General Development Archive

The creator of the C++ programming language claims there has been a backlash against some of the newer programming languages such as Java and C#, with developers moving back to using C++.

wxWidgets 2.6.0 was released yesterday. This is the first stable release in over 18 months. Release notes and downloads are available here.

The wave of migration to open source in business has the potential to cause a tremendous porting traffic jam as developers move the ever-pervasive Windows application to the Linux platform. In this three-part series, get a mapping guide, complete with examples, to ease your transition from Windows to Linux. Part 1 introduces processes and threads.

Linux provides Portable Operating System Interface (POSIX) semaphores, as well as pthread conditional variables to map the Win32 semaphore APIs. Both have their share of pros and cons. Get detailed code examples illustrating how to map Win32 to Linux with respect to semaphore application program interfaces (APIs).

"What's this new 'aspect-oriented' thing I've been hearing so much about?" If you've been asking yourself this question, check out this sample chapter to learn about aspect-oriented programming and how it can enhance your projects.

It may seem obvious, but clear, concise code benefits everyone in the process. This sample chapter from Exceptional C++ Style explains in detail how clear code enhances productivity at every step of the way, not just for programmers and debuggers.

The Enterprise Volume Management System, or EVMS, is a disk, partition, and file system manager for Linux that claims to be a comprehensive tool for all disk management tasks. I ran across EVMS and found the idea appealing, so I decided to try it out. I've been working with it for a couple of weeks now, and this article describes what I found.

The phrase "de facto standard" can denote anything from proprietary tyranny to a healthy, vibrant, market. What makes a standard viable without the formal blessing of a standards organization? Should you use such informal standards, or ignore them?

Most times when an object shows up for work, it's capable of performing as required, because its capabilities are advertised explicitly in its interface. However, life is not always that straightforward. This chapter will help you learn what to do when capabilities aren't readily apparent.

Functions are the wonderful and powerful building blocks of computer programs. Functions allow you to break code down into simpler, more manageable steps. They also allow you to break programs into reusable parts -- parts that are both reusable within the program and in other programs as well. In this article, learn how to create new functions at runtime based on templates, how to create functions that are configurable at runtime using function parameters, and how the Scheme language can be a valuable tool with functions.

This chapter looks at a practical example from science and engineering that can find applications in almost any numerical code. Along the way, you'll learn some important new concepts and get a taste of metaprogramming at a high level using the MPL. Also, this chapter explains the difference between assignment and initialization in C++ in simple terms, with examples to illustrate each.

The inability to keep crosscutting concerns separate can really get in the way of creating a clear and understandable system. Find out how to keep your aspect-oriented software from becoming a tangled mess in this sample chapter.

A new programming language has been sighted, it goes by the affectionate name "nessie" and it claims to be the loch ness monster of programming languages.

I read a lot of reviews comparing GNU/Linux and Microsoft Windows, and inevitably the topic of installing software comes up. Most reviews indicate that installing software in Windows is much easier than that of the desktop GNU/Linux world. I decided to do my own comparison based on my desktop usage to see the difference. The following are my results. Those of you that come from the Windows world may be a tad bit surprised at the ease in which software can be installed.