I am often asked questions about why a particular feature, present in standard C, hasn’t become part of the C++ standard. This time, I’ll discuss why C++ (as of the C++17 standard) doesn’t include the variable length arrays (VLAs) feature that …
Read moreHappy 72nd Birthday, ENIAC!
Today, we (okay, maybe just ubernerds like me) celebrate the 72nd anniversary of the formal dedication of ENIAC (Electronic Numeric Integrator and Computer), one of the earliest electronic programmable general-purpose computers. Dubbed the “Giant Brain” in newspaper articles, it cost roughly $487,000 …
Read moreDeath of the register keyword may be greatly exaggerated
The register keyword is often swept to the sidelines in C and C++ courses, books, and articles, because it’s considered by many these days to be obsolete. While there are reasons for this belief, reports of the death of the register keyword are still …
Read moreIs “C/C++” a thing?
I frequently see people using the term “C/C++” as if it were referring to one language. Part of the confusion that might lead to writing this, and the confusion that can be generated when reading it, is related to the …
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