GOTO - The Brightest Minds in Tech Learn C++ by Example • Frances Buontempo & Matt Godbolt
Mar 20, 2026
Frances Buontempo, consultant, developer and author of Learn C++ by Example, uses short, playable examples to teach modern C++. She discusses concise features like the spaceship operator and structure bindings. Coroutines, generators, and practical patterns like almost-always auto get attention. She also talks about teaching techniques and ideas for future C++ reflection features.
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Modern C++ Reduces Boilerplate With New Syntax
- Modern C++ adds small syntactic tools that dramatically reduce boilerplate.
- Frances highlights the spaceship operator and structure binding as examples that auto-generate common patterns and make code clearer.
Teach With Small Playable Projects
- Use self-contained, playable examples to teach programming concepts effectively.
- Frances structures chapters as small games (high/low, slot machine) so learners can tinker and see effects immediately.
Learning By Hacking Old BBC Micro Games
- Frances learned programming by editing games on her dad's BBC micro to change lives and win at Pac-Man.
- That early tinkering led her to prefer examples where readers can modify values and immediately see results.
