Embedded C++

Major Japanese CPU manufacturers, including NEC, Hitachi, Fujitsu, and Toshiba, to address the shortcomings of C++ for embedded applications. The goal of the effort is to preserve the most useful object-oriented features of the C++ language yet minimize code size while maximizing execution efficiency and making compiler construction simpler.

Embedded C++ is a proper subset of C++, i.e. it has no additions. The following language features have been removed:
* Multiple inheritance
* Virtual base classes
* Run-time type information (typeid)
* New style casts (static_cast, dynamic_cast, reinterpret_cast and const_cast)
* The mutable type qualifier
* Namespaces
* Exceptions
* Templates

The language has not had a good reception with many expert C++ programmers. In particular, Bjarne Stroustrup says, "To the best of my knowledge EC++ is dead (2004), and if it isn't it ought to be." [cite web
url = http://www.research.att.com/~bs/bs_faq.html#EC++
title = What do you think of EC++?
work = Bjarne Stroustrup's FAQ ]

A criticism is that EC++ is intended for use with 32-bit architecture instead of focusing on the big market of 8/16-bit microcontrollers.cite online journal
author = Jack Ganssle
title = EC++
date = 1997-01-06
journal = The Embedded Muse
volume = 13
pages = 1–2
url = http://www.ganssle.com/tem/tem13.pdf ]

In principle an EC++ program can be compiled with any C++ compiler; however, a specific EC++ compiler will be easier to build and might create code that is more efficient than the code from a C++ compiler. Metrowerks and Tasking Software provide compilers with specific EC++ support for embedded platforms.

References

External links

* [http://www.caravan.net/ec2plus/ Official Embedded C++ Website]
* [http://www.caravan.net/ec2plus/objectives/object.html Background and Objectives of the Embedded C++ Specification Development]
* [http://www.embedded.com/97/feat9712.htm Embedded C++: An Overview] , by P.J. Plauger, Embedded Systems Programming, December 1997