[prog] C++: storing objects of different type in a std::map

[John Stoneham]

> Anyhow, if any of you know some good resources, I'd be grateful if you
> would send the pointers my way - independently of which expert level
> you consider yourself belonging to... (My collegues already recommended
> the books by Scott Meyers ("Effective C++, 2nd ed", "More Effective
> C++"), which I find to have quite a good effort-to-usefulness ratio.)

Meyer's books are well regarded, but they are largely 'tips and tricks'-style
books. As far as the C++ desk reference you'll eventually wear out, get
Stroustrup's "The C++ Programming Language" and Josuttis' "The C++ Standard
Library." Stroustrup of course designed the language. His book goes through
every language construct in amazing detail. It's not a book to _learn_ from
when you've first picked up the language - but if you understand the basic
structures, this is the book to go through for in-depth coverage of both
simple and advanced language features, as well as a decent overview of the
standard libraries. It is supremely useful as a reference as well with the
wealth of detail included. Josuttis' book is a remarkably comprehensive
overview of the standard library and everything that's possible with it.

- John