Modern C++

Optional branch. The OS-from-scratch project is C-first, so this branch is marked optional and deferred: the outline and sources are planned here, but its atomic notes are expected after the C layer is solid. Expand it when C++ earns its place in the work — or treat it as a reference detour.

C++ is not "C with classes" anymore. The reason to learn it at this level is a single idea — RAII: tying resource lifetime to object lifetime so the compiler frees what you acquired. From there: smart pointers, move semantics, templates, the STL, and "zero-cost abstractions" that compile down to what you'd have written by hand in C. This branch frames which subset of modern C++ is worth using and where the abstractions leak.

Planned notes

• C vs C++: what you actually gain (and pay)
• RAII: the idea that changes everything
• Smart pointers: unique_ptr, shared_ptr, ownership
• Move semantics and value categories
• References, const, and overloading
• Templates and generic programming
• The STL: containers, iterators, algorithms
• Zero-cost abstractions (and where they leak)
• Modern C++ (11 → 23) highlights worth adopting
• Error handling: exceptions vs expected
• Which subset of C++ to use (and which to avoid)
• SerenityOS: an operating system written in C++

Core sources

• Bjarne Stroustrup — A Tour of C++ — the concise, authoritative spine.
• Scott Meyers — Effective Modern C++ — the C++11/14 idioms that matter.
• C++ Core Guidelines (Stroustrup & Sutter) — what "good modern C++" means. isocpp.github.io/CppCoreGuidelines
• Klaus Iglberger — C++ Software Design — design with modern C++.
• learncpp.com (free, thorough) and CppCon talks (youtube.com/@CppCon).

Connects to: C from the Metal · Pointers & Memory · Craftsmanship Low-Level