Why are these C++ Commands looked down upon?

Question

I know many people have suggested to me to not use code such as

using namespace std;

or

system ("pause");
system ("cls");
system ("color f0");//and other system commands

or

goto TitleScreen;
goto DeathScreen;

or

break;

and I'm just wondering why these things are looked down upon and what C++ commands can replace the bad habits of mine?

So you really don't know why `goto` is looked down upon? Ever hear of spaghetti code? — PaulMcKenzie, Nov 19 '15 at 01:05
Most of those are looked down on, and usually for good reasons, but what makes you think that `break` is? It is not. — Remy Lebeau, Nov 19 '15 at 01:06
I am not sure who said `break` but it is definitely used in a lot of cases, such as `switch`. For `goto`, in almost most cases, you will not need to use it, if you design your code properly. To me `goto` decreases the readability of the code. — macroland, Nov 19 '15 at 01:07
@macroland `goto` also decreases your chances of someone looking at your code if you have a bug. At least for me, if I see `goto`, I don't look at the code any further, unless I *have* to. — PaulMcKenzie, Nov 19 '15 at 01:10
There are appropriate uses of all of these, including `goto`. (state machine implementations, for example, are often done using `goto`s) — Joe, Nov 19 '15 at 01:18
There is no guarantee that the operating system your program is running on has a "pause" command. Also, you can't guarantee the platform has a screen. Some platforms run programs in a "command window", which may not be cleared. Some platforms that support terminals, may not support color terminals. — Thomas Matthews, Nov 19 '15 at 01:27

score 7 · Accepted Answer · edited May 23 '17 at 12:16

Okay, let's go one-by-one. I will be posting links to great post by some other people, there's no points reinventing the wheel, and they've done a pretty good job.

using namespace std;

Why is "using namespace std" considered bad practice?

system ("pause");
system ("cls");
system ("color f0");//and other system commands

Why system() is evil

break;

There's nothing necessarily bad about break if used in moderation. Too many breaks in a for loop might suggest your logic is getting a bit too complex, and may be factored out, but in general most 'dangers' with break and continue can be alleviated by writing clear code.

Why are these C++ Commands looked down upon?

1 Answers1