This C++ drama is crazy

Summary

The video discusses a dispute that could delay the adoption of C++26, focusing on disagreement over the standard’s new contracts feature and on how the U.S. approval process works.

How the standard is approved

C++ is an ISO standard, and proposed revisions are voted on by participating countries. In the U.S., standards work goes through INCITS. The video says an INCITS executive board has authority over the U.S. vote, separate from the experts who develop the draft.

The reported U.S. vote

The speaker says the board did not approve the U.S. position on C++26: seven members voted yes, one voted no, four abstained, and four were absent. Under the rules as described, nine affirmative votes were needed.

Based on information from an unnamed standards-committee contact, the speaker identifies Adobe as the company that voted no. The video notes that this vote information was not public.

Why contracts are controversial

Contracts let programmers express conditions such as preconditions and postconditions in code. The video gives the example of checking that a divisor is not zero. Depending on build settings, such checks may run or be ignored.

Critics argue that checks that can be disabled are not a dependable safety measure. Supporters argue that developers should be able to choose which checks to pay for. The speaker says contracts have been debated across several standards cycles and notes that Bjarne Stroustrup has advised against using them.

Possible consequences

The speaker says the U.S. has no settled position and that other countries may abstain or oppose C++26. This could delay the standard and lead to contracts being revised or removed. GCC is mentioned as already offering contracts experimentally.

The speaker’s view

The speaker sees value in documenting invariants directly in code, but says the central concern is accountability in the standards process—especially the influence of a board that may be unfamiliar with the technical work, and the participation of members who abstained or did not attend.

Promotional content

The video also advertises getcracked.io, described as a programming-interview preparation platform with C++, Python, and SystemVerilog tasks, roadmaps, and training videos. Its quantum-career program is presented as offering coaching, mock interviews, project and résumé support, and recruiter connections.

No product review, guide, or tutorial is presented.

Main speakers and sources

The video’s host, Coding Jesus, provides the commentary and reports the vote details based on an unnamed standards-committee contact. Bjarne Stroustrup is cited for his stated position on contracts.