Iterators in C++ (stl) vs Java, is there a conceptual difference?

Question

I\'m returning to c++ after being away for a bit and trying to dust off the old melon.

In Java Iterator is an interface to a container having methods: hasNext

Answer 1

A pointer to an array element is indeed an iterator into the array.

As you say, in Java, an iterator has more knowledge of the underlying container than in C++. C++ iterators are general, and a pair of iterators can denote any range: this can be a sub-range of a container, a range over multiple containers (see http://www.justsoftwaresolutions.co.uk/articles/pair_iterators.pdf or http://www.boost.org/doc/libs/1_36_0/libs/iterator/doc/zip_iterator.html) or even a range of numbers (see http://www.boost.org/doc/libs/1_36_0/libs/iterator/doc/counting_iterator.html)

The iterator categories identify what you can and can't do with a given iterator.