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Is there any other way at google scale? I haven't written more than 100k LOC of C++ and yet there are already lots of code (mostly template meta programming) t

by zawerf 8y ago

Is there any other way at google scale? I haven't written more than 100k LOC of C++ and yet there are already lots of code (mostly template meta programming) that I wrote that even I can't read anymore. Now imagine blowing that up to (literally) billions of lines of C++ written by overly clever engineers all eager to prove themselves.

CoolGuySteve 8y ago
Quite a few things: - Allow whatever C++ inside the project but force each project to export a plain C API and .so file. This has the quadruple bonus of (1) avoiding ABI problems between compilers, (2) hiding complexity from other teams, (3) forcing teams to think more about their APIs, and (4) being trivially callable from any other language. - Large API/SPI review mailing lists. This worked quite well at Apple. - Add a section to the style guide about what's appropriate template use and what's not. Banning one of the language's most important features is just a cop out. - Better mentorship from senior engineers.