Mead's Guides to Stuff

Most people have hobbies that they like to engage in during their "time off" (from work, school, or whatever), and that's a Good Thing™. Some people like to play games (video or other), watch movies, play sports, read books, exercise, listen to music, play a musical instrument, etc. I also have hobbies. (Several, in fact.)

One of my favorite things to do during my "time off" is to write computer-related tutorials. Yes, that seems very nerdy/geeky, and I won't deny it. I've always enjoyed studying things about computers (hardware, software, programming, operating systems, etc.) and then sharing that knowledge with anyone that is interested. (And even if they're not interested!)

So, for your pleasure, here are some of the results of that hobby. Enjoy!

List of Topics

In no particular order, these are Mead's Guide to:
  1. Modern C++ This guide demonstrates several of the new features from the C++11/14/17 standards.

  2. Memory Debuggers This short guide demonstrates how to use Dr. Memory and Valgrind to debug your C/C++ programs.

  3. Colorized Output using ANSI Escape Sequences This short guide shows how to output colorized text in a console. When used correctly, this can make the output much easier to read and understand.

  4. Signals on Linux (and Unix-like Systems) In a nutshell, signals allow one process to "get the attention" of another process. It's only a one-way interaction (unlike of IPC mechanisms), but it's very useful for what it does.

  5. Building Software from Source under Linux Mint There are many ways to install software on a Linux computer. You may have a self-installing program, an install package, or just the source code. This short tutorial shows the various ways to install software. Designed for Linux Mint, but most of it should be applicable to other Linux distributions.

  6. Upgrading GCC and Clang on Linux This guide shows how to install (from repositories) and use multiple versions of gcc/g++ and clang/clang++.

  7. Building GCC 7.1 from Source on Linux and Mac This guide shows how to build and install the compilers from source code.

  8. Lambda Expressions in C++11/14 This feature (lambda functions) has been around in other languages for decades and has finally come to C++. Learn all of the details about this long-awaited feature.

  9. getopt Command line options give programs much more power and flexibility. Learn how to use them effectively with the getopt (get options) API. You'll be glad you did, and your users will happier, as well.

  10. The Secure Shell The secure shell (SSH) is the defacto standard for connecting to computers on the Internet. Knowing how to use it will make you significantly more productive.

  11. const in C and C++ In my humble opinion, the const keyword in C and C++ is serioulsy under-used. It's also a source of confusion to new programmers. This short guide should help you figure it all out.

  12. Summer RAD Session Not really a "Mead's Guide" item. The title of this is "Designing and Building Graphical User Interfaces for Tools Development and Other Projects" Back in the day, I did Windows GUI development for a living (i.e. before teaching). I don't know how relevant it is now, but hopefully some people might find it useful since I put a ton of effort into it.

  13. C++ References This page contains a list of essential references on C++. It's a continuing work-in-progress and I will be updating as time goes by. I've read so many books on C++ that I've lost count. I'm hoping to put my "reviews" here as time permits.