Lecture 1. The Very Soul of C++. Master's Course in C++ (MIPT, 2025-2026).

Описание: Master's degree lectures at MIPT on modern C++. Department of Microprocessor Technologies.

In this lecture, we will begin our course by diving into the very essence of the C++ language. We will talk about the language standard, discover generic programming, and dedicate significant time to program behavior, including undefined behavior. By the end of this lecture, you will understand in which cases the compiler can remove your code and what you can do about it. We will also touch upon the new C++26 feature — erroneous behavior.

Lecturer: Konstantin Vladimirov.
Lecture date: September 3, 2025.
Filming assistance: Anastasia Chernikova, Vladislav Belov

Previous lecture: None, this is the first lecture of the course.
Next lecture:    • Lecture 2. Strings. Master's Course in C++...  

Slides for all lectures: https://sourceforge.net/projects/cpp-...
Code examples for all lectures: https://github.com/tilir/cpp-masters

Timeline:
00:00 The C++ language and the language standard. Normative references.
07:30 The MSB problem and its solution in C
14:05 Several iterations of the solution in C++
21:40 The efficiency problem with unsigned char and the first UB-based optimization
29:25 The abstract machine of the language and the as-if rule
38:05 The boundaries of compiler conservatism: the importance of UB
46:18 An interesting example from this year and a challenge for the audience.
52:30 The danger of hidden UB and the introduction of Erroneous behavior in the language
58:58 Homework and overview of sources.

Errata:
Empty for now