I like being right. Who does not? I am also interested in programming languages. Part of their appeal is that, unlike almost all spoken languages, they have a precise definition or specification to which implementers endeavor to comply. Many languages, like C and C++, have ANSI/ISO standards, which nail down many of the details. These standards tend to be imperfect and aspects of the language can remain rather insecure, as implementers have too much latitude. This is why organizations such as MISRA publish detailed usage guidelines to avoid the problem areas. C++, in particular, gives some interesting opportunities to write obscure code, which I have written about here before.

I was concerned, when I first started to learn C++, that there was a flaw in the language. Some years later, I got the whole story … (more…)