Vittorio Romeo is a C++ developer who writes about modern C++, compile-time techniques, game development and language design.
HN links his proposal to fix C++ with Rust-style epochs, and his book on modern C++, which commenters criticize for splitting the language into dialects.
Sure, the effect of such guidelines, including the "Core Guidelines" is to further shatter the language into effectively incompatible dialects while not really solving anything.
One of the book's authors actually proposed work to get C++ to a place where C++ 20 could begin actually abolishing the things everybody agrees you shouldn't do, Vittorio's "Epochs" proposal. https://vittorioromeo.info/index/blog/fixing_cpp_with_epochs.html
But the preference for C++ 20 was to add yet further stuff. I believe that, unwittingly, the C++ 20 process sealed the fate of the language in choosing to land features like Concepts but not attempt Epochs, I'm not sure it was actually possible, but if it wasn't possible in 2020 it's not going to be any easier in 2026 and it's only going to be more necessary.
C++ needs to just steal the idea of Epochs from Rust
https://vittorioromeo.info/index/blog/fixing_cpp_with_epochs.html
By default, everything is backward compatible, but to use new features you need to declare this compilation unit as being part of C++23 (or 26, 29). Then code that uses the new stuff also ignores the old and can have different rules. But it can still be combined with legacy code and libraries. You know at compile and linking time when crossing boundaries and can do the right thing. This actually combines nicely with modules since we already need a new build infrastructure to take advantage of modules.
I'm working on a Emscripten-ready fork of SFML that brings several key improvements:
- Modern OpenGL and first-class support for Emscripten4 - Easy to use drawable batching system - Enhanced API safety at compile-time - Flexible design approach over strict OOP principles - New audio API supporting multiple simultaneous devices - Built-in SFML::ImGui module - Remarkably fast compilation time & small run-time debug mode overhead
More info: https://vittorioromeo.info/index/blog/vrsfml.html
yep, the authors of "Embracing Modern C++ Safely" [1] are Bloomberg folks
[1] https://vittorioromeo.info/emcpps.html
This is the idea for the 'epochs' proposal https://vittorioromeo.info/index/blog/fixing_cpp_with_epochs.html