Specification on C++ and C#?

Question

If you want to read the "source" of a language in C you go to C Programming Language by Kernighan; Ritchie; 0131103628

And in Java you read Goslings The Java(tm) Language Specification; 0321246780

But what do you read if you want to read a good book about the "specs" on C++ and C#?

Answer 1

C++: Stroustrup's book and/or Stroustrup's D&E or Stroustrups ARM though the latter two are not in date. The ISO spec is available (see Charles bailey's answer) and is the final word if that's the type of doc you want. The most thorough answer is in the comments by aJ :- http://stackoverflow.com/questions/388242/the-definitive-c-book-guide-and-list. The equivalent of K&R for C++ is the first one.

C#: The C# Programming Language (3rd Edition) by Anders Hejlsberg, Mads Torgersen, Scott Wiltamuth, and Peter Golde). If you're looking for the generally accepted definitive book on C#, that's C# in depth.

Answer 2

For C# you should check out the language specification or even better the annotated hard copy of that.

Answer 3

If you want the true specifications of the language then you need to consult the appropriate standards.

C# is standardized by ECMA: C# ECMA . (The standard is also approved as an ISO standard.)

C++ is standardized by ISO, IEC and various national standards bodies: C++ ISO .

Although K&R was once the specification for the C language, C is now an ISO standard as well. C ISO