Newsgroup: it.comp.lang.c++
Titolo: The Effective C++ CD

Last May I posted to this newsgroup asking for help in designing a CD-ROM
version of my books, "Effective C++" and "More Effective C++".  The CD is
now finished, and I'd like to tell you how you can win a free copy.  First,
however, I'd like to tell you a little about the CD.  If you'd prefer to
skip the propaganda and go straight to the contest, search for "WINNING A
FREE CD" now.
THE CD
The Effective C++ CD contains complete copies of the most recent printings
of both my books, "Effective C++" (Second Edition) and "More Effective
C++".  It also includes a selection of magazine articles on material that
complements that in the books, especially in the area of programming with
C++ exceptions.  It offers a combined index for both books (compiled by me)
as well as a nifty full-text search engine.
The CD is in HTML and JavaScript.  Supported platforms are Netscape 4+ on
Win32, Unix, and Mac; and Internet Explorer 4+ on Win32 only.
The CD includes capabilities that are, to the best of my knowledge,
unprecedented.  These include:
  - Dynamic user control over the size of images, navigation bars, and HTML
    files.
  - The ability to bookmark and/or link to *any paragraph* on the CD.  You
    can now set a bookmark that takes you *exactly* where you want to go.
  - The results of full-text searches link to specific paragraphs
    containing hits, not just to specific documents.  No more "double
    searching", once to find the document, once again to find the correct
    place in the document.
  - Links from the CD to the Internet go indirect via an on-line lookup
    table, so links on the CD remain valid even when Internet URLs change.
The CD also includes the things one should be able to take for granted in
an HTML publication (as opposed to a paper publication), e.g., color images
and diagrams, lots of links (there are thousands -- within books, among
books and magazine articles, to the Internet, etc.), the ability to legally
copy the material to a hard drive for faster and more convenient access,
etc.
The best way to understand what the CD is all about is to give it a test
drive.  A fully functional demo is available at
 
http://meyerscd.awl.com/
I believe this CD pushes forward the state of the art in electronic
publishing, and I believe it's a truly useful way to access the material in
my books.  I also believe it's a very good buy.  Addison-Wesley (the
publisher) prices it at about $30, but you should be able to find discounts
to around $25 at your favorite on-line bookseller.  Considering that each
book (in paper form) costs well over that, it looks to me like AW priced
the CD to move, the hit on my royalties (and theirs, I might add)
notwithstanding.  Sigh.
WINNING A FREE CD
In the past, I've given away a limited number of autographed copies of my
books to participants of the Usenet C++ newsgroups as my way of thanking
them for all I've learned there over the years.  For this CD, I drew on
more newsgroups, so more newsgroups are eligible.  Also, I didn't feel like
autographing the CDs themselves, so I did something that I think is nicer.
I had a limited-edition CD made up with a special label.  (The label is
what's physically pressed onto the disc.)  This label has my signature on
it and -- much more importantly -- it has a photograph of my dog,
Persephone, on it.  (Check out her home page at
http://www.aristeia.com/persephone/
.)  The content of the limited-edition
CD is identical to that of the production version; only the label is
different.
There are only 50 CDs with the limited-edition label, and if you'd like to
have one, you must either:
  1.  Have personally worked on the CD during its development.
  2.  Be a relative or a *very* good friend of mine.
  3.  Win one in this contest.
I've already taken care of the people in categories (1) and (2), so your
only chance is to fall into category (3).  I have about 25 CDs left for
people in that category.
Entering to win a CD is easy.  Just send a message to
 
IWantA...@aristeia.com
Please be sure to include a mailing address in your message, because it's
going to be tough for me to send you a CD if I don't know where to send it.
Please don't enter this contest if you've won a copy of one of my books in
an earlier contest; let's spread the wealth a little.  Also, if you were
one of the first 250 respondents to my May posting, you should have been
notified by Addison-Wesley that you'd get a free CD when it came out, so
please don't try to win another one if AW is already sending you one.  (The
one you get that way won't have the limited-edition label, but c'mon, free
is free.)
How will I choose the winners?  By random drawing.  Actually, I plan to ask
my wife to choose the winners, and trust me, it doesn't get any more random
than that :-) Please don't enter the contest more than once, as I can
GUARANTEE that that will annoy my wife, and the chances of her choosing
your entry when she's annoyed are as zero as zero can be.  I've been there.
I know.  If you're married, I suspect you know what I mean.
I look forward to receiving your entry, and if you have any comments on the
CD, I look forward to those, too.  I certainly hope you like the Effective
C++ CD.
Scott
--
Scott Meyers, Ph.D.                  Voice: 
503/638-6028
Author:  Effective C++ CD            Fax:   
503/638-6614
         Effective C++               Email: 
sme...@aristeia.com
         More Effective C++          WWW:   
http://www.aristeia.com/

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