C++ Report, C/C++ Users Journal and Dr. Dobb's Journal were recognized as important technical magazines on C++. Articles published in these magazines were referenced by many books, such as Inside C++ Object Model, Exceptional C++, Modern C++ Design, C++ Coding Standards, etc. The list goes on. But unfortunately all these magazines were discontinued.
I am afraid that in another decade the history of these magazines may become a mystery. So in this article, I am going to sort out the history of these magazines and will also list articles that are still accessible as many as possible.
C++ was developed by Bjarne Stroustrup when he was working at Bell Labs. The name was suggested by Rick Mascitt. During 1980s, the C++ user population doubled every 7.5 months1, so it was natural to find someone who worked in the C++ team at Bell Labs to edit a start-up publication.
The C++ Report published its first issue in January 1989. Rob Murray, the founding editor, had agreed to take on the task back in October 1988. At the time, cfront release 2.0 was still in beta and would not be released for another nine months.
Rick Friedman, the founder and publisher of SIGS Publications, writes:2
Just between you and me, I must confess I was worried. There I was, traveling back on the train from Liberty Corner, New Jersey, having just convinced AT&T Bell Labs' Rob Murray that he should edit a start-up publication on C++. "We only need 1,000 subscribers to make it all go," I told him confidently. Returning to my office, I looked dazedly out the window at the passing countryside, my head buzzing with strategies on how and where to find the critical mass of readers.
You see, this was back in October 1988 ... and it was unclear which, if any OOP language would emerge as winner. Several software pundits, including Bertrand Meyer, OOP's notorious enfant terrible, vociferously predicted doom for C++. But all the very early signs indicated to me that C++ would eventually gain popularity. It would then need an open forum, I postulated. So I rolled the dice.
C++ Report published its final issue in 20023. Thanks to its former editors Stanley B. Lippman and Robert C. Martin. They compiled valuable articles into two books - C++ Gems and More C++ Gems.
Some articles can also be found on following authors' personal websites:
C/C++ Users Journal was published by CMP Media LLC in the United States. The first issue was published as a 16-page quarterly newsletter entitled BDS C Users' Group. The name was shortened to C Users' Group Newsletter in 1982. C Users' Group Newsletter purchased The C Journal and they were combined to become C Users Journal in 19884. As C++ gained its popularity, the name was changed to C/C++ Users Journal in 1994. The magazine was discontinued in 2006 with the February issue carrying a cover letter stated that Dr. Dobb's Journal would now feature expanded C and C++ coverage.5
Dr. Dobb's Journal was a monthly journal published in the United States by United Business Media. When launched in 1975, DDJ was the first regular periodical focused on microcomputer software, rather than hardware. In 2009, DDJ discontinued and merged with InformationWeek magazine. In 2014, Andrew Binstock, editor-in-chief, announced that Dr. Dobb's would cease publication of new articles.6
C Users Journal (1990-1994), C/C++ Users Journal (1994-2006), and Dr. Dobb's Journal articles are archived in a DVD and can be browsed online at Canadian Meteorological Center (CMC) of Environment Canada.
Moreover, full table of contents of these magazines are accessible from the department of mathematics of the university of Utah:
The relationship of these magazines can be better described by following graph.
Bjarne Stroustrup: A History of C++: 1979-1991 ↩
Stanley Lippman: C++ Gems ↩
Wikipedia: C++ Report ↩
Wikipedia: C/C++ Users Journal ↩
Wikipedia: Dr. Dobb's Journal ↩
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