I think the correct approach is a mix. I firmly believe that one of the things that makes good programmers good is developing the correct habits. Once something has been ingrained as a habit you don't even think about it any more and just do it.
I'd take a book like Scott Meyer's new Effective Modern C++ book (which I recommend) and focus on applying one item every week. At the start of the week read through the item. Every time you write code for that week make an effort to see if that item applies to what you're doing. Maybe read the item again midweek or towards the end of the week to see if the practical experience changes your view on what he wrote. The book contains 42 items so if you go through it like this you'd be done in less than a year.
I'm not saying that people shouldn't read the whole book at once. However, if you just read it through once and put it on the shelf I don't think you'll get the same benefit that you would get from spending time focusing on individual areas.
Comments
I think the correct approach is a mix. I firmly believe that one of the things that makes good programmers good is developing the correct habits. Once something has been ingrained as a habit you don't even think about it any more and just do it.
I'd take a book like Scott Meyer's new Effective Modern C++ book (which I recommend) and focus on applying one item every week. At the start of the week read through the item. Every time you write code for that week make an effort to see if that item applies to what you're doing. Maybe read the item again midweek or towards the end of the week to see if the practical experience changes your view on what he wrote. The book contains 42 items so if you go through it like this you'd be done in less than a year.
I'm not saying that people shouldn't read the whole book at once. However, if you just read it through once and put it on the shelf I don't think you'll get the same benefit that you would get from spending time focusing on individual areas.