Bjarne Stroustrup: The design and evolution of C++: 1982-2007

Abstract

C++ is contemporary with NLUUG.
This talk outlines the history of the C++ programming language from its early days, through the mostly accidental entry into the mainstream of industrial use and the 1998 ISO standard, to the later stages of the C++0x revision of that standard (2007). The emphasis is on the ideals, design principles, constraints, programming techniques, and people that shaped the language, rather than the minutiae of language features. Among the major themes are the emergence of generic programming and the STL (the C++ standard library's algorithms and containers). The aim of C++ was always to be an effective tool in the development of real-world software. Consequently, the talk mentions various uses of C++ and the technical and commercial pressures that provided the background for its continuing evolution.

Biography

Bjarne Stroustrup is the designer and original implementer of C++ and the author of "The C++ Programming Language". His research interests include distributed systems, design, programming techniques, software development tools, and programming languages. Dr. Stroustrup is the College of Engineering Chair Professor in Computer Science at Texas A&M University and member of The National Academy of Engineering; ACM fellow, IEEE Fellow, AT&T Bell Laboratories Fellow, and AT&T Fellow. He is actively involved in the ANSI/ISO standardization of C++. His masters degree is from the University of Aarhus in Denmark and his PhD from Cambridge University, England.

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