CppCast

Louis Dionne, code owner of libc++ at Apple and C++ standard committee member, discusses the adoption of the library hardening proposal set for C++26. He emphasizes the importance of enhancing safety and security in C++ through techniques that turn undefined behaviors into clear contract violations. The conversation also delves into innovations like a safe mode for memory safety, evolving hardening techniques, and the balancing act between performance and security. Dionne shares actionable insights for developers eager to adopt these practices today.

Timur and Phil return after an extended break with news and updates News Bjarne Stroustrup on How He Sees C++ Evolving Conferences round-up: ACCU Conference 2025 C++ Now 2025 C++ on Sea 2025 C++ North 2025 CppCon New Meetups: Singapore C++ USers Group ACCU Cambridge Links "Contracts and Safety for C++26" - C++ London January event "Not Your Grandparent's C++" - Phil's ACCU Cambridge talk

Anders Knatten joins Phil and Timur. Anders reminds us about cppquiz.org and tells to us about his new book, C++ Brain Teasers, how that relates to the site and why it's has good practical applicability. News New report by the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) C++ Safe Buffers - a new Clang20 feature CppFront version 0.8 is out “Safe and efficient C++ interoperability via non-escapable types and lifetimes” - from the Swift Forums Links C++ Brain Teasers - Anders' new book C++ Quiz C++ Quiz repo and getting involved Submit your own C++ Quiz questions Modulo One - Anders' band IncludeOS - Episode #63 of CppCast

Christopher Apple, a software engineer with a focus on real-time safety and performance in C++, chats about the Realtime Sanitizer introduced in Clang 20. He discusses its role in enhancing code safety, especially in audio applications, and the challenges of memory management. The conversation touches on how the Performance Constraints attributes help in non-blocking function reliability. Additionally, they cover the implications for real-time programming and why these advancements matter in industries like gaming and fintech.

Eduardo Madrid, main author of the Zoo libraries and former high-frequency trading developer at companies like Bloomberg and Snapchat, shares his innovative insights. He delves into his advanced type-erasure framework and the SWAR library, which simulates SIMD operations, highlighting their practical advantages. Eduardo also draws fascinating parallels between software design and principles from biology and physics, illustrating how these influences shape his approach to coding and architecture. Expect a blend of tech and creativity in this engaging discussion!

Yuri Minaev joins Timur and Phil. Yuri talks to us about static analysis and how PVS Studio helps. Then we chat about his work on a custom C++ parser, and what challenges he's encountered. News CppCon 2024 keynotes on YouTube (via CppCon site): Herb Sutter - "Peering Forward: C++'s Next Decade" Khalil Estell - "C++ Exceptions for Smaller Firmware" Amanda Rousseau - "Embracing an Adversarial Mindset for C++ Security" David Gross - "Ultrafast Trading Systems in C++" Daveed Vandevoorde - "Gazing Beyond Reflection for C++26" Coros - task-based parallelism library built on C++20 Coroutines "The case of the crash when destructing a std::map" - Raymond Chen ACCU 2025 Call for Speakers and (super) Early Bird Tickets Links C++ Under the Sea PVS-Studio (download) PVS-Studio Blog Yuri's Webinar: Parsing C++

Sean Baxter, known for his groundbreaking work on Safe C++, and Andrei Alexandrescu, a leading voice in the C++ community, join in an engaging discussion about the latest in C++ standards and safety. They delve into Clang 19.1 updates, emphasizing the need for safety in coding. The duo explores the balance of old code with new safety features and AI integration in C++. Plus, reflections on podcasting experiences reveal the chaos and evolution of coding, along with a nod to boosting community inclusivity and upcoming events.

Benjamin Summerton joins Timur and Phil. Ben talks to us about what led him to benchmark the impact of the final and noexcept keywords, how to interpret his results, and the project that inspired him to do so in the first place. News Boost 1.86 released RealtimeSanitizer - new real-time safety testing tool for C and C++ projects that comes with Clang 20 "Honey, I shrunk {fmt}: bringing binary size to 14k and ditching the C++ runtime" Links Join us for the CppCast CppCon Special Previous episodes covering std lib implementations: Stephan T. Lavavej (MSVC) Stephan T. Lavavej and Sy Brand (MSVC) Billy O'Neil (MSVC) Marshall Clow (libc++) Eric Fiselier (libc++) "noexcept affects libstdc++’s unordered_set" - Arthur O'Dwyer Episode with Martin Hořeňovský, discussing non-portal random distribution Episode with Frances Buontempo, also mentioning random numbers and the portable distribution issue "Free Your Functions" (video) - Klaus Iglberger (timed link to the bit that talks about performance) Ben's PSRayTracing repo

Sándor Dargó, an expert in reducing binary sizes and clean code, shares his wisdom on efficient software development. He dives into the significance of keeping binaries small, especially for embedded systems, and explains strategies like optimizing compiler settings. Sándor emphasizes the delicate balance between code clarity and performance, discussing how early structural decisions can impact the end result. He also reflects on the essence of clean code, advocating for maintainability amidst the complexities of modern C++. It's a treasure trove of insights for any C++ programmer!

Doug Gregor joins Phil and Kevin Carpenter. Doug talks to us about his work on Swift at Apple, what the language is like and how it can interoperate with C++. News "Memory Safety in C++ vs Rust vs Zig" - B Shyam Sundar C++ under the Sea workshops announced mp-units 2.2.0 released Links "Swift for C++ Practioners" - first in blog series from Doug Gregor Episode 341, with Dave Abraham talking about Swift/ C++ interop "Start with a Protocol" - blog post from Rob Napier (but link to Dave Abraham's "Crusty" talk no longer works) "Option(al) is not a Failure" - Phil's talk about Swift Error Handling "Option(al) is not a Failure" (yes, same name) - Phil's talk about past, present and possible future C++ error handling "Swift Concurrency"