Using C++ Efficiently In Embedded Applications

This talk is aimed at embedded systems developers who are considering the adoption of C++[BS97] in their projects. The material assumes professional acquaintance with embedded development, and with a language in the general class of ANSI/ISO C[C90]. On the other hand, not much knowledge of C++ is presumed. This talk is meant, therefore, for engineers tackling their first embedded system development projects in C++.There are good reasons for using C++ to implement an embedded system, for instance: · C++ compares favorably with C (the leading alternative) in matters of syntactic convenience, compiletime type-checking, memory allocation and initialization, and code reuse through derivation,· The newly approved Draft Standard for C++ ends a long period of uncertainty about the ultimate shape of the language. Conforming implementations are gradually turning up. Within a couple of years, we should find that most implementations are fully conforming. On the other hand, there are corresponding reasons for caution, too:· C++ (plus its libraries) is a larger, more complex, language than C (its libraries included). A developer who has a good understanding of the consequences of employing this or that C feature may be misled when evaluating outwardly similar features in C++,· The long gestation period of the C++ standard has promoted a drift in implementation. The meaning of a C++ program (never mind its performance) does depend on what compiler it was meant for. I assume here that the decision of adopting C++ has been made already, and that the development team is evaluating which C++ features will be appropriate for the project at hand.