[haiku-development] Re: Newbie programmer, want to help

  • From: Michael Crawford <mdcrawford@xxxxxxxxx>
  • To: haiku-development@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Thu, 4 Mar 2010 14:44:12 -0800

Jonathan,

Buy a copy of Scott Meyers' book Effective C++.  Make sure you get the
third edition:

   http://www.aristeia.com/

His book is divided into fifty-five "Items," each of which is a
specific, concrete piece of advice as to how to improve C++ code.

Find a Haiku GUI application that looks like it could use some love,
by browsing the bug reports in Haiku's Trac:

   http://dev.haiku-os.org/

Start by just getting that GUI program just to build, then read the
first of Meyers' Items.  Go through the program's *entire* source
code, while applying the advice of that Item wherever it would be
appropriate.

When you're done applying the first Item, do the same for the second.
Lather, Rinse, Repeat.

It will seem at first that to apply all fifty-five Items would be a
Herculean effort, but you will soon find that your work goes faster
and faster as you grow more and more familiar with your program's
source.  At some point you will find yourself able to apply several
Items simultaneously.  It really won't take that long at all.

When you're done with the fifty-fifth, do the same with Meyers' book
More Effective C++, then after that, Effective STL.

I did this very same thing with my own program back in 2000 (but with
the 2nd Edition).  Not only did I fix a whole bunch of bugs and memory
leaks, I mark that effort as the moment of my transition from Clueless
C++ Newie to Masterful C++ Wizard.

Welcome to the Machine,

Mike
-- 
Michael David Crawford
mdcrawford at gmail dot com

   GoingWare's Bag of Programming Tricks
      http://www.goingware.com/tips/

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