C++ remains popular and powerful after 40 years, used in major systems like YouTube, Google, Facebook, and more.
Bjorn Stroustrup discusses the history of programming languages, highlighting breakthroughs and the value of learning from different languages.
Concepts in C++ provide compile-time predicates that ensure parameters meet necessary properties and operations, and will be included in the upcoming C++20 standard.
Deep dives
The Power and Popularity of C++
C++ is a programming language that has remained popular and powerful for over 40 years. It is known for its focus on fast, stable, and robust code, and is used in major systems like YouTube, Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Twitter. It is also widely used in applications from Microsoft, Adobe, and in various physical systems like cars, robots, and rockets. The creator of C++, Bjorn Stroustrup, has been heavily involved in its development and is excited for the upcoming C++20 standard.
The Evolution of Programming Languages
Bjorn Stroustrup discusses the history of programming languages. He mentions early languages like ALGOL and Pascal and their limitations. He then highlights the breakthrough of object-oriented programming with the language Simula, which introduced concepts like class hierarchies and inheritance. He also talks about the importance of expressive type systems and how languages like C++ have evolved to provide extensible and flexible type systems. Additionally, he mentions the significance of functional languages like Lisp for certain applications and the value of learning from different languages.
Concepts and the Design of C++
Bjorn Stroustrup explains the concept of concepts in C++. Concepts are compile-time predicates that allow developers to specify requirements for template arguments. They serve as a way to express the constraints of the arguments and ensure that the parameters meet the necessary properties and operations. While concepts were considered for inclusion in previous versions of C++, they faced challenges in terms of optimization and usability. However, they have now been successfully implemented and will be part of the upcoming C++20 standard, providing a new level of expressiveness and constraints in generic programming.
C++ design principles: efficiency and abstraction
The speaker discusses the tension between high level abstraction and efficiency in programming. They emphasize that the best efficiency is achieved through the best abstraction. They explain that when designing C++, a set of guidelines was developed to guide the inclusion of features, ensuring that abstractions in the language do not come with a cost compared to lower-level code.
Constructors and destructors as key features
The speaker highlights constructors and destructors as the most beautiful and essential part of C++. They explain that constructors and destructors allow for the establishment and cleanup of the environment for objects, contributing to reliable and efficient code. They emphasize that the ability to control copying and the introduction of move operations are also key features in defining C++ types.
Bjarne Stroustrup is the creator of C++, a programming language that after 40 years is still one of the most popular and powerful languages in the world. Its focus on fast, stable, robust code underlies many of the biggest systems in the world that we have come to rely on as a society. If you’re watching this on YouTube, many of the critical back-end component of YouTube are written in C++. Same goes for Google, Facebook, Amazon, Twitter, most Microsoft applications, Adobe applications, most database systems, and most physical systems that operate in the real-world like cars, robots, rockets that launch us into space and one day will land us on Mars.
This conversation is part of the Artificial Intelligence podcast. If you would like to get more information about this podcast go to https://lexfridman.com/ai or connect with @lexfridman on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Medium, or YouTube where you can watch the video versions of these conversations. If you enjoy the podcast, please rate it 5 stars on Apple Podcasts or support it on Patreon. Here’s the outline with timestamps for this episode (on some players you can click on the timestamp to jump to that point in the episode):
00:00 – Introduction
01:40 – First program
02:18 – Journey to C++
16:45 – Learning multiple languages
23:20 – Javascript
25:08 – Efficiency and reliability in C++
31:53 – What does good code look like?
36:45 – Static checkers
41:16 – Zero-overhead principle in C++
50:00 – Different implementation of C++
54:46 – Key features of C++
1:08:02 – C++ Concepts
1:18:06 – C++ Standards Process
1:28:05 – Constructors and destructors
1:31:52 – Unified theory of programming
1:44:20 – Proudest moment
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