Building Consensus on a Set of Rules for Massive C++ Codebases

Explore the process of building consensus on C++ coding rules across a large engineering department in this CppCon 2023 talk. Learn how Bloomberg introduced broader naming conventions to their massive C++ codebase, impacting package management infrastructure and build tools. Discover valuable lessons and potential pitfalls encountered during the consensus-building process, applicable to introducing C++ rules in your own organization. Gain insights into the importance of journalism skills in approaching engineering questions, including seeking diverse perspectives, listening to critics, and persistent inquiry. Understand how input from over 150 people across various teams with different needs and coding styles was incorporated to develop a flexible set of rules. Benefit from the speaker's unique background in journalism and experience in creating community consensus among developers as part of Bloomberg's Code Governance Solutions team.