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I agree with this completely :) I would also like to add that it helps to read "The Design and Evolution of C++". I found that I plateaued early in my C++ jou

I agree with this completely :) I would also like to add that it helps to read "The Design and Evolution of C++". I found that I plateaued early in my C++ journey. However, I was always reading from the experts and it really helped to read material from Dr. Stroustrup. Once I began to see the common thread behind what he was saying and understood why some things were the way they were, it helped understand when it's a good time to use/not-use certain things. This helped break past that barrier and to improve my skill further. Also, it helped to write a _lot_ of c++ code and think about how that could be better. I'm afraid I didn't read a tonne of good C++ code in that period but somehow, I managed to keep growing and at some point, it became my "go to" language and I really started to like it. Long story, short: Read books from the experts, esp. Dr. Stroustrup.

krylon 9y ago
> I would also like to add that it helps to read "The Design and Evolution of C++". I think that book is worth reading even to people who have no intention of going anywhere near C++, as long as they are interested in programming language design and evolution. I wish there were more books like this one to explain the kind of thinking that went into the design of a language and to tell its history.
- vram22 9y ago
  Agreed. I had commented on the book on HN about a month ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16275341 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16275341 Excerpt from it: "I found that book very interesting in many regards. I had bought and read it several years ago (out of interest, though I have not worked on C++ professionally). Stroustrup goes into a lot of details about the reasons for many design decisions in the language." That's one of the reasons that make the book interesting. He even goes into human and cultural aspects of programming.
  - scott_s 9y ago
    Agreed on D&E, but I think it really does need an update now.
    - cbHXBY1D 9y ago
      I would love a book similar to C# In Depth but for C++. The book takes you on an evolutionary tour of C#s features, version-by-version. One of my favorite programming books of all time and a good read even for someone who doesn't program in C#.
      - krylon 9y ago
        I have been using C# at work for a little while now, and I am starting to like it. Thanks for the suggestion!
    - vram22 9y ago
      Yes, it is quite some years since it was written.

krylon 9y ago

> I would also like to add that it helps to read "The Design and Evolution of C++". I think that book is worth reading even to people who have no intention of going anywhere near C++, as long as they are interested in programming language design and evolution. I wish there were more books like this one to explain the kind of thinking that went into the design of a language and to tell its history.

vram22 9y ago
Agreed. I had commented on the book on HN about a month ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16275341 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16275341 Excerpt from it: "I found that book very interesting in many regards. I had bought and read it several years ago (out of interest, though I have not worked on C++ professionally). Stroustrup goes into a lot of details about the reasons for many design decisions in the language." That's one of the reasons that make the book interesting. He even goes into human and cultural aspects of programming.
- scott_s 9y ago
  Agreed on D&E, but I think it really does need an update now.
  - cbHXBY1D 9y ago
    I would love a book similar to C# In Depth but for C++. The book takes you on an evolutionary tour of C#s features, version-by-version. One of my favorite programming books of all time and a good read even for someone who doesn't program in C#.
    - krylon 9y ago
      I have been using C# at work for a little while now, and I am starting to like it. Thanks for the suggestion!
  - vram22 9y ago
    Yes, it is quite some years since it was written.