C++ FAQ / Section 4 / FAQ 4.40

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Revised Jul 4, 2012

[4.40] What updates were made for the 08/01 release?

New features:

• You can now search the C++ FAQ (thanks to www.google.com).
• The FAQ has now been translated into Chinese using the GB encoding (typically used on the Chinese mainland).

13 New FAQs:

• [4.40] What updates were made for the 08/01 release?
  (created)
• [5.10] Should I post job advertisements and/or resumés on comp.lang.c++?
  (created thanks to David Harmon and Brian B. Rodenborn)
• [5.11] What if I really need a job; should I post my resumé on comp.lang.c++?
  (created thanks to David Harmon and Brian B. Rodenborn)
• [5.12] What should I do to someone who posts something off-topic?
  (created)
• [5.13] What about spam?
  (created)
• [10.16] Why doesn't the construct-on-first-use idiom use a static object instead of a static pointer?
  (created)
• [10.18] Do I need to worry about the "static initialization order fiasco" for variables of built-in/intrinsic types?
  (created thanks to Cyril Schmidt)
• [20.6] I have a heterogeneous list of objects, and my code needs to do class-specific things to the objects. Seems like this ought to use dynamic binding but can't figure it out. What should I do?
  (created based on an email discussion with Jeramie Hicks)
• [23.11] How can I set up my class so it won't be inherited from?
  (created)
• [23.12] How can I set up my member function so it won't be overridden in a derived class?
  (created)
• [27.11] Why do people worry so much about pointer casts and/or reference casts?
  (created)
• [29.17] Why doesn't my floating-point comparison work?
  (created thanks to Stan Brown)
• [38.13] Is it possible to convert C++ to C?
  (created thanks to J. Stephen Adamczyk and Greg Comeau)

24 Changed FAQs:

• [2.1] Where's the closest mirror site to access this document?
  (removed the Finland mirror site — it wasn't being kept up-to-date)
• [2.6] Where can I find the C++ FAQ translated into Chinese?
  (added the URL for the GB-encoded version thanks to Shen Min for the translation)
• [10.6] Should my constructors use "initialization lists" or "assignment"?
  (reworded various things thanks to Stan Brown)
• [10.7] Should you use the this pointer in the constructor?
  (wordsmithed thanks to Stan Brown)
• [10.14] What's the "static initialization order fiasco"?
  (closed loophole wrt built-in/intrinsic types thanks to Cyril Schmidt)
• [10.15] How do I prevent the "static initialization order fiasco"?
  (closed loophole wrt built-in/intrinsic types thanks to Cyril Schmidt)
• [10.17] How do I prevent the "static initialization order fiasco" for my static data members?
  (closed loophole wrt built-in/intrinsic types thanks to Cyril Schmidt)
• [10.20] What is the "Named Parameter Idiom"?
  (wordsmithed and added last paragraph with inspiration from Stan Brown)
• [14.2] Do friends violate encapsulation?
  (added the last paragraph with inspiration from Stan Brown)
• [14.4] What does it mean that "friendship isn't inherited, transitive, or reciprocal"?
  (wordsmithed ("nor" vs. "or") thanks to Herbert Gintis)
• [16.6] Do I need to check for NULL after p = new Fred()?
  (changed endl to std::endl)
• [16.25] Can I absolutely prevent people from subverting the reference counting mechanism, and if so, should I?
  (wordsmithed thanks to Stan Brown)
• [16.26] Can I use a garbage collector in C++?
  (added cross-references thanks to Stan Brown)
• [16.27] What are the two kinds of garbage collectors for C++?
  (added a URL for Attardi and Flagella's CMM thanks to Markus Laker)
• [19.7] How can I protect derived classes from breaking when I change the internal parts of the base class?
  (wordsmithed thanks to Stan Brown)
• [20.8] What is a "virtual constructor"?
  (added the paragraph about MS VC++ 6.0's mishandling of Covariant Return Types; thanks to Karthik for pointing this out)
• [28.4] Should I buy one book, or several?
  (wordsmithed thanks to Stan Brown)
• [32.1] What do I need to know when mixing C and C++ code?
  (fixed a typo thanks to Kumaran Surrendra; added the paragraph on compiling everything, even C-style code, using a C++ compiler thanks to Gary Jenkins)
• [37.2] Where can I get a copy of "STL"?
  (added comment about "<string>" thanks to Stan Brown)
• [38.5] Where can I get information about the C++ compiler from {Borland, IBM, Microsoft, Sun, etc.}?
  (added URL for Digital Mars C++ thanks to Walter Bright)
• [39.1] How do I convert a value (a number, for example) to a std::string?
  (changed <stdio> to <cstdio> thanks to Stan Brown)
• [39.2] How do I convert a std::string to a number?
  (changed <stdio> to <cstdio> thanks to Stan Brown)
• [39.6] What should be done with macros that need to paste two tokens together? Updated!
  (removed ambivalence regarding second layer of indirection when using ## thanks to Joshua Fraser and Ronald Fischer)
• [40.2] Is there a TeX or LaTeX macro that fixes the spacing on "C++"?
  (wordsmithed thanks to Stan Brown)