"First, I'd like to see the basic tools such as compilers, debuggers, profilers, database interfaces, GUI builders, CAD tools, and so forth fully support the ISO standard"
About this Quote
Bjarne Stroustrup, the creator of C++, is setting a priority: before celebrating new features or grand visions, the everyday tools must fully honor the ISO standard. A programming language is not just a specification; it is a living ecosystem. If compilers, debuggers, profilers, and the broader toolchain do not implement the standard faithfully, the promises of portability, performance, and correctness remain hollow.
His list reaches beyond compilers to database interfaces, GUI builders, and CAD tools to emphasize that conformance is not a niche concern. Real software spans build systems, libraries, UIs, data layers, and specialized engineering tools. When each layer respects the same standard, teams gain reliable behavior across platforms and vendors, avoid lock-in to proprietary quirks, and reduce the friction that comes from chasing tool-specific workarounds.
The context is decades of C++ evolution and uneven adoption. Early C++ suffered from divergent dialects; standardization in 1998 and later revisions aimed to unify practices. Yet modern features like templates, lambdas, constexpr, move semantics, modules, coroutines, and concepts are only as useful as the ecosystem’s ability to compile, debug, and profile them. A debugger that cannot render types from heavy template metaprogramming, or a profiler that misattributes costs after aggressive inlining, undermines confidence. Database bindings and GUI frameworks that rely on nonstandard extensions erode portability. Even CAD and other domain tools embedding C++ need stable ABI expectations and well-defined exception and threading semantics.
The word “First” matters. It signals paying down conformance debt before adding complexity. Full support enables better teaching, clearer documentation, and code longevity; it lets standards serve as a contract between developers and vendors. When tools align with the ISO specification, the language’s design values—efficiency, safety by construction, and broad interoperability—become tangible. Only then can the community responsibly push the frontier without leaving everyday practitioners behind.
His list reaches beyond compilers to database interfaces, GUI builders, and CAD tools to emphasize that conformance is not a niche concern. Real software spans build systems, libraries, UIs, data layers, and specialized engineering tools. When each layer respects the same standard, teams gain reliable behavior across platforms and vendors, avoid lock-in to proprietary quirks, and reduce the friction that comes from chasing tool-specific workarounds.
The context is decades of C++ evolution and uneven adoption. Early C++ suffered from divergent dialects; standardization in 1998 and later revisions aimed to unify practices. Yet modern features like templates, lambdas, constexpr, move semantics, modules, coroutines, and concepts are only as useful as the ecosystem’s ability to compile, debug, and profile them. A debugger that cannot render types from heavy template metaprogramming, or a profiler that misattributes costs after aggressive inlining, undermines confidence. Database bindings and GUI frameworks that rely on nonstandard extensions erode portability. Even CAD and other domain tools embedding C++ need stable ABI expectations and well-defined exception and threading semantics.
The word “First” matters. It signals paying down conformance debt before adding complexity. Full support enables better teaching, clearer documentation, and code longevity; it lets standards serve as a contract between developers and vendors. When tools align with the ISO specification, the language’s design values—efficiency, safety by construction, and broad interoperability—become tangible. Only then can the community responsibly push the frontier without leaving everyday practitioners behind.
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| Topic | Coding & Programming |
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