Software Engineering Radio - the podcast for professional software developers SE Radio 708: Jens Gustedt on C in 2026
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Feb 19, 2026 Jens Gustedt, senior scientist, author of Modern C, and former ISO C co-editor, walks through C developments since C23. Short takes on pointer provenance, bit-precise and checked integer types, type inference and nullptr changes. He outlines a transition header to ease migration, debates like lambdas, and a four-tier approach to program failure.
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Attributes Gain Clear, Standard Syntax
- C23 standardizes attribute syntax so annotations unambiguously attach to the intended construct.
- This formal attribute system replaces ad-hoc vendor extensions with a consistent grammar.
Use Type Inference And Brace Init
- Use auto and typeof to keep code consistent and avoid brittle duplicated type names.
- Use brace-init (empty braces) to default-initialize arrays and VLAs safely and concisely.
Lambdas Promise Cleaner Callbacks
- Lambdas would let you pass inline callbacks and keep callback code local to the call site.
- The community is split on syntax and capture semantics, so lambdas didn't make C23.
