Learning C++

1. Learning C++ The most important thing to do when lear-ning C++ is to focus on concepts and not get lost in language-technical details. The purpose of learning a programming language is to bec-ome a better programmer; that is, to become more effective at designing and implementing new systems and at maintaining old ones. For this, an appreciation of programming and des-ign techniques is far more important than an understanding of details; that understanding comes with time and practice.

2. That is, I assume that your purpose in lear-ning C++ is not simply to learn a new syntax for doing things the way you used to, but to learn new and better ways of building systems. This has to be done gradually because acquiring any significant new skill takes time and requires pr-actice. Consider how long it would take to learn a new natural language well or to learn to play a new musical instrument well. Becoming a better system designer is easier and faster, but not as much easier and faster as most people would like it to be.

3. Use of C++ C++ is widely used for teaching and research. This has surprised some who – correctly – point out that C++ isn’t the smallest or cleanest language ever designed. It is, however • clean enough for successful teaching of basic concepts, • realistic, efficient , and flexible enough for demanding projects,

4. available enough for organizations and collaborations relying on diverse development and execution environments, • comprehensive enough to be a vehicle for teaching advanced concepts and techniques, and • commercial enough to be a vehicle for putting what is learned into non-academic use.

5. Thinking about Programming in C++ Ideally, you approach the task of desig-ning a program in three stages. First, you gain a clear understanding of the problem (analysis), then you identify the key conc-epts involved in a solution (design), and fin-ally you express that solution in a program (programming).