Q:

Credibility of dated data structure programming book

I recently rented a book from my local library for c++, the books title is: "Data Structure Programming with the standard template library in c++" by Joseph Bergin. The problem is when i checked the publication date it read 1998, which is a pretty huge time frame given the speed of computer advances today. Will this book hurt me or help me? Here is an excerpt from an algorithm in my book:
//  THIS IS AN ALGORITHM EXPLAINED AS SELECTION SORT
template <class T>
void selectionSort(T* start, T* end)                //first off, i notice an excessive use of pointers, when usually 
{   for(T* where = start ; where < end ; where++)   // im told to work around pointers if i dont need to use them
    {   T* loc = where;                             //weird bracket formatting(old practice i would guess?)
        T small = *loc;
        for                                         //very strange method of organizing for loops used in the book
        (   T* inner = where + 1;
            inner < end;
            inner++;
        )
            if(*inner < *loc)
            {   loc = inner;
                small = *loc;
            }
        *loc = *where;
        *where = small;
    }
}

this code uses strange methods in order to make a selection sort. Pointers could easily be replaced with normal values, yet the book loves the use of pointers and odly formatted for loops. How far off is this code from a modern C++11 approach to a selection sort with arrays?
*They also declare all of their variables with a _ prefix, does this do anything special to variables? examples of declared vars:
int _Num1;
float _Select;

A:

I promise you every one that is known as a good programmer today read books from those date( or even before that ), so I don't think that it hurt you, since it is about concepts and concepts never change dramatically, but if you can find a newer book it will be awesome!

