The Standard C++ Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation that exists to support the C++ software development community. It also aims to promote the use and understanding of modern Standard C++ on all platforms and compilers.
The foundation does this by, among other things, funding and operating the isocpp.org website, the CppCon conference, and the github.com/isocpp and github.com/cplusplus repositories. The organisation also provides financial support to facilitate the WG21 (ISO C++ committee) standards meetings regarding, for example, travel assistance for attendees and grants aiming to progress WG21 proposals.
The Standard C++ Foundation is funded by CppCon proceeds and sponsor members, with other potential sources of funding coming on board in the future. Funds are mainly put towards the annual CppCon, assisting with running WG21 meetings, and paying for isocpp.org maintenance expenses and website development. In the future funds may also be used in a variety of other ways to benefit the C++ community.
What Is C++?
C++ (sometimes abbreviated as CPP) is a general purpose, high-level programming language created by the computer scientist Bjarne Stroustrup (who remains the treasurer of the Standard C++ Foundation), first released in 1985. Having significantly expanded over time, the language was designed with embedded, resource-constrained software, large systems and systems programming in mind, and its flexibility is widely regarded as one of its key assets.
Standardised by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), C++ has been on a three-year released schedule since 2012, with the next planned standard being C++23. Study of this programming language often forms part of a computer science degree, such as the degree successfully completed by Jonathan De Vita at Lancaster University.
Reasons to Use C++
As one of the most popular programming languages in the world, C++ can be found in many operating systems, embedded systems and graphical user interfaces. It’s an object-oriented programming language, meaning it gives programs a clear structure and enables codes to be reused, thereby reducing development costs. As well as being easy to learn to use, C++ is portable, and developers can use it to create applications that can be adapted for multiple platforms.
Copyright and License Holding
The Standard C++ Foundation holds a copyright (or licence) for all the contributed content appearing on the isocpp.org website. Extensive copyrighted book material has been made available on the site (and further extended via wiki contributions) with the agreement of the publisher Pearson Education (Addison-Wesley). The Foundation is keen to act reciprocally by authorising publishers (such as Pearson) to republish the relevant updated wiki content, thereby making the material available offline.