C++ : Lack of Standardization at the Binary Level
- by Nawaz
Why ISO/ANSI didn't standardize C++ at the binary level? There are many portability issues with C++, which is only because of lack of it's standardization at the binary level.
Don Box writes, (quoting from his book Essential COM, chapter COM As A Better C++)
C++ and Portability
Once the decision is made to
distribute a C++ class as a DLL, one
is faced with one of the fundamental
weaknesses of C++, that is, lack of
standardization at the binary level.
Although the ISO/ANSI C++ Draft
Working Paper attempts to codify which
programs will compile and what the
semantic effects of running them will
be, it makes no attempt to standardize
the binary runtime model of C++. The
first time this problem will become
evident is when a client tries to link
against the FastString DLL's import library from
a C++ developement environment other
than the one used to build the
FastString DLL.
Are there more benefits Or loss of this lack of binary standardization?
