CppDepend:

The single C++ line that is worth millions of dollars.

Many developers has already heard about the Ariane5 bug , it was one of the most infamous software failures in the history of aerospace engineering. It occurred on June 4, 1996, during the maiden flight of the Ariane 5 rocket, which was intended to launch four Cluster satellites into orbit to study Earth’s magnetosphere.

The bug itself was a software issue related to the guidance system of the rocket. The software component responsible for converting a 64-bit floating-point value to a 16-bit signed integer for use in the guidance system caused an unhandled exception due to an overflow error. So finally one line of code costs millions of dollars and make the Ariane 5 launch is widely acknowledged as one of the most expensive software failures in history.

But in the other side do you know which line of code worth million of dollars?

Be prepared to work soon with a C++ agent.

Perhaps within two years or even sooner, developers could find themselves having a conversation like this:

“Which C++ agent are you utilizing?”

“I’m using the X agent.”

“And does it contribute to cleaner code with fewer bugs?”

“Yes, it’s fantastic! My C++ code has been modernized.”

“What about the application design?”

“My agent has been trained to implement design patterns. Additionally, I’ve provided it with training data to incorporate the best C++ idioms.”

So why are we quickly approaching a future where humans collaborate with agents to accomplish our tasks? Because major players in AI are pushing for the rapid release of AI agents.

AI agents, also known as intelligent agents, are software entities that perceive their environment and take actions to achieve specific goals. These agents are a fundamental concept in artificial intelligence and are widely used in various applications, ranging from simple automation tasks to complex decision-making systems. Here are some key points about AI agents:

The new C++ standards must anticipate the coming AI tsunami.

The significant and rapid transformation driven by advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) technology promise a very big AI tsunami that will change our life as developers. While the exact nature of these changes can vary depending on context and perspective, there are several broad trends and potential impacts that might be expected following such a transformative event:

C++ creator rebuts White House warning, but there’s no smoke without fire :)

In a March 15 response to an inquiry from InfoWorld, Stroustrup pointed out strengths of C++. “I find it surprising that the writers of those government documents seem oblivious of the strengths of contemporary C++ and the efforts to provide strong safety guarantees,” Stroustrup said.

And Stroustrup cited a fact about the origin of the issue :

There are two problems related to safety. Of the billions of lines of C++, few completely follow modern guidelines, and peoples’ notions of which aspects of safety are important differ.

This highlights a significant problem with C++. When any programming language permits the execution of potentially harmful actions, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that a considerable portion of developers may misuse it.

And when confronted about writing bad code, developers may offer various arguments to justify their actions, though these are often excuses rather than valid reasons:

What attempts have been made to bring memory safety to C++?

C++ is a powerful and widely used programming language known for its flexibility and performance. However, one of its historical drawbacks has been the lack of built-in memory safety features, which can lead to various types of memory-related bugs such as buffer overflows, dangling pointers, and memory leaks.

This is a known issue that has persisted for decades, and numerous attempts have been made to find a solution. Unfortunately, none have succeeded.

What has been done in the past to enhance memory safety within the language?

Make your C++ code more safer by enabling the native compiler Runtime Checks.

Runtime checks in C++ refer to mechanisms or tools used to detect errors, vulnerabilities, or unexpected behavior in a program while it is executing. These checks are performed dynamically during runtime rather than at compile-time and can help identify issues that may not be apparent during static analysis or code review.

What about our emotional relationship with a specific programming language? C++ as example.

The emotional relationship between a developer and a programming language can be quite profound and personal, like to the relationship between a musician and his instrument. This relationship is shaped by various factors and experiences, leading to a complex mix of feelings and attachments.

Developers often feel a sense of comfort and familiarity with a programming language they have been using for a long time. They develop an intimate understanding of its syntax, semantics, and quirks, which can create a feeling of being “at home” when writing code. Emotional attachment to a programming language can fuel passion and motivation in developers. However, it can introduce some risks, like :

Even the White House wants you to abandon C and C++, It’s time to focus on C++ safety and join the Bjarne initiative.

The C and C++ languages are no longer favored by the highest American authorities. Indeed, the White House wishes for developers to use memory-safe languages. In this report published on Monday, the Office of the National Cyber Director (ONCD) of the White House invites developers to reduce the risk of cyberattacks by using languages without memory vulnerabilities. IT companies “can prevent the introduction of multiple vulnerabilities into the digital ecosystem by adopting secure languages,” the presidency said in a statement. It refers to those that are protected against buffer overflow, out-of-bounds reads, and memory leaks.

Top 7 most used C++ idioms (Part2).

In the first part we discovered the RAII and Pimpl idioms, and in this second part, we will explore the CRTP, Copy-and-Swap, and Type Erasure idioms.

But before talking about these interesting idioms, let’s first discover the benefits of mastering C++ idioms and why it’s worth investing time to understand how they work:

Top 7 most used C++ idioms (Part1).

Idioms and design patterns are both common solutions to recurring problems in software development, but they differ in scope, granularity, and formality:

Scope:
- Idioms: Idioms are small, language-specific coding techniques or patterns that address specific programming challenges within a particular programming language. They often involve leveraging language features or conventions to achieve a desired outcome efficiently and effectively.
- Design Patterns: Design patterns are higher-level, language-agnostic architectural solutions to common design problems in software engineering. They provide general reusable templates for solving design issues and promoting best practices in software design.
Granularity:
- Idioms: Idioms tend to be more granular and focused on specific coding constructs or techniques within a single programming language. They often involve manipulating language features or syntax to achieve particular goals.
- Design Patterns: Design patterns are more comprehensive and deal with broader design concepts and relationships between components within a software system. They provide templates for organizing and structuring code at a higher level of abstraction.
Formality:
- Idioms: Idioms are typically informal and are commonly passed down through experience, code reviews, or programming literature within a specific programming community. They may not always have formal names or documentation.
- Design Patterns: Design patterns are more formalized and well-documented solutions to common design problems. They often have recognized names, descriptions, and implementation guidelines outlined in literature such as the Gang of Four (GoF) book “Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software.”

Discover your C\C++ project Today!