C++ FAQ / Section 4 / FAQ 4.36

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Revised Jul 4, 2012

[4.36] What updates were made for the 06/02 release?

Big-picture changes:

• Added a new section on Newbie Questions / Answers.

20 New FAQs:

• [4.36] What updates were made for the 06/02 release?
  (created)
• [6.15] What does the FAQ mean by "such and such is evil"?
  (created)
• [21.12] If SortedList has exactly the same public interface as List, is SortedList a kind-of List?
  (created thanks to a conversation with Dave Mikesell)
• [26.12] How can I tell if an integer is a power of two without looping?
  (created thanks to S.K. Mody)
• [29.1] What is this "newbie section" all about?
  (created)
• [29.2] Where do I start? Why do I feel so confused, so stupid?
  (created thanks to a question from John Lester)
• [29.5] What are the criteria for choosing between short / int / long data types?
  (created thanks to a question from John Lester)
• [29.6] What the heck is a const variable? Isn't that a contradiction in terms?
  (created thanks to a question from John Lester)
• [29.7] Why would I use a const variable / const identifier as opposed to #define?
  (created thanks to a question from John Lester)
• [29.8] Are you saying that the preprocessor is evil?
  (created)
• [29.9] What is the "standard library"? What is included / excluded from it?
  (created thanks to a question from John Lester)
• [29.10] How should I lay out my code? When should I use spaces, tabs, and/or newlines in my code?
  (created thanks to a question from John Lester)
• [29.11] Is it okay if a lot of numbers appear in my code?
  (created)
• [29.12] What's the point of the L, U and f suffixes on numeric literals?
  (created thanks to a question from John Lester)
• [29.13] I can understand the and (&&) and or (||) operators, but what's the purpose of the not (!) operator?
  (created thanks to a question from John Lester)
• [29.14] Is !(a < b) logically the same as a >= b?
  (created)
• [29.15] What is this NaN thing?
  (created)
• [29.19] What is the type of an enumeration such as enum Color? Is it of type int?
  (created thanks to a question from John Lester)
• [29.20] If an enumeration type is distinct from any other type, what good is it? What can you do with it?
  (created thanks to a question from John Lester)
• [38.6] What's the difference between C++ and Visual C++?
  (created based on a question from Lavanya Mahashankar)

13 Changed FAQs:

• [2.12] Where can I find the C++ FAQ translated into Portuguese?
  (updated the URL)
• [3.1] Is there a C++ FAQ Book in addition to this on-line C++ FAQ?
  (changed the URL for the book cover and excerpts thanks to Thomas Hansen; also added the sample chapter and source code.)
• [5.6] Wait a minute, does that previous FAQ say to not answer their question just because it's already answered in the FAQ?!?
  (fixed misspelling in "cripple" thanks to John Marshall plus general rewording)
• [5.13] What about spam?
  (fixed a typo thanks to Paul Savage)
• [10.6] Should my constructors use "initialization lists" or "assignment"?
  (added symmetry argument wrt non-static const members thanks to Tanmoy Bhattacharya)
• [10.16] Why doesn't the construct-on-first-use idiom use a static object instead of a static pointer?
  (made substantive changes to the second-to-last paragraph thanks to Amitha Perera and Wil Evers)
• [18.13] What do I do if I want a const member function to make an "invisible" change to a data member?
  (reworded the question to distinguish "invisible change" from "invisible data member" thanks to Thomas Hansen)
• [26.4] But, but, but what about machines where a char has more than 8 bits? Surely you're not saying a C++ byte might have more than 8 bits, are you?!?
  (removed a superfluous statement)
• [26.6] I'm sooooo confused. Would you please go over the rules about bytes, chars, and characters one more time?
  (rewrote; changed the example from the mythical FOO machine to a PDP-10, plus added words showing how to simulate pointers using software, much thanks to Andrew Koenig)
• [26.7] What is a "POD type"?
  (added note that POD types can contain non-virtual member functions thanks to Andrew Koenig)
• [26.8] When initializing non-static data members of built-in / intrinsic / primitive types, should I use the "initialization list" or assignment?
  (clarified the cross-reference)
• [26.9] When initializing static data members of built-in / intrinsic / primitive types, should I worry about the "static initialization order fiasco"?
  (made it clearer that the FAQ provides a solution)
• [38.5] Where can I get information about the C++ compiler from {Borland, IBM, Microsoft, Sun, etc.}?
  (updated the link to KAI C++)