1.6. Notes About C++ and C++ for Programmers

Experienced C++ programmers sometimes take pride in being able to create weird, contorted, convoluted uses of the language. This is a poor programming practice. It makes programs more difficult to read, more likely to behave strangely, more difficult to test and debug, and more difficult to adapt to changing requirements. The following is our first Good Programming Practice.

Good Programming Practice 1.1

Write your C++ programs in a simple and straightforward manner. This is sometimes referred to as KIS ("keep it simple"). Do not "stretch" the language by trying bizarre usages.

You have heard that C and C++ are portable languages, and that programs written in C and C++ can run on many different computers. Portability is an elusive goal. The ANSI C standard document contains a lengthy list of portability issues, and complete books have been written that discuss portability.

Portability Tip 1.2

Although it's possible to write portable programs, there are many problems among different C and C++ compilers and different computers that can make portability difficult to achieve. Writing programs in C and C++ does not guarantee portability. You often will need to deal directly with compiler and computer variations. As a group, these are sometimes called platform variations.

We have audited our presentation against the ISO/IEC C++ standard document for completeness and accuracy. However, C++ is a rich language, and there are some features we have not covered. If you need additional technical details on C++, you may want to read the C++ standard document, which can be ordered from ANSI at

webstore.ansi.org

The title of the document is "Information Technology – Programming Languages – C++" and its document number is INCITS/ISO/IEC 14882-2003.

We have included an extensive bibliography of books and papers on C++ and object-oriented programming. We also list many websites relating to C++ and object-oriented programming in our C++ Resource Center at www.deitel.com/cplusplus/. We list several websites in Section 1.12 , including links to free C++ compilers, resource sites, some fun C++ games and game programming tutorials.