> >
> > With the removal of the requirement to make it possible to write MIDAS frontends in C, we can switch the MIDAS 
> > default build to C++ and start using C++ features in the MIDAS API (std::string, std::vector, etc).
> > 

C++ is a big animal. Obviously we want to use std::string, std::vector and similar improvements over plain C (we already use "//" for comments).

But in keeping with the Camel's nose fable (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camel%27s_nose), there are some parts of C++ we definitely do not want to use in MIDAS. Even the C++ FAQ talks 
about "evil features", see https://isocpp.org/wiki/faq/big-picture#use-evil-things-sometimes

Here is my list of things to use and to avoid. Comments on this are very welcome - as everybody's experience with C++ is different (and everybody's experience is very valuable and very 
welcome).

- std::string, std:vector, etc are in. I am already using them in the MIDAS API (midas.h)
- extern "C" is out, everything has to be C++, will remove "extern "C"" from all midas header files.
- exceptions are out, see https://stackoverflow.com/questions/1736146/why-is-exception-handling-bad
- std::thread and std::mutex are in, at least for writing new frontends, but see discussion of "cannot use c++11". (maybe replace ss_mutex_xxx() with out own std::mutex look-alike).
- heavy use of templates and heavy use of argument overloading is out - just by looking at the code, impossible to tell what function will be called
- "auto" is on probation. I need to know if "auto v=f()" is an integer or a double when I write "auto w=v/2" or "auto w=v/2.0". see 
https://softwareengineering.stackexchange.com/questions/180216/does-auto-make-c-code-harder-to-understand
- unreadable gibberish is out (lambdas, etc)
- C-style malloc()/free() is in. C++ new and delete are okey, but "delete[]" confuses me.
- C-style printf() is in. C++ cout and "<<" gunk provide no way to easily format the output for easy reading.

K.O.