Prologue: Philosophy of the Imperfect Practitioner

This book is about good practice as much as it is about C++ language techniques. It is not just about what is effective or technically correct in a specific situation, but what is safer or more practical in the long run. The message of the book is fourfold:

Tenet #1— C++ is great, but not perfect.

Tenet #2— Wear a hairshirt.

Tenet #3— Make the compiler your batman.

Tenet #4— Never give up: there's always a solution.

Together, these make up what I like to call the Philosophy of the Imperfect Practitioner.