The demand for system programming is enormous. With the ubiquity of web browsers, mobile devices, and the Internet of Things, there has perhaps never been a better time to be a system programmer. Efficient, maintainable, and correct code is desired in all cases, and it’s my firm belief that C++ is the right language for the job in general.
In the hands of a knowledgeable programmer, C++ can produce smaller, more efficient, and more readable code than any other system programming language on the planet. It’s a language committed to the ideal of zero-overhead abstraction mechanisms—so your programs are fast and quick to program—as well as simple, direct mapping to hardware— so you have low-level control when you need it. When you program in C++, you stand on the shoulders of giants who have spent decades crafting an incredibly powerful and flexible language. Grab the ol’ brush and paint along with us. —Bob Ross xxxii Introduction A huge benefit of learning C++ is that you gain access to the C++ Standard Library, the stdlib, free of charge. The stdlib is composed of three interlocking parts: containers, iterators, and algorithms. If you’ve ever written your own quicksort algorithm by hand or if you’ve programmed system code and been bitten by buffer overflows, dangling pointers, use-after frees, and double frees, you’ll enjoy getting acquainted with the stdlib. It provides you with an unrivaled combination of type safety, correctness, and efficiency. In addition, you’ll like how compact and expressive your code can be.
