It is basically impossible to write general purpose software like compilers, word processors, and layout engines without doing heap allocations. That means eith

It is basically impossible to write general purpose software like compilers, word processors, and layout engines without doing heap allocations. That means either pointers or references, which are difficult to distinguish if you do not engage in pointer arithmetic. Any C++ program that does not do heap allocations either uses arrays as a substitute for the same thing or isn't a general purpose application.