LIIs-INTjs and reading manuals

[krieger]

I don't typically pore over any manual for months; but with that qualification removed it sounds like something people in general do (i.e. erring on the side figuring things out yourself and not letting the manual confuse you).

[krieger]

This had ended badly several times.

If it goes wrong once for ever five times it goes right, you've probably already made the favorable time investment.

[krieger]

C++ is potentially something you'll be using lots of times throughout a lifetime, so it's something I'd be more likely to read up on the details of than, say, a video recorder.

unfortunately it generally happens when it's my stuff he's meddling with.

When configuring another person's "stuff", tiny differences in habits turn into major obstacles and undermine the assumptions that enable you to configure things quickly in your own domain. I think it's pretty common for people to underestimate the difficulty of the task, regardless what type they are.

I'm personally reluctant to ask people for help on such things for this reason. They always end up being confused by something I do "different".

[Ozz]

If it helps, they were more like C++ textbooks.

C++ itself isn't really a well design language that you could figure out using 'common sense'. It has so many gotchas that it's justifiable to read it while trying to program. The question is: why isn't he using .NET/Java?

[jason_m]

Something that has deep, interesting logic to it - yes.

Something that is as dry and voluminous as a telephone book I leave to someone else...

[FreelancePoliceman]

C++ itself isn't really a well design language that you could figure out using 'common sense'. It has so many gotchas that it's justifiable to read it while trying to program. The question is: why isn't he using .NET/Java?

Don’t use .NET, but isn’t it difficult to use on any platform that’s not Windows? And Java can’t do all C++ can. Too abstracted. Can’t manage memory directly, no pointers, and there’s the syntax which is annoyingly verbose. But I started with C, so I’m biased.