Effective C++
Effective C++ by Scott Meyersby Scott Meyers
Shares rank 38 of 115 programming books by recommenders
Praised as a detailed guide to C++ pitfalls that explains the reasons behind its advice. Caveat: one reviewer calls it a wonderfully detailed map to a minefield.
Praised as a detailed guide to C++ pitfalls that explains the reasons behind its advice. Caveat: one reviewer calls it a wonderfully detailed map to a minefield.
6 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 5
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 83%
Recommended in 3 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Owned for 14 years
Median of the 3 owners who said how long they have had it.
Each square is one year.
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 5 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 5 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 3 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Detailed guidance on C++ pitfalls
“It's a wonderful book for sure, but it's a wonderfully detailed map to a minefield.”
Comment from 8 Nov 2025 in “C++ move semantics from scratch (2022)” “Item 8: Prevent exceptions from leaving destructors.”
Comment from 7 Apr 2026 in “What happens when a destructor throws” Covers exceptions in destructors
“Item 8: Prevent exceptions from leaving destructors.”
Comment from 7 Apr 2026 in “What happens when a destructor throws” “No C++ "bread and butter" I have seen so far goes into depth on this subject.”
Comment from 8 Apr 2026 in “What happens when a destructor throws” Explains the reasons behind advice
“They explain quite well the reasons as far as I remember.”
Comment from 13 May 2026 in “Why senior developers fail to communicate their expertise” Praised author Scott Meyers
“Scott Meyers excellent Effective C++”
Comment from 8 Nov 2025 in “C++ move semantics from scratch (2022)”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Very detailed, hard to navigate
“It's a wonderful book for sure, but it's a wonderfully detailed map to a minefield.”
Comment from 8 Nov 2025 in “C++ move semantics from scratch (2022)”
Other programming books people recommend
The four most recommended other programming books, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crafting Interpretersby Robert Nystrom | 60 | 4 | 94% | 10 | — | Approved |
| Clean Codeby Robert C. Martin | 31 | 87 | 26% | 9 | — | — |
| The Pragmatic Programmerby Andy Hunt and Dave Thomas | 28 | 1 | 97% | 7 | — | Approved |
| How to Design Programsby Matthias Felleisen and Robert Bruce Findler and Matthew Flatt and Shriram Krishnamurthi | 18 | 2 | 90% | 7 | — | Approved |
| Effective C++by Scott MeyersThis page | 5 | 1 | 83% | 3 | 14 yrs3 owners | — |
What people said
5 of the 6 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“They explain quite well the reasons as far as I remember.”
“No C++ "bread and butter" I have seen so far goes into depth on this subject.”
“Item 8: Prevent exceptions from leaving destructors.”
“It's a wonderful book for sure, but it's a wonderfully detailed map to a minefield.”
“Scott Meyers excellent Effective C++”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.