Learn C++ by Example • Frances Buontempo & Matt Godbolt

This interview was recorded for the GOTO Book Club. http://gotopia.tech/bookclub Check out more here: https://gotopia.tech/episodes/426 Frances Buontempo - Consultant, Developer & Author of "Learn C++ by Example" Matt Godbolt - Low-level Latency Geek & Creator of Compiler Explorer RESOURCES Frances https://bsky.app/profile/fbuontempo.bsky.social https://mastodon.social/@fbuontempo https://x.com/fbuontempo https://github.com/doctorlove https://www.linkedin.com/in/francesbuontempo https://about.me/frances_buontempo https://buontempoconsulting.blogspot.com Matt https://bsky.app/profile/matt.godbolt.org https://xania.org https://github.com/mattgodbolt https://www.linkedin.com/in/godbolt https://twitter.com/mattgodbolt https://godbolt.org Links https://cppinsights.io DESCRIPTION Matt Godbolt interviews Frances Buontempo about her book "Learn C++ by Example", a practical guide aimed at helping programmers relearn modern C++ features introduced since C++11. Frances shares her unique teaching philosophy, which emphasizes self-contained, playable examples like simple games that make complex concepts accessible and memorable. Drawing on her background in mathematics and her father's work in teacher education, she explains how her approach—exemplified by her famous "X Out of a Y Paper Bag" series of talks—uses humor and practical scenarios to help learners understand challenging topics like coroutines, the spaceship operator, and the "almost always auto" style. The discussion touches on the evolution of C++, the upcoming reflection features in C++26, and Fran's current project: writing an introductory C++ book for complete beginners, despite finding concepts like "constant variable" challenging to explain even as an experienced author. RECOMMENDED BOOKS Frances Buontempo • Learn C++ by Example • https://amzn.to/4rgxSZX Frances Buontempo • Introducing C++ • https://amzn.to/40aHQQC Frances Buontempo • Genetic Algorithms and Machine Learning for Programmers • https://amzn.to/3OLjXMV Daniel Kusswurm • Modern Parallel Programming with C++ and Assembly Language • https://amzn.to/4o5J3SF Bluesky (https://bsky.app/profile/gotocon.com) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/goto_con) LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/goto-) Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/GOTOConferences) CHANNEL MEMBERSHIP BONUS Join this channel to get early access to videos & other perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs_tLP3AiwYKwdUHpltJPuA/join Looking for a unique learning experience? Attend the next GOTO conference near you! Get your ticket: gotopia.tech (https://gotopia.tech) SUBSCRIBE TO OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL (https://www.youtube.com/user/GotoConferences/?sub_confirmation=1) - new videos posted daily!