Learning C++ and overcautiousness

Question

How should I learn C++? I hear that the language gives enough rope to shoot myself in the head, so should I treat every C++ line I write as a potential minefiled?

Answer 1

How should I learn C++?

Refer to:

• Books to refer for learning OOP through C++
• https://stackoverflow.com/questions/631793/good-book-to-learn-c-from
• The Definitive C++ Book Guide and List
• https://stackoverflow.com/questions/1122921/suggested-c-books
• https://stackoverflow.com/questions/1686906/what-is-a-very-practical-c-book
• https://stackoverflow.com/questions/681551/a-c-book-that-covers-non-syntax-related-problems

I hear that the language gives enough rope to shoout myself in the head, so should I treat every C++ line I write as a potential minefiled?

A C++ statement can do either what you want it to do, or something else. This depends on your understanding of what that C++ statement means. But this is not specific to this language.

By learning the language, and using techniques for building correct software (like Object Oriented design, especially Design by Contract, and testing techniques), you will be able to guarantee that your program behaves as you intended it to.

Answer 2

I love your metaphor! What Stroustrup actually said was:

http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Bjarne_Stroustrup

C makes it easy to shoot yourself in the foot; C++ makes it harder, but when you do it blows your whole leg off.

This was many years ago. I started learning C++ in ca. 1991 and it really was a minefield. There were no common libraries, no debuggers and the AT&T approach used a C code generator. There are now many good IDEs which support C++.

Personally I moved to Java because I find it a cleaner language but C++ is fine as long as you don't try to be tricky. Avoid native C constructs where there are existing class libraries (Stroustrup initially did not provide a String class as he though it a useful "rite of passage" to have to write one!) Now you can use a proven one.

I'm assuming you have no choice in the language. How you go about it depends on where you are coming from. C++ is not the easiest of the object-oriented languages to start on and Stroustrup's book is not necessarily the best intro.

UPDATE the OP is worried about blowing themselves up when learning the language. Generally it's a good idea to start with a subset of what one will do later. I assumed the OP is worried about:

• Things which you have to know and use whatever level you program at (such as destructors)
• Things which add additional complexity to the learning process and can be shelved until later (such as multiple inheritance)

what follows are some places where I blew myself up... They are not subjective, they happened!

There are some up-front gotchas that don't exist in Java or C#.

• destructors. You have to manage your own memory. Failing to write destructors will blow your fingers and toes off.
• equality. You will have to write an equals method (in simple Java you may get away without it)
• copy constructor. Ditto. a = b will invoke this. Bites you in the bottom.

And I'd suggest avoiding multiple inheritance unless you really need it. Then avoid it anyway.

And avoid operator overloading. It looks cute to write:

vector1 = vector2 + vector3;

but

vector1 = vector2.plus(vector3);

is just as clear, only a few more characters, and you can search for it.