Why C++ Sails When the Vasa Sank (Scott Meyers)

The Vasa was a 17th century Swedish warship that suffered such feature creep during construction, it sank leaving the harbor on its maiden voyage. In the early 1990s, the C++ standardization committee adopted the Vasa as a cautionary tale, discouraging prospective language extensions with "Remember the Vasa!" Yet C++ continued to grow, and by the time C++ was standardized, its complexity made the Vasa look like a rowboat.

The Vasa sank, however, while C++ cruised, and it looks likely to continue doing so even as the latest revised standard adds dozens of new features, each with its own idiosyncrasies. Clearly, C++ has gotten some important things right. In this talk, Scott Meyers considers the lessons to be learned from the ongoing success of a complex programming language that's some thirty years old, yet very much alive and kicking.

For more information about the speaker see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Meyers

Check-in will begin at 6PM with Scott Meyers presenting at 7PM. Important: All participants will need to check-in at the front desk (photo ID required).

Pizza and refreshments will be provided by Spot Trading. Also representatives from the CBOE have offered to give tours of the trading floor for those interested. Tours can begin as early as 6 and will run until 6:45.