Dr. Dobb's C/C++

Why Does C++ Allow Arithmetic on Null Pointers?

Thu, 24 May 2012 11:27:00 -0400

My last two notes discussed a subtle language-design issue that simplifies programmers' lives in ways that they often don't suspect. This theme seems useful, so I'll continue it.

The Solution to Last Week's Language-Design Puzzle

Thu, 17 May 2012 14:51:00 -0400

Anomalies, and design strategies for avoiding them, are among the many reasons that programming-language design is harder than it looks.

Extracting Function Parameter and Return Types in C++

Thu, 17 May 2012 10:39:00 -0400

Using the metaprogramming capabilities of C++ and generic programming, it's possible to create an elegant parser of parameter types. Command-line interpreters, parsers, and syntax checkers are among the many applications.

A Language-Design Puzzle in Operator Overloading

Wed, 09 May 2012 18:31:00 -0400

Resolving an overloaded function call involves finding a single possibility that is strictly better than all the others.

The New C Standard Explored

Tue, 08 May 2012 12:17:00 -0400

C11 specifies many security features that require minimal changes to existing code. They greatly reduce unexpected behavior and prevent many kinds of common attacks.

The New Native Languages

Tue, 08 May 2012 09:45:00 -0400

D and Go are at the forefront of a new generation of native languages emerging in the space between C and C++.

New Native Languages

Tue, 08 May 2012 08:47:00 -0400

D, Go, Vala, and Rust: A new generation of native languages.

Voldemort Types In D

Mon, 07 May 2012 19:34:00 -0400

Sometimes, the confluence of existing features can yield unexpected surprises.

A Personal Note About Argument-Dependent Lookup

Thu, 03 May 2012 19:24:00 -0400

One of the comments on my article last week noted that argument-dependent lookup in C++ is often called "Koenig lookup". I didn't invent it, but unfortunately, I don't know who did, so I don't know where the credit — or blame — is really due.

Calling Constructors with Placement New

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 06:55:00 -0400

Trying to create an object at a specific memory address highlights the peculiarities of C++ constructors

Object Swapping, Part 7: How Do You Call It?

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 06:13:00 -0400

We've talked about why swapping is important, and about how to use it to implement other operations such as assignment. We shall now look more closely at how to use it.

The Humble Boolean Deserves Help

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 07:03:00 -0400

The boolean data type rarely gets the attention it merits. As a result, it's stuck in a world of exactly two values, with little margin for safety.

Object Swapping, Part 6: Exception Safety

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 10:41:00 -0400

Swapping has an important role to play in making operations exception safe.

Auto Types and Range-Based For Statements in C++11

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 10:41:00 -0400

Two really handy features in C++11 are the range-based for statement and the auto type specifier.

Developer's Reading List

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 08:34:00 -0400

C++ concurrency, web crawlers, Google testing, and more: This month's reading list is packed with great books on interesting topics.

Benchmarking Block-Swapping Algorithms

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 17:21:00 -0400

Algorithms for swapping blocks of data appear simple, but vary widely in their performance profiles. Choosing the right one can be crucial to good performance.

Penultimate USB

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 12:59:00 -0400

The last several weeks, I've been talking about building a USB device using a Microchip PIC 18F2550.

Object Swapping, Part 5: A Fine Point About Overloading

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 06:10:00 -0400

Last week, a sharp-eyed reader pointed out a subtle pitfall in the code that I presented.

C Finally Gets A New Standard

Sun, 08 Apr 2012 11:23:00 -0400

Tom Plum explores the new additions to C in a series of articles, starting with language-level atomic operations and thread primitives.

Object Swapping Part 4: How Class Operations Relate

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 19:20:00 -0400

The fundamental operations that a class offers to its users are construction, destruction, copying, and assignment.

Object Swapping, Part 3: Swapping and Moving

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 19:43:00 -0400

I would like to continue this series by discussing the notion of moving, rather than copying, values.

Uniform Function Call Syntax

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 06:31:00 -0400

I have become more and more convinced that the key to code reusability and scalability is encapsulation — having subsystems communicate through small, well-defined interfaces and letting them hide their own implementation details.

Eclipse Moves Into Clear View Of Orion

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 12:31:00 -0400

Orion browser-based web application IDE with JavaScript and HTML

A Simple Function for Formatting Currency

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 08:47:00 -0400

Formatting currency is a nightmarishly difficult problem. Consider this correct value that would be used in India: 3,25,84,729.25 This function gives you fine-level control over currency formats and makes it simple to switch between dollars, shekels, rupees, and yen without writing separate routines.

Waiting for One-Off Events with Futures

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 08:54:00 -0400

The maintainer of the Boost Thread library explains the C++ language feature called futures, which enables threads to synchronize on the occurrence of specific events