Thread: Typical errors in C/C++ programming

*moved to C++ programming forum*

Originally Posted by el_programmer

Typical errors in C/C++ programming

In one of the articles that you linked to, you would have seen this answer by Stroustrup concerning "C/C++":

Originally Posted by Bjarne Stroustrup

What do you think of C/C++?

No that's not really a question I often get. In that sense, it is the only "fake FAQ" in this FAQ. However, it ought to be a FAQ because people use "C/C++" as if it meant something specific and as if they knew what it meant, leading to much confusion and misery. People should ask "What is C/C++?" and then on reflection stop using the term. It does harm.

There is no language called "C/C++". The phrase is usually used by people who don't have a clue about programming (e.g. HR personnel and poor managers). Alternatively, it's used by people who simple do not know C++ (and often not C either). When used by programmers, it typically indicates a "C++ is C with a few useful and a lot of useless complicated features added" attitude. Often, that is the point of view of people who like to write their own strings and hash tables with little knowledge of the standard library beyond printf and memcpy. There are people who stick to a restricted subset of C++ for perfectly good reasons, but they (as far as I have noticed) are not the people who say "C/C++".

I use C/C++ only in phrases such as "C/C++ compatibility" and "C/C++ community".

As such, I recommend that when you have C specific material, you call it material for "C programming" and post in the C programming forum, whereas when you have C++ specific material, you call it material for "C++ programming" and post in the C++ programming forum. If the material applies to both, perhaps it should be tailored to C or C++ rather than presented in a one size fits all approach. If it is really truly general, then perhaps it should go in General Discussions or the Tech Board instead, depending on the kind of material.