Sean Parent Style Guide⁠‍⁠​‌​‌​​‌‌‍​‌​​‌​‌‌‍​​‌‌​​​‌‍​‌​​‌‌​​‍​​​​​​​‌‍‌​​‌‌​‌​‍‌​​​​​​​‍‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‍‌‌​​​‌​​‍‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌‍‌‌​‌​​​​‍​‌​‌‌‌‌‌‍​‌​​‌​‌‌‍​‌‌​‌​​‌‍‌​‌​‌‌‌​‍​​‌​‌​​​‍‌‌‌​‌​‌‌‍‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌‌​​​‌​​‍​​​​‌‌​​‍​‌‌​​​​‌‍​​​​‌​‌​‍‌​​‌​‌‌​⁠‍⁠

Overview

Sean Parent, former Principal Scientist at Adobe, transformed how many think about C++ with his "C++ Seasoning" and "Better Code" talks. His central thesis: raw loops are assembly language for algorithms. If you're writing a loop, you're probably missing an algorithm.

Core Philosophy

"No raw loops."

"A goal of software engineering is to reduce code to its essence, to remove anything that doesn't contribute to the meaning."

Parent believes that code should be a direct expression of intent, and loops obscure intent by exposing mechanism.

Design Principles

1. No Raw Loops: Every loop is a missed opportunity to use (or create) a named algorithm.

2. Algorithms Express Intent: std::find_if says "search"; a for-loop says "increment and compare."