Back to Basics
Value Semantics
Modern C++ is more than new standards or an assortment of new features. Modern C++ is about a philosophy on how to use the language. An integral part of this philosophy is value semantics: preferring values and value-like types instead of pointers and references.
This talk explains the rational of this philosophy. It demonstrates the benefits of several value types from the standard library, such as std::optional, std::function and std::variant, and the drawbacks of several reference types, such as std::string_view and std::span. It also goes into detail about the most common questions about value semantics, as for instance how to properly use reference types and whether we should stop using reference parameters.
Klaus Iglberger
Klaus Iglberger is a freelance C++ trainer and consultant. He has finished his PhD in Computer Science in 2010 and since then is focused on large-scale C++ software design. He shares his expertise in popular advanced C++ courses around the world (mainly in Germany, but also in the rest of the EU and the US). Additionally, he is the initiator and lead designer of the Blaze C++ math library (https://bitbucket.org/blaze-lib/blaze/), one of the organizers of the Munich C++ user group (https://www.meetup.com/MUCplusplus/), and the organizer of the Back-to-Basics track at CppCon.