles. The first cycle was during the Cold War(1960-1990). During this period, the U.S. developed a one-sided relationship with various African states in which the latter served as "foot soldiers" for the U.S. in its competition with the Soviet Union for global domination. Among other things, the various client African states provided the U.S. with access to airfields, deep water ports and sites for the establishment of various intelligence gathering facilities. In addition, the U.S. used various groups like UNITA led by Jonas Savimbi in Angola to undermine and fight pro-Soviet regimes on the continent.
The second cycle of the relationship covered the period 1991-1998. During this time, the U.S. scaled down its security activities in Africa. The major reason was that with the end of the Cold War Africa(with few exceptions like Egypt) was no longer a major front for the promotion of U.S. Security interests.
The third cycle commenced in 1998 and ended in 2001. This period was characterized by the U.S. search for an approach to frame its security relations with Africa. In this vein, the U.S. undertook various military-security initiatives .
The fourth cycle began after the 9/11 terrorist attacks against the American homeland. Since then, the U.S. has expanded the scope of its security relations with Africa, as reflected in the establishment of various initiatives and programs. At the core is the prosecution of the American "war on terror."
Against this backdrop, this book examines some of the major dimensions of the U.S. security relations with Africa, including American security interests on the continent, the "war on terror," AFRICOM, and military cooperation. Using the book s integrative theoretical framework, each of the chapters in the volume examines the various factors that shape the issue of focus.
The second cycle of the relationship covered the period 1991-1998. During this time, the U.S. scaled down its security activities in Africa. The major reason was that with the end of the Cold War Africa(with few exceptions like Egypt) was no longer a major front for the promotion of U.S. Security interests.
The third cycle commenced in 1998 and ended in 2001. This period was characterized by the U.S. search for an approach to frame its security relations with Africa. In this vein, the U.S. undertook various military-security initiatives .
The fourth cycle began after the 9/11 terrorist attacks against the American homeland. Since then, the U.S. has expanded the scope of its security relations with Africa, as reflected in the establishment of various initiatives and programs. At the core is the prosecution of the American "war on terror."
Against this backdrop, this book examines some of the major dimensions of the U.S. security relations with Africa, including American security interests on the continent, the "war on terror," AFRICOM, and military cooperation. Using the book s integrative theoretical framework, each of the chapters in the volume examines the various factors that shape the issue of focus.
248 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 1996
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
October 14, 2011
5/10
I learned almost nothing from this, maybe the inevitable consequence of spending so much of my life at this game. You just can never tell until you've been through it.
A useful compendium of best practices for any novice though. Succinct, well organised and competently written. But oh how I wish for something of the quality of a Jon Bentley or a Herb Sutter.
I learned almost nothing from this, maybe the inevitable consequence of spending so much of my life at this game. You just can never tell until you've been through it.
A useful compendium of best practices for any novice though. Succinct, well organised and competently written. But oh how I wish for something of the quality of a Jon Bentley or a Herb Sutter.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 21, 2014
In practice, this is more a book of good development practices, a bit like Code Complete, but more concise and slightly directed towards public API development.
I didn't learn anything new, but it's a nice compilation and might be worth for beginners.
I didn't learn anything new, but it's a nice compilation and might be worth for beginners.
January 26, 2019
I haven't read this book cover to cover as I was already familiar with some of the concepts, like the design patterns.
But being primarily a developer for C APIs, I found this book immensely useful when given the task to design a C++ API. Accidentally breaking backward compatibility is probably the biggest nightmare of any SDK developer, and this book extensively covers what you need to do to avoid it.
I didn't know the ABI compatibility is so fragile in C++, and I'm sure the book has saved me a lot of headaches. After reading it I really understand why some people choose to expose their API in C even though what's underneath is full C++.
But being primarily a developer for C APIs, I found this book immensely useful when given the task to design a C++ API. Accidentally breaking backward compatibility is probably the biggest nightmare of any SDK developer, and this book extensively covers what you need to do to avoid it.
I didn't know the ABI compatibility is so fragile in C++, and I'm sure the book has saved me a lot of headaches. After reading it I really understand why some people choose to expose their API in C even though what's underneath is full C++.
October 23, 2017
Good language specific book in API and class interface design
April 3, 2020
There are a lot of good ideas in this book, though I feel the author is more mistrusting of the users of his APIs than I tend to be.
February 11, 2022
This book discussed many topics in programming in general and C++.
December 30, 2015
This is a really easy read. Nothing complicated, just good advices. Most of them things that I've been implementing, or already knew. But it's always interesting to reinforce our knowledge. I feel it's a book that all software engineers should read. The world would be a better place if they followed the advice herein.
The only thing I would say is arguable is the treatment of copy-on-write (COW). The opinion expressed by this author doesn't consider the arguments given by Sutter in "More Exceptional C++" item 16. The dangers of COW in multi-threaded environments.
The only thing I would say is arguable is the treatment of copy-on-write (COW). The opinion expressed by this author doesn't consider the arguments given by Sutter in "More Exceptional C++" item 16. The dangers of COW in multi-threaded environments.
June 16, 2012
Nothing unique, new or particularly advanced But it's nice to have all this material in one source.
August 31, 2014
Good resource for beginners, but I learned almost nothing.
March 27, 2015
Good book to check C++ related knowledge coverage, to spot a gaps.
September 13, 2015
Great first few chapters with practical advice on C++ API design; rest of the book devolved into high-level rehash of other works, a lot of it out of date.
January 25, 2016
A must read for any C++ programmer. It basically ensures that the stuff one's suppose to be aware of and know in-depth are still in the attic of the mind. It's definitely one for the shelf.
July 21, 2016
Well written and easy to read. Beginners can learn a lot from this book.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews