# Tips for a PERL programmer learning C++
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tips-for-a-perl-programmer-learning-c/388950
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [January 22, 2007, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tips-for-a-perl-programmer-learning-c/388950 "2007-01-22T14:08:08Z")
**Posts on this page:** 2
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Scuba\_Ben](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scuba_Ben)
#### Post date: [January 22, 2007, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tips-for-a-perl-programmer-learning-c/388950/1 "2007-01-22T14:08:08Z")
A friend of mine is a deep-level PERL programmer; I believe he’s done some work on the interpreter core itself.
His employer wants him to learn C++. So he’s asking for tips on learning this language; he already has a decent knowledge of C, so he’s not starting entirely from scratch.
I recommended that he read the perltrap page, find the section on C++, and read it in reverse. Any other ideas?
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### Author:  [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)
#### Post date: [January 22, 2007, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tips-for-a-perl-programmer-learning-c/388950/2 "2007-01-22T14:33:59Z")
C++ is closer to C than to Perl, I would say. But I wouldn’t say that either language is a great leap-off point for learning C++.
But essentially what he needs to learn is (in no particular order):
Object Oriented code\*
Templates
Try/Catch statements
Overloaded Operators
Other than that, his knowledge of C should be fine enough. But he might do some good to look up the above items just to get a first overview before jumping into a C++ book.
But my biggest warning is that you do not want to try learning C++ from Stroustrup (the language creator)'s book. It sucks lonk as far as presenting topics in logical order, or in English for humans.
- Yeah yeah, Perl has OO in theory