Now I remember why I like Java and Python

I just had to whip up a quick little program in C++ for a class I’m taking. I used to do a lot of C/C++ coding, but that was a while ago and it shows. My first pass at writing the program compiled great, but once I started running it I began to notice that under certain conditions it would crash.

Since its been a while since I’ve written any C++, it means its been a while since I’ve debugged any C++. So I spent about a half hour trying to figure out what EXC_BAD_ACCESS meant. It meant that I had forgotten about the joy of pointers. Then once I realized that, I spent another half hour trying to find out how do a dynamic multi-dimensional array in C++. The kinds of things that are second nature to do in Java and Python (which is where I spend most of my days).

The major lesson learned? A friend at work likes this quote from Martin Fowler: “Experience and knowledge are expiring assets.” In other words: Use it or loose it.