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Note to the C++ standards committee members on profiles and safety [pdf] (open-std.org)
8 points by todsacerdoti 4 months ago | hide | past | favorite | 2 comments


Tone is urgent:

    C++, usually under the misleading label C/C++, is under attack from the US and EU regulatory bodies, the managements of several powerful commercial organizations, and just about everybody promoting a different language for anything C++ is used for or might be used for (e.g., see references). In particular, the US government demands a plan for achieving memory safety by 2026 and several important organizations will follow that. Without the support from the committee this will imply
    • Disuse of C++ for many important new projects
    • Decreased funding for future development of C++ language, libraries, and tools
    This is unprecedented and ignores C++ strengths. This has already started.
So urgent, some of Bjarne's "facts" are not strictly true, like "US government demands a plan for achieving memory safety by 2026". AFAIK there is no binding rule.

See also: "The Plethora of Problems With Profiles" at https://www.open-std.org/jtc1/sc22/wg21/docs/papers/2025/p35...


>> some of Bjarne's "facts" are not strictly true, like "US government demands a plan for achieving memory safety by 2026". AFAIK there is no binding rule.

While not binding, the guidance could be viewed as a "very strong recommendation":

https://www.techrepublic.com/article/cisa-fbi-memory-safety-...

If you sell software to government agencies and fail to implement the guidance, but your competitors do implement the guidance it might impact which software is selected for government contracts.




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