Questions about C++, a statically typed, free-form, multi-paradigm, compiled, general-purpose programming language.
188
votes
43answers
11k views
My Dad is impatient with the pace of my learning to program. What do I do? [closed]
So my Dad bought me 5 books on programming (C++, Java, PHP, Javascript, Android) about a month ago. He's an architect and he knows NOTHING about programming. He bought me them because I told him ...
133
votes
20answers
23k views
Interesting interview question
Today I was asked this question. We have 2 cases with code blocks A, B and C. These code blocks don't share any resources except an iterator (int i).
Please give 3 possible reasons why case 1 could ...
121
votes
8answers
32k views
What does C++ do better than D?
I have recently been learning D and am starting to get some sort of familiarity with the language. I know what it offers, I don't yet know how to use everything, and I don't know much about D idioms ...
84
votes
22answers
39k views
Is there any reason to use C++ instead of C, Perl, Python, etc.?
As a Linux (server side) developer, I don't know where and why should I use C++.
When I'm going to performance, the first and last choice is C.
When "performance" isn't the main issue, programming ...
81
votes
16answers
16k views
When to use C over C++, and C++ over C?
I've been introduced to Computer Science for a little over a year now, and from my experience it seems that C and C++ are both considered to be "ultrafast" languages, whereas others such as Python and ...
76
votes
13answers
7k views
Way in over my head! (Dealing with better programmers)
I've just been hired as a member of a group that is developing in C++. For the last 11 years, I'd been coding on and off at my last job (some C, some Fortran, some C++).
The coding I'd done was ...
73
votes
11answers
16k views
What backs up the claim that C++ can be faster than a JVM or CLR with JIT? [closed]
A reoccurring theme on SE I've noticed in many questions is the ongoing argument that C++ is faster and/or more efficient than higher level languages like Java. The counter-argument is that modern JVM ...
70
votes
15answers
4k views
Why do memory-managed languages retain the `new` keyword? [closed]
The new keyword in languages like Java, Javascript, and C# creates a new instance of a class.
This syntax seems to have been inherited from C++, where new is used specifically to allocate a new ...
66
votes
19answers
4k views
Is it ok to replace optimized code with readable code?
Sometimes you run into a situation where you have to extend/improve some existing code. You see that the old code is very lean, but it's also difficult to extend, and takes time to read.
Is it a good ...
63
votes
11answers
11k views
Why do we need private variables?
Why do we need private variables in classes?
Every book on programming I've read says this is a private variable, this is how you define it but stops there.
The wording of these explanations always ...
60
votes
12answers
4k views
Does auto make C++ code harder to understand?
I saw a conference by Herb Sutter where he encourages every C++ programmer to use auto.
I had to read C# code some time ago where var was extensively used and the code was very hard to ...
60
votes
7answers
4k views
Why declare a variable in one line, and assign to it in the next?
(I figured this question was already asked, and searched for it, but was unable to find a duplicate; if I missed something, please delete this one and accept my apologies!)
I often see in C and C++ ...
58
votes
19answers
9k views
Do I really need oop for my kind of job? After 10 years I think I don't
After 10 years of writing something like business logic for my company I realized that for 95% of my code I just don't need any special OO techniques. For years I tried to get better with all that OO ...
53
votes
16answers
2k views
Why should I care about micro performance and efficency?
Many questions and answers on the C/C++ pages, specifically or indirectly discuss micro performance issues (such is the overhead of an indirect vs direct vs inline function), or using an O(N2) vs ...
51
votes
17answers
4k views
What programming problems are best solved by using pointers?
Well, I basically understand how to use pointers, but not how best to use them in order to do better programming.
What are good projects or problems to resolve involving the use of pointers so I can ...
51
votes
8answers
18k views
Is modern C++ replacing C#? Is Microsoft pushing developers to adopt C++? [closed]
I hear about modern C++ popularity and some talks about migrating back to C++ from C# or other C-like languages.
I know about C++11 features but I would like to hear your experiences, especially from ...
50
votes
11answers
5k views
A modern review of Java
I've been programming for a few years and I began in Java, and in my time I've found many different sources claiming Java to be an inferior language in some way or another. I'm well aware that each ...
49
votes
11answers
2k views
Why do we have postfix increment?
Disclaimer: I know perfectly well the semantics of prefix and postfix increment. So please don't explain to me how they work.
Reading questions on stack overflow, I cannot help but notice that ...
48
votes
14answers
5k views
Why would it ever be possible for Java to be faster than C++?
Sometimes Java outperforms C++ in benchmarks. Of course, sometimes C++ outperforms.
See the following links:
http://keithlea.com/javabench/
...
45
votes
12answers
4k views
Why are most browsers developed in C++
It seems like most of common web browsers (Firefox, Chrome, Safari) are developed using C++. My question is straightforward. Why they use mainly C++ rather than any other language?
Edit:
What ...
45
votes
3answers
4k views
Is C++11 Uniform Initialization a replacement for the old style syntax?
I understand that C++11's uniform initialization solves some syntactical ambiguity in the language, but in a lot of Bjarne Stroustrup's presentations (particularly those during the GoingNative 2012 ...
44
votes
11answers
2k views
What can I do when the interviewer doesn't know the answer to his/her own question? [closed]
Yesterday I had a terrible experience in an interview.
Interviewer asked me about pure virtual function.
I said, It may or may not have definition in base class, but derived classes should provide ...
43
votes
16answers
4k views
Languages on a resume: Is it better to put “C/C++” or “C, C++”?
I'm graduating in a couple of weeks, and my resume (as expected) lists the languages that I've had experience with. Previously I've put "C/C++", however back then I didn't have that much experience ...
43
votes
16answers
3k views
Strictness in programming methods among Stack Overflow users [closed]
I've been a member of Stack Overflow for a couple of weeks now and have answered questions and read others answers, mostly in C/C++. True, I have learned about some things. For example, undefined ...
43
votes
12answers
4k views
Did the developers of Java consciously abandon RAII?
As a long-time C# programmer, I have recently come to learn more about the advantages of Resource Acquisition Is Initialization (RAII). In particular, I have discovered that the C# idiom:
using (var ...
43
votes
16answers
7k views
Extremely trivial C++ phone interview question [closed]
My company is currently interviewing for a developer position, and a disturbingly high number of candidates with good resumes end up being total frauds. We do have a written technical test which works ...
40
votes
6answers
3k views
Is `catch(…) { throw; }` a bad practice?
While I agree that catching ... without rethrowing is indeed wrong, I however believe that using constructs like this:
try
{
// Stuff
}
catch (...)
{
// Some cleanup
throw;
}
Is acceptable in ...
40
votes
13answers
4k views
How to find a programming mentor? [closed]
I decided to learn programming. I've been reading SO for few days, and I think I will start with C++, as I read some articles. I am aware of loops, arrays, program logic and objects a little and I ...
39
votes
8answers
2k views
Why are there so many string classes in the face of std::string?
It seems to me that many bigger C++ libraries end up creating their own string type. In the client code you either have to use the one from the library (QString, CString, fbstring etc., I'm sure ...
39
votes
12answers
2k views
Philosophy behind Undefined Behavior
C\C++ specifications leave out a large number of behaviors open for compilers to implement in their own way. There are a number of questions that always keep getting asked here about the same and we ...
38
votes
12answers
2k views
Which C# practices should be avoided in C++?
I'm currently teaching myself C++. I'm very proficient at C#, and was wondering which common practices in C# can lead to difficulties in C++, and what a C++ programmer should do instead.
37
votes
5answers
9k views
What is the role of C++ today?
Currently I'm an IT student and I'm wondering what is still important in C++ today, what for is it used? I completed basic C++ course in my university but I can't imagine where can I use my knowledge ...
36
votes
6answers
2k views
Can any modern OO language compete with C++'s array store performance?
I just noticed that every modern OO programming language that I am at least somewhat familiar with (which is basically just Java, C# and D) allows covariant arrays. That is, a string array is an ...
34
votes
7answers
2k views
C++ Interview question
This problem was given to me on previous job interview test. It is over now, but I would like to go through my mistakes and hopefully be more prepared next time!
// Identify as many bugs and ...
34
votes
10answers
3k views
Are there any real-world cases for C++ without exceptions?
In When to use C over C++, and C++ over C? there is a statement wrt. to code size / C++ exceptions:
Jerry answers (among other points):
(...) it tends to be more difficult to produce truly tiny ...
34
votes
6answers
4k views
Good example of complex code using TDD
What would be a good example of the use of TDD in large, real-life, complex, projects? All the examples I've seen so far are toy projects for the purpose of a book or a paper...
Can you name an ...
33
votes
15answers
9k views
If you need more than 3 levels of indentation, you're screwed?
Per the Linux kernel coding style document:
The answer to that is that if you need more than 3 levels of
indentation, you're screwed anyway, and should fix your program.
What can I deduce ...
33
votes
7answers
1k views
How do people know the C++ Standard so well?
First of all, this is not a formal C++ question.
I have been working with C++ for many years. Most of time, I improve my skill by working on different projects, reading good books, and learning from ...
32
votes
17answers
4k views
Teaching C++ to first time high school students: Where to draw the line?
I will be mentoring a team of high school students for the FIRST Robotics Competition, most teams here develop[ their robot software using C++. For many of the students on the team this will be their ...
32
votes
13answers
2k views
Does it hurt to learn bits of many programming languages?
I started my programming career with BASIC, during 9th grade. I learned a bit of BASIC by writing simple programs to add, subtract and to print. Then I went to the university and took Computer ...
32
votes
12answers
17k views
For what reasons should I choose C# over Java and C++?
C# seems to be popular these days. I heard that syntactically it is almost the same as Java. Java and C++ have existed for a longer time. For what reasons should I choose C# over Java and C++?
31
votes
7answers
3k views
What did Bjarne Stroustrup mean by his characterization of C and C++?
There's a quotation by Bjarne Stroustrup that says:
C makes it easy to shoot yourself in the foot; C++ makes it harder, but when you do, it blows away your whole leg.
I've often come across this ...
30
votes
10answers
1k views
Difference between Idiom and Design Pattern?
What is the difference between idiom and design-pattern? It seems that these terminologies overlap somewhere; where exactly, I don't know. Are they interchangeable? When should I use what?
Here is a ...
29
votes
2answers
5k views
Can somebody explain me what are lambda things in programming?
So far I heard about :
Lambda calculus
Lambda programming
Lambda expressions
Lambda functions
Which all seems to be related to functional programming...
Apparently it will be integrated into ...
28
votes
13answers
2k views
Tutoring students who are struggling with the basics in C++
I am tutoring a few students who are having significant trouble learning the basics of their first programming language: C++. I have known many excellent and bright students who have failed or dropped ...
28
votes
11answers
6k views
What's the benefit of object-oriented programming over procedural programming?
I'm trying to understand the difference between procedural languages like C and object-oriented languages like C++. I've never used C++, but I've been discussing with my friends on how to ...
28
votes
2answers
1k views
Why is a Boolean value stored as a byte inside of a computer when it only requires one bit
I recently started learning to write code, and in my book I came across this question. "Why is a Boolean value stored as a byte inside of a computer when it only requires one bit?" can someone shed ...
27
votes
4answers
4k views
When should you use bools in C++?
We had an assignment for our class where we had to create a Tic-tac-toe game. People like to complicate themselves, so they wrote complex games which included menus. At the end of the game, you had to ...
27
votes
20answers
3k views
C++ areas you look for during interview
If you are taking an interview of an candidate without any prior work experience and want to find out how good he/she is in C++ what are the areas you generally look for ?
27
votes
7answers
2k views
C++ skills higher than C skills?
I feel that the often seen C/C++ doesn't really describe my skills in my CV. So I'm planning to separate it into advanced C++ knowledge and mediocre C skills.
Do you think this is confusing for the ...
